personal preference art : Visit to the UniverSoul Circus an eye-opener
While children and their parents from the ExCEL Homeschool Program in Landover have attended the UniverSoul Circus before, they got to see life under the big top from a behind-the-scenes perspective for the first time on June 14.
‘‘It’s the highlight of our Community Helpers and Careers series,” said Tamika McKim Neblett, founder of the year-old ExCEL program.
‘‘We do a number of different activities throughout the year, but our focus is one education throughout the experience so students can see how to appreciate what they’re learning in a real-world setting.”
The children also visited Pizzeria Uno in Largo, Giant Food in Bowie and the National Museum for African Art.
During a 90-minute visit, about 20 children and 11 chaperones met with performers, including motorcycle acrobats and limbo dancers. The homeschool group from Landover then attended a performance Friday.
‘‘This is great. They’ll get to see the behind-the-scenes; then on Friday, they’ll know what went into it,” Neblett said before the visit.
Several performers and officials with the circus said they enjoy when groups visit because the visits enhance their expectation of the show. Although the children may not become performers, the visits show them they can pursue any career, they said.
‘‘It makes me proud to explain what comes from my island,” said Michelle Pilgrim, a native of Trinidad and Tobago who, as a Caribbean heat dancer, does limbo and other dances with fire. ‘‘They can be anything they want, a dancer, a lawyer. They can have a career in the arts, not just a school activity.”
The visits also show the children, most of whom are black, examples of blacks in entertainment, said Hermoine White, assistant talent manager with the circus.
Entertainer and entrepreneur Cedric Walker founded UniverSoul Circus in 1994 for that reason. The circus was at the Capital Plaza Mall in Landover until Sunday.
Though many in the group had trouble hearing the performers over the din of machines in the background setting up for later performances, several performers spoke to the group in the parking lot outside.
Several adults seemed to get as much out of the visit as the children and asked several questions about the performers’ training and how many teammates work with them.
‘‘We don’t get to go behind the scenes as performances happen. You always have questions, but don’t get to ask them,” said Karen Hewett of Oxon Hill.
Some of the questions even delved into the performers’ personal lives, including where they sleep and if they date.
‘‘How do you have a relationship? I mean, that is the age,” Bowie resident Cheryl Merriman asked aerial dancer Veronica Williams, 22.
Williams didn’t shy away from the question, answering that some performers date coworkers and some have long-distance relationships. Neither is an option for her, she said.
‘‘For me, this is my top priority. (A relationship) adds complications to what I do,” she said. ‘‘It’s definitely a personal preference, you know?”
Copyright © 2006 The Gazette - ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
‘‘It’s the highlight of our Community Helpers and Careers series,” said Tamika McKim Neblett, founder of the year-old ExCEL program.
‘‘We do a number of different activities throughout the year, but our focus is one education throughout the experience so students can see how to appreciate what they’re learning in a real-world setting.”
The children also visited Pizzeria Uno in Largo, Giant Food in Bowie and the National Museum for African Art.
During a 90-minute visit, about 20 children and 11 chaperones met with performers, including motorcycle acrobats and limbo dancers. The homeschool group from Landover then attended a performance Friday.
‘‘This is great. They’ll get to see the behind-the-scenes; then on Friday, they’ll know what went into it,” Neblett said before the visit.
Several performers and officials with the circus said they enjoy when groups visit because the visits enhance their expectation of the show. Although the children may not become performers, the visits show them they can pursue any career, they said.
‘‘It makes me proud to explain what comes from my island,” said Michelle Pilgrim, a native of Trinidad and Tobago who, as a Caribbean heat dancer, does limbo and other dances with fire. ‘‘They can be anything they want, a dancer, a lawyer. They can have a career in the arts, not just a school activity.”
The visits also show the children, most of whom are black, examples of blacks in entertainment, said Hermoine White, assistant talent manager with the circus.
Entertainer and entrepreneur Cedric Walker founded UniverSoul Circus in 1994 for that reason. The circus was at the Capital Plaza Mall in Landover until Sunday.
Though many in the group had trouble hearing the performers over the din of machines in the background setting up for later performances, several performers spoke to the group in the parking lot outside.
Several adults seemed to get as much out of the visit as the children and asked several questions about the performers’ training and how many teammates work with them.
‘‘We don’t get to go behind the scenes as performances happen. You always have questions, but don’t get to ask them,” said Karen Hewett of Oxon Hill.
Some of the questions even delved into the performers’ personal lives, including where they sleep and if they date.
‘‘How do you have a relationship? I mean, that is the age,” Bowie resident Cheryl Merriman asked aerial dancer Veronica Williams, 22.
Williams didn’t shy away from the question, answering that some performers date coworkers and some have long-distance relationships. Neither is an option for her, she said.
‘‘For me, this is my top priority. (A relationship) adds complications to what I do,” she said. ‘‘It’s definitely a personal preference, you know?”
Copyright © 2006 The Gazette - ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
posted by awesome at 11:30 AM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home