Circus Smirkus full of tricks, acrobatics
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Circus Smirkus comes to Dorr Farm in Manchester Center July 8 and 9. Photo Provided |
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Staff Report - Published: July 2, 2009
Circus Smirkus, Vermont's international youth circus, will rustle up the ooohs and ahhhs July 8 and 9, when the nonprofit award-winning group makes a splash in center ring at Dorr Farm in Manchester Center.
The 2009 Big Top Tour theme, Smirkus Ever After, brings the classic stories of Aesop, the Brothers Grimm and Hans Christian Anderson to life in a colorful and exciting circus spectacle of high-flying tricks and nerve-wracking acrobatics under the big tent for four shows.
Every summer, a group of talented youth aged 10 to 18, selected by audition to share the ring with professional circus artists, put on a whirlwind show incorporating traditional and contemporary circus styles. Backed by coaches, cooks, crew and musicians, the team goes on a two-month performance tour around New England. This year they make 14 stops, with five appearances in Vermont – Manchester, Brattleboro, Essex Junction, Montpelier and Waitsfield – performing to crowds in a 750-seat European-style one-ring Big Top tent.
Presented by The Circus Barn, Manchester Chamber of Commerce, Lions & Rotary, Circus Smirkus headquarters are based in Greensboro where young people study the art of the circus and take their show on the road, with the mission "to promote the skills, culture and traditions of the traveling circus and to inspire youth to engage in life-changing adventures in the circus arts."
Founded in 1987, Circus Smirkus is a complete immersion in circus life, including rigorous training, daily chores, loading in and loading out the Big Top, and performing in more than 70 shows in 14 towns in just seven weeks.
Showtimes are 2 and 7 p.m., July 8 and 9, at Dorr Farm on Bonnet Street, Manchester Center.
Admission for adults is $18, youth $15. If still available, tickets are sold at the door an hour before showtime.
For more information, check out www.smirkus.org or call 533-7443.
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