November 5, 2007

Russian American Kids Circus brings act to Loeb stage

Russian American Kids Circus
Download photo

The performance, presented by Purdue Convocations as part of its Family Adventures series, is sold out.

The Russian American Kids Circus stars children ages 6 to 16, who have been trained by veterans of the world-famous Moscow Circus.

"Incorporating the latest state-of-the-art techniques and equipment, the performers dazzle audiences with soaring acrobatics, synchronized unicycling, juggling, clowning and acts of precision balancing," said Laura Clavio, assistant director of Purdue Convocations.

The stage show got its start in 1994, when Alex Berenchtein, a former star of the Moscow Circus, opened the New Way Circus Center Inc., a nonprofit academy in Brooklyn, N.Y., open to children of all ages and nationalities.

Through the circus curriculum, children learned teamwork, gained greater self-confidence and developed physical strength in a supportive educational environment, Clavio said. The advanced students who mastered the basic skills formed the performing troupe that came to be known as the Russian American Kids Circus on Stage. Since then, the group has performed 1,500 shows in 34 states, Canada and the British Virgin Islands.

Audiences at Purdue are invited to a pre-show circus-fun workshop at 2 p.m. Nov. 18 in the Stewart Center West Lobby. Participants can try to spin plates, juggle scarves, pantomime and other circus skills with members of the Russian American Kids Circus. The workshop is free and open to the public.

Writer: Christy Jones, (765) 494-1089, christyjones@purdue.edu

Source: Kerry Schutt Nason, Purdue Convocations director of marketing, (765) 494-5045, knason@purdue.edu

Purdue News Service: (765) 494-2096; purduenews@purdue.edu

Note to journalists: Publication-quality photos of the Russian American Kids Circus is available at https://www.purdue.edu/convos/kidscircusimages.shtml

To the News Service home page