Hillsborough Girl Scouts and Cub Scouts experienced the world of circus arts this month.
About 75 Girl Scouts got a taste of the circus arts at the Hillsborough Middle School on Feb. 3. Circus Place attended the Cub Scout Blue and Gold Dinner on Saturday, Feb. 11, at the Auten Road School.
Circus Place, New Jersey’s first circus arts training facility, became a traveling circus, running two separate workshops for the Scouting community.
Youngsters enhanced their balance, coordination and fitness as they learned to walk on a tight wire, juggle, spin plates, stilt walk and soar on portable aerial equipment. Each workshop also included a show performed by Circus Place’s instructors.
Circus Place runs the programs outside its primary location on Jill Court in Hillsborough.
”To accommodate this large of a group, we need to find an outside venue,” says Sharyn Brandman, director and co-owner of Circus Place. “We basically pack up our trucks with all our exciting equipment and become a traveling circus”.
Circus Place is able to introduce the benefits of youth circus to a wider audience by bringing our school directly to them,” said Craig Quat, co-director.
Circus Place takes its workshops to schools, recreation centers, YMCA facilities, camps, street fairs and private events. In addition, Circus Place also offers adaptive circus outreach programming for the special needs community.
The traveling outreach program always begins with a high-energy interactive show that highlights circus artists from New Jersey and Philadelphia. Jugglers, unicyclists, and hula hoopers entertain and introduce the skills the audience is about to learn.
The performers then become instructors as the audience becomes the participants, trying out juggling, tight wire, plate spinning, hooping and balance.For information, and to see a schedule of classes, visit www.thecircusplace.com.

