Communiversity in Princeton

Stone Soup Circus did the double this weekend at Communiversity. First there was the parade. A group of 8 stilt walkers and 8 more puppeteers paraded along Nassau St, joining up with an ensemble of 100 bucket drummers to continue on to Palmer Square. The parade was the culmination of a collaboration between Stone Soup Circus and Professor Lee Higgins at the Westminster Choir College. He had students making drums from buckets and learning how to move and play some catchy rhythms. In parallel, I was teaching adults and children how to walk on stilts. We made stilts and stilt pants and some wore puppet costumes. The puppetters came from a program at the Arts Council of Princeton, taught by Maria Evans and me. The children made papier mache puppets with a spring theme. Everyone gathered for the parade in last Saturday's heat and the faces in the crowd said it all.

After the parade, Stone Soup Circus moved to the stage in Palmer Square for our show, telling the story of how the circus began. I'll put videos up on Youtube soon. The show featured some 30 performers and crew, including a parent-child acrobat troupe, trapeze artists and slapstick comedy.

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Community Park Party Board

We held a Family Circus Workshop in aid of Community Park School. Five families joined at my house for juggling, balancing, stiltwalking, trapeze and aerial silks. We finished the tightwire just in time!

Stone Soup Circus Website

Announcing the launch of the Stone Soup Circus website at www.stonesoupcircus.com
Check it out!

Playful Family Yoga

My new friend Diane and I tested out a collaboration yesterday with a program of Playful Family Yoga. About twenty people, families, gathered in our empty living room for a mix of play, gentle yoga and circus skills. Afterward, we gathered in the kitchen to make and share Stone Soup. I hope this will be the first of many Stone Soup gatherings.

B'nai Mitzwah and Uncle Sam

The family that hired a British woman to act as a super tall Uncle Sam at their twin boys' B'nai Mitzwah were very good sports. The tailored costume was a hit, and guests of all ages played ball with me and won minature flags and umbrellas (it was pouring with rain). No photo rights here, so take my word for it that the party was splendid!

Stone Soup Circus Update

Stone Soup Circus debuted at the Arts Council of Princeton in early September. A scratch crew of performers from my summer programs and from the Circus Minimus camp met up for an hour of prep before launching onto the Arts Council's newly minted outdoor stage (aka the patio). We showcased skills the kids had been working on and invited eager audience members to jump rope with us and join in creating a labyrinth. Princeton's Town Topics featured a photo of me in a tall hat and ringmaster's jacket. If I can find it, I'll add that to this post.

Since mid-September a dedicated crew has been working on learning skills, and creating a circus adaptation of the story of Stone Soup. We'll be performing on November 17 at 4:45pm at the Arts Council of Princeton's Solley Theater. Do come along!

Circus Minimus in Warren, Vermont

I travelled with my kids this August to a Circus Minimus camp in Warren, Vermont. I taught circus there while they joined in the camp.