Hancock Elementary School students participated in a circus residency last week with instructor Troy Wunderle of Big Top Adventures. Students in all grades learned juggling, balancing, and other circus performance arts throughout the week and showcased their skills on Friday.
On Thursday, third and fourth graders practiced their part of the next day’s routine in the school gym, with contingents waving scarves while others balanced on unicycles, pogo sticks, stilts, pedalos and exercise balls. Students greeted each new activity with excitement as Wunderle walked them through how to make pyramids and rotating stars, and reminded them to look up and smile at the end of a stunt.
“One of the hardest things to master in my class is showmanship,” Wunderle said, and that he strives to not just show students the fun of circus equipment, but how to present with passion, pride, and a humble heart.
This is the second time Wunderle has worked with Hancock students. He’s also worked with groups in Greenfield, Keene, Harrisville, Francestown, Nelson, Dublin and Marlborough.
“Kids and adults alike get inspired by circus because it is real,” Wunderle said. “It is a non-competitive art form that combines athleticism with theatrics. It’s fun, challenging and rewarding all at the same time.”
Wunderle is a Vermont native, and has worked with Vermont’s Circus Smirkus, as well as the Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Circus in addition to freelance performing and teaching.