A spell was cast on audiences at Ecole du Sommet’s year wind-up circus performance, Equilibrium, on the evening of June 20. As evocative pop music and lights swirled about them, the students of the school performed acrobatic feats and graceful movements on everything from aerial silks to rolling barrels, while a full audience watched in amazement.
Providing the narration and light-hearted entertainment was emcee Mélanie Jubinville, who took her ‘daughter’ McKenna Zarowny on a journey through the circus. Throughout the course of the night, the pair saw a night of magic unfold. Students did some juggling, tightrope walking, swung through the air on aerial silks, and even rode unicycles, a new act this year, all demonstrating the concept of ‘equilibrium’ – balance and coordination.
“We’re very proud of the students and what they’ve accomplished – it’s a great way to end the year,” said principal Yvan Beaudoin following the event, adding there was a lot of good feedback from parents. “They were so impressed with how much the kids have improved from last year.”
The other thing that impressed parents was the variety and the fact the performance had changed from last year, when the school hosted its first circus. This year, the school had added to its circus equipment, purchasing unicycles and a specialty bike with no seat, “adding a new element – which is the beauty of the circus; there’s such a great variety of things you can do.”
Parents and spectators might not realize how difficult some of these acts are to perform, such as pulling one’s self up on aerial silks, not just once, but repeatedly, said Beaudoin, noting that kids went from being unable to do this at all, to persevering so they could perform it flawlessly in front of an audience last week.
He gave credit to the teachers/coaches of the circus program for all their hard work, Michel Renaud and Johanne Martin, but also thanked the ones that have backed the program with financial support.
“This couldn’t be possible without the support of school board and superintendent Marc Dumont,” he said. “They’ve supported it 100 per cent and we appreciate it.”
