We talk of running away and joining the circus as an escape from work and other responsibilities but, in fact, the circus is a lot of hard work and, indeed, a professional path for people with the right set of skills and work ethic.
St. Louis is home to an increasingly impactful circus training program, and it’s responsible for more working African-American circus professionals than any other circus school in the world. Circus Harmony, founded and directed by Jessica Hentoff, now works with over 1,400 youth a year, between 65 and 80 percent of them black (depending on the year). Its major annual fundraiser, the Juggling Ball, is coming up 7-10 p.m. Saturday, November 10 at City Museum.
Circus Harmony’s list of black circus students who have gone circus pro could not be matched by any other circus school of any size – and all of this talent came out of Black St. Louis.
Sidney “Iking” Bateman and Melvin Diggs are currently touring with Cirque du Soleil’s Luzia, in Mexico at the moment. Terrance “T-Roc” Robinson currently is performing with Les 7 Doigt’s de la Main’s Cuisine and Confessions in Paris, France.
Bateman is the subject of PBS’ short film, “The Acrobat,” about his streets-to-circus story from Walnut Park to Cirque du Soleil. This film was produced as a digital sidebar to the American Experience series “The Circus” to show what is happening in circus in America today. As for Diggs, he has said, “Circus Harmony didn’t change my life, it saved my life.”
“There are not yet that many African Americans performing in contemporary circus, and most of them come from Circus Harmony,” Hentoff said. “On the Cirque du Soleil show that Sydney and Melvin are on, there are only three African Americans, and that includes Sidney and Melvin. Terrance is the only one on his show. And trust me, this is all about access, not ability.”
Hentoff knows that some people think that circus is dying because the Ringling Brothers and Barnum and Bailey Circus closed, but in fact the art form is growing and diversifying.
“There are more circus companies and international opportunities than ever before,” Hentoff said. “Unlike much music and acting, these are jobs that actually pay – nobody does free showcases presenting circus arts.”
There is at least one more Circus Harmony circus pro in the pipeline, and one momentarily on the sidelines. Chauncey Kroner currently is in Philadelphia attending Circadium, America’s first degree-granting circus college, while Renaldo Williams formerly toured with Cirque du Solei’s Joya and other shows, but is not currently performing.
Circus Harmony also has alumni who took the discipline and teamwork they learned, in part, through the program to work successfully in other fields as teachers, electricians, accountants, and more. One alumna and board member, Tiffarnish Lewis, works as an accountant for the City of St. Louis.
“Our programs teach valuable life skills like perseverance, focus, and teamwork. Learning circus with others teaches trust, responsibility and cooperation,” Hentoff said. “Perhaps the most important experience we give our participants is the opportunity to meet and interact with children from different socioeconomic and cultural backgrounds than their own.”
Circus Harmony currently is working in dozens of public and a few private schools all over the metro area, teaching youth to work – and, indeed, fly – together. Though its track record justifies Circus Harmony being regarded as a workforce development program, Hentoff considers it a “social circus.” A daughter of the legendary civil rights and jazz journalist Nat Hentoff, she ultimately is motivated by social change.
“We believe the path to peace is a path of cooperation and communication,” she said. “Teaching children from different neighborhoods how to stand on each other’s shoulders may seem like a strange way to take this path. But it’s the technique we use! Circus Harmony promotes peace through pyramids, joy through juggling and harmony through handsprings.”
At Circus Harmony’s 6th annual Juggling Ball at City Museum on November 10, guests will get a taste of circus arts while helping “children throughout the St. Louis metropolitan area defy gravity, soar with confidence, and leap over social barriers, all at the same time!” Hentoff said. “This casual gala is an eclectic evening of dining, dancing . . . and daring.”
For tickets to the Juggling Ball, visit https://tinyurl.com/juggling-ball, email jugglingball@circusharmony.org or call 314-436-7676. For more information, visit http://circusharmony.org.
