| REFLECTION 3 |
Circus Unlimited
BY JUDY FINELLI
When Amy Cohen contacted me to
let me know the American Circus
Educators Conference would be
held in San Francisco in October and
asked me if I would be interested in
doing one of the keynote addresses,
I was really excited! I had so much I
wanted to say to circus instructors.
But upon reflection, I wondered
what I could possibly talk about since
circus education has blossomed into
a myriad of directions. The breadth
of the conference itself impressed
me. Everything was covered, from
circus with autistic children to the
biomechanics of studying circus with
all kinds of bodies to teaching circus
to native at risk Canadian youth in a
remote village. At the beginning of
my circus career, I could not have
predicted any of this.
My mind went blank as I contemplated
actually filling an hour and a half with
interesting ideas. I didn’t want to bore
people or lecture them. So, what in
the world could I talk about? I realized
that it might be fun for people to find
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out what it was like in the 1950s and
60s before the days of ACE or AYCO.
What did it feel like to perform circus
acts for audiences who had never
before seen those entertainments up
close and personal? Not only did that
idea appeal to me, it also changed my
thinking about the entire conference
because I knew I could learn a lot,
but it felt good to know that I had
in formation I could share that might
be interesting to young people too,
and I could be a student again! That
was an exciting prospect!
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 6
I arrived at the conference and saw
many people I had not seen in years! I
even found out I knew people that at
first – much to my embarrassment –
either I didn’t immediately recognize
or even realize I knew! I also had my
first of many delicious vegan meals
which were much appreciated and
enjoyed. My undying gratitude goes
to Jackie Davis for keeping me alive
with thin dark chocolate rectangles,
multiple meals and transportation
in the form of sexy brutes and
brawny babes who carried me in the
wheelchair from the theater to the
gym and back several times. There
was an extremely enjoyable show
the first night with Master Lu Yi in
attendance! The acts were inventive
and skilled. I had never seen an aerial
“lollipop” apparatus before, and was
very glad I got the opportunity. There
was also an amazing duo aerial rope
act with Althea Young and Ellie Rossi
that was groundbreaking. Another act
featured an unexpected aerial/juggling
combination from AcroSports which
showed creativity in pairing Edgar
Allan Poe’s tragic poem “Annabel Lee”
with numbers juggling and an ethereal
presence representing the specter of
Poe’s lost love.
The thing that struck me most about
the entire conference was the
incredible breadth of the subject of
circus education. Years ago, when I
taught at Wendy Parkman’s and my
Pickle Family Circus School, I never
dreamed that the subject of circus
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