Hello everyone! My name is Kit and I am interning at SANCA this summer to wrap up my MFA degree in Arts Administration. I drove all the way from Utah and will be here until the end of July. As a belly dancer and hula hooper, I have always had a love for performing and creating. I have wanted to work with the circus since I was a little girl, but never had the resources to do so. When I started researching potential internships I specifically looked for a circus organization. It worked out nicely! SANCA welcomed me with open arms.
SANCA offers a very supportive environment for a newbie like myself. Each coach takes the time to encourage me to keep trying and help me succeed. I’m currently taking hooping classes with Mary and hope to start a path to the aerial arts during the summer session. During the day at SANCA there are so many professionals in the gym, which can be very intimidating, but I have felt welcomed in each class and leave feeling excited that I learned something new. I am eager to see what skills I gain throughout the summer!
My first week at SANCA ended with the opening night of SASS. I was able to see the Friday night show, which I thoroughly enjoyed. With a juggling t-rex, 80s aerobics acrobatics, and a tightwire act involving pizza, all the acts had so much energy that I found myself laughing and smiling throughout the show.
Photo: John Cornicello
One of the acts that stayed with me was the bounce juggling by Audrey Greaves. She opened her act by coercing three white balls to roll to her from the right side of the stage. Doing tricks with contact juggling, level changes, and adding her hat to the mix was so much fun to watch.
Audrey’s juggling act was playful and lighthearted; I couldn’t help but smile along with her throughout her performance. She kept calm and nonchalant when the last trick didn’t go quite the way she expected, and the audience continued to cheer her on and support her. I have heard time and time again that physical skills take practice, but to see her amazing bounce juggling live on stage was remarkable. I later found out that this was Audrey Greaves’ first time doing a solo act at SANCA. I had no idea! Instead of walking off stage with an unfinished trick, Audrey stayed to finish it. Her persistence to land the last trick paid off; seeing that determination made the whole show for me.
The thing I loved most about this show’s atmosphere was the audience’s encouragement and support. The audience cheered and applauded for every performance and rooted them on, even if there were mishaps. It’s now my third week at SANCA and seeing that love-encouragement- support thrive throughout this environment has been awe-inspiring. Everyone here at SANCA seems to carry that attitude of keep trying and don’t give up. It’s one of the things that drew me to interning here; having that positive, bright atmosphere is an essential to creating.
Join me this coming weekend for the next show this weekend, The Other Side of the Unknown, a presentation of a year’s worth of work by the Professional Preparatory Program students.
-Kit Kendall
