Kuranui clowns...with class
Class Act: Kuranui College drama pupil Dan Carlisle juggles (blunted) knives for news cameras as part of the only secondary school group to join with about 200 circus entertainers. Photo / Supplied
A class of Kuranui College clowns - perfecting their high-wire hoopla, juggling, jostling and other death-defying acts of daring do - stole the show at the 19th New Zealand Juggling Convention in Levin at the weekend.
The 12-strong troupe, led by Kuranui College head of arts Juanita McLellan, travelled to the town last Thursday night and spent the entire weekend storming the big top as the only secondary school group to attend of more than 200, mostly professional, circus and juggling entertainers from New Zealand and abroad.
The students, who began a circus arts unit early last year, leapt before triple-somersaulting at the chance to rub elbows and oversized shoes with seasoned three-ring veterans, Ms McLellan said.
"We're the first class to have gone to the convention as a school trip and were far and away the most inexperienced - so the opportunity to learn from professionals just couldn't be missed."
The focus of the convention, she said, was the capture of new skills, tips and tricks, the enhancement of individual acts through actual performances and peer mentoring.
Ms McLellan said the Wairarapa troupe focused on juggling - balls, clubs, scarves, plates and knives - but also attended workshops involving a slack rope, firestaffs, devil sticks, and the "borderline burlesque of tissu" (aerial contortion using ribbons of parachute silk) among an array of specialist performance skills.
Some members of the group also passed on their basic juggling skills to children at Fairfield Primary School, which "consolidated what our kids were learning as they taught".
A comely Kuranui clownette was chosen to play "beautiful assistant" to a chainsaw juggler and another student honed his knife-juggling skills for network news cameras and viewing audiences throughout the country, Ms McLellan said.
The class had already, as part of their theatre form study, attended a Swedish circus last year, she said, and have also passed a studious eye over carnival legends Cirque du Soleil.
"Levin was very cool.
A privilege, without a doubt, and an immensely rewarding learning experience."
A quick lesson in juggling: Use only high quality balls; preferably weighing 100 grams each. Start with a single ball, and persist. Toss and catch without fault, then transfer the ball smoothly from hand to hand before moving on to two and three balls. Mastery of the basic art should take no more than 20 minutes although bowling balls, sharp knives and putt-putting chainsaws should never be attempted without professional assistance.
The 12-strong troupe, led by Kuranui College head of arts Juanita McLellan, travelled to the town last Thursday night and spent the entire weekend storming the big top as the only secondary school group to attend of more than 200, mostly professional, circus and juggling entertainers from New Zealand and abroad.
The students, who began a circus arts unit early last year, leapt before triple-somersaulting at the chance to rub elbows and oversized shoes with seasoned three-ring veterans, Ms McLellan said.
"We're the first class to have gone to the convention as a school trip and were far and away the most inexperienced - so the opportunity to learn from professionals just couldn't be missed."
The focus of the convention, she said, was the capture of new skills, tips and tricks, the enhancement of individual acts through actual performances and peer mentoring.
Ms McLellan said the Wairarapa troupe focused on juggling - balls, clubs, scarves, plates and knives - but also attended workshops involving a slack rope, firestaffs, devil sticks, and the "borderline burlesque of tissu" (aerial contortion using ribbons of parachute silk) among an array of specialist performance skills.
Some members of the group also passed on their basic juggling skills to children at Fairfield Primary School, which "consolidated what our kids were learning as they taught".
A comely Kuranui clownette was chosen to play "beautiful assistant" to a chainsaw juggler and another student honed his knife-juggling skills for network news cameras and viewing audiences throughout the country, Ms McLellan said.
The class had already, as part of their theatre form study, attended a Swedish circus last year, she said, and have also passed a studious eye over carnival legends Cirque du Soleil.
"Levin was very cool.
A privilege, without a doubt, and an immensely rewarding learning experience."
A quick lesson in juggling: Use only high quality balls; preferably weighing 100 grams each. Start with a single ball, and persist. Toss and catch without fault, then transfer the ball smoothly from hand to hand before moving on to two and three balls. Mastery of the basic art should take no more than 20 minutes although bowling balls, sharp knives and putt-putting chainsaws should never be attempted without professional assistance.
