Creation and Show Time at Camp!
Editor’s Note: This post was written by Camp Photographer & Communications Assistant Will Ciardelli
Another end to another exciting week! The unofficial theme of this week was Show Creation where campers switched gears from learning new skills to act creation! Instead of our usual rotation group based classes, we switched to rehearsal blocks. After campers chose their acts, they met in their groups and put their creative energy into the act creation process. This was a first for many of our campers which offered a vital experience for our budding circus artists and performers. Although it’s a difficult job, our campers worked incredibly hard to create something that not only showed off their individual talents in unison but also worked to make something they were proud to show off and perform.
On top of these occasionally stressful creation periods, campers were able to have their fun with some entertaining afternoon and evening activities such as “Build Your Own Scarecrow,” our camp version of “Family Feud,” and a fan favorite “Gold Rush.” Campers had tons of fun during our scarecrow activity in which they were asked to create a freestanding scarecrow with things found inside their dorms including things like unused lamps, costumes pieces from past dinner dress ups and other assorted items the campers had on hand. They were then judged by a highly renowned set of judges (also known as members of our coaching staff) in categories such as “Scare-a-bility,” “Structural Soundness,” and of course points for creativity.
The week was based heavily around the creation of our show. Morning warm ups led right into the creation and rehearsal of our opening act, and our afternoon strengthening was preceded by learning and forming our closing act which almost all campers participated. We practiced this way up until Friday when it was time to show off what the campers had created.
Around 10:00am parents began pulling into the Smirkus Camp parking lot excited to see their children and what they had created over the two weeks at camp. They were entertained by our pre-show which included a combination of clowning, stilt walking and some impressive unicycling! They were then led into Mama Mia, our beloved big top tent, where the the main show began. The show was filled with amazing feats on our aerial apparatuses, skillful juggling and tumbling acts, and of course hilarious clown gags to the amusement of all in attendance.
Despite our show being unfortunately cut short by the rain and threat of lightning strikes, it’s safe to say that everyone had a great time showing off the skills they had worked so hard on for the last two weeks. And despite the torrential downpour, we wrapped up the session with some heartfelt goodbyes. The campers as always are the life and magic at Smirkus Camp. This is why we are sad to see you all go and we hope that you carry the some of the Smirkus Magic with you and spread it everywhere you go. We all want to give a huge thank you to all who came and spent the two weeks up here on Clown Alley and hope to see you all down the road, and maybe again next summer!