Heating Up
Dear Smirkus Friends and Family, It’s been cold here in Greensboro for the Trouper’s first week but things are quickly heating up for the Big Top Tour. We are 13 days away from opening as of today, Sunday 12th. Every day gets busier but the Troupers have persevered through the cold and have been hard at work rehearsing their skills. It’s not all hard work though. The Troupers had a bonfire complete with s’mores earlier in the week. We had a silent movie night on Thursday where Greg Desanto, one of our clown coaches, taught the Troupers about a few famous clowns…
Yokefellows
Dear Smirkus Family and Friends, Greetings from Keene, NH! We arrived in our sister state July, 10 and played six wonderful shows in Hanover, NH at the Fullington Farm Field. We had so many great Smirko family members, alumni, volunteers and board members that made this show special and I would like to take a minute to thank them. First, thank you to our incredible Hanover team of volunteers who poster, flyer, recruit volunteers and recruit homestays made up of Tamra Biedrzycki (parent of Trouper Dylan Biedrzycki) Rob Gurwitt and Karen Harris (parents of former Troupers Sam and Sonya Gurwitt)…
On The Road Again
Dear Smirkus Family and Friends, Well, we are on the road again! We have just bid adieu to St. Johnsbury and are enroute to our next tour stop, Hanover, NH. But we can’t go down the road without filling you in on all the excitement and fun that was had in good ‘ole St. J. We had four fantastic shows and the crowds were phenomenal! Thanks to all of you who attended and speaking of attendance, special shout outs to Alla Youdina, former Circus Smirkus coach who attended the July, 8 Matinee, our very own Circus Smirkus Camp, as well…
Sunshine
Dear Smirkus Friends and Family, After a rainy day of set-up upon our arrival to Saratoga Springs, NY, Sunday, July 4, 2015, we have basked in beautiful sunshine for our two days of shows. The Tent Crew worked tirelessly to set up the lot and per usual everyone pitched in to make the magic happen for our second jump (what we call moving from one tent site to the next). Our presenting organization, the Waldorf School of Saratoga Springs, have been so welcoming and even provided pizza for the crew after our final show! The crew and I would like…
Goodbye Greensboro, Hello Essex Junction
Dear Smirkus Friends and Family, What an exciting weekend and start to a week! Sunday, June 28, we opened our 2015 Big Top Tour, Bon Appétit! with a bang and a packed house. The hard work Troupers, Coaches, Directors and support staff put in during rehearsals really shined through and what an extravaganza of wonder and whimsy the entire day was! I could go on and on, but instead here are my favorite shots from the show! I hope this little taste has you hungry for more when Bon Appétit! comes to a town near you! …
You Can’t Fall
Dear Smirkus Friends and Family, As Opening Day closes in on us (2 days left!), I would like to take this time to talk about the importance of nutrition and health and how we emphasize this to Troupers and the whole crew. We are fed incredibly well, my mantra everyday has been, “I’ve never eaten this well, nor will I ever again,” and that has quite a bit to do with our amazing Pie Boss, Chef Andrew Levy and cooks Sarah Hartman, John Shaw and Maddie Pryor, a special thanks to them for cooking delicious and healthy meals! Moreover, our…
Never Goodbye
Hello Smirkus Family and Friends, In the circus we never say goodbye, instead we say “see you down the road,” and we would like to extend this one to our very talented 2015 Big Top Tour Hula Hooping coach, Timea Zimmerman! Timea, or Timi as we lovingly call her, was responsible for teaching and coaching a six person hula-hooping act for the 2015 Big Top Tour, Bon Appétit! this year. Timi saw Smirkus for the first time last year during our 2014 Big Top Tour, Anchors Away for Atlantis, with her family and simply fell in love and expressed interest…
Truly Inspired
Greetings Smirkus Family & Friends, The countdown has begun, we have t-minus 5 days to Opening Day! The Troupers are fine-tuning their acts and dress rehearsals have begun. Our amazing costume designer, Julie Michael, has been working around the clock to produce fantastic Smirkus-style garments that will wow you! I can’t give away all of our secrets though, so be sure to catch a show near you to discover all the surprises we have in store for you. We also have had a bevy of Smirko traditional events this week and oh, what fun was had! The weekend started with…
On the Cusp
Dear Smirkus Family and Friends, With the outset of our first performance fast approaching, just nine days away from the 2015 Circus Smirkus Big Top Tour Opening Weekend, with our first show on June 28, here in Greensboro, the Troupers are more focused than ever. Known in the Smirko world as the toughest week, we are closing up the second week of rehearsal just beautifully, looking forward to the annual Banquet on Saturday night. Each routine is beginning to reach “act-ness,” the term we use when things just start coming together and we start to see the performance shine through….
Worth It
Dear Smirkus Friends and Family, We did it! The first week of rehearsals and preparation is down and boy was it was a doozie. Throughout the course of the week we have hammered down the last details of the show, completed casting, attended and performed at the official Smirkus Camp Ribbon Cutting (see Hannah’s blog below!) played Panic, rehearsed and rehearsed some more, sweat, put on the No-Talent Talent Show, and even took a day off to relax and recuperate. This week the Troupers will ramp up their training in preparation for the acts they have been cast in and…