Congratulations to this amazing German wheel trio from Circus Academy Tucson. They are our August AYCO Photo Contest Winners! This amazing shot was captured during Circus Academy Tucson’s advanced circus camp as the trio were crafting together the perfect performance for the ‘Murder Mystery’ showcase! We hear it was a mysterious, humorous, and inspiring display of skills!

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AYCO Youth Membership costs $35 per year and is for anyone 21 and under and college students who are passionate about circus arts. This is your chance to plug into the national circus community, network and show off  your circus pride.

Membership benefits include:

• Surprise swag mailed to your door three times a year
• Eligibility to perform in AYCO event showcases
• Discounts on events and merchandise
• Monthly email AYCOgram newsletter filled with circus opportunities, news, and videos just for you!

Want to join? Grab an adult and click the button below!

We’re loving all of the follows and friend requests flooding our feed! If you haven’t done so already, connect with us on our Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram pages. You’ll get engaging circus content and our favorite shares from our members. 

Be sure to tag us using #AmericanYouthCircusOrganization and use our new hashtags: #WeCircusBetterTogether and #TheFutureIsCircus (You can follow these hashtags too!)

Hup Squad is throwing a virtual youth circus hang time and you’re invited!!

Come hang out with us! Meet, chat, play, and share your experiences with circus friends from around the country.  We’ll have breakout rooms for social stretching, games, and a general hangout space.

This event is *free* to all members and $0-10 for non members! 

Once you register for the event, you will receive an email with a Zoom link!

Take a read at our latest blog post! And be sure to share with a circus friend!  

 Postcard from NECCA

Hup Squad member, Daisy is sending you a virtual posted card from NECCA, in Vermont. Check it out! I have been training at NECCA for the past couple weeks for the Performance Boot Camp: a fantastic intensive where we each create and develop our own acts to perform in a show at the end! My experience has been so amazing, from training all day long (an absolute dream) to getting to explore the town of Brattleboro and all the fun things it has to offer (which includes goat yoga)! This program has been a fantastic chance to train seriously, to learn new skills, and to spend my summer away from home! Continue Reading

Training to Failure as An Aerialist Workshop – August 28th, 10:30 EST

Co-taught by Aaron Koz and Max March-Steinman, the When/Why To Train to Failure (TTF) workshop is intended to help you, as a student OR coach, understand the merits and RISKS of training to failure in different types of exercises. Gain an understanding of which exercise types are safer to failure-train and which may be more trouble than they’re worth. Learn a framework for implementing TTF effectively in your broader training structure and program to increase your strength gains while keeping injury risk low. Learn more and sign up here.

The 10th Annual West Coast Aerial Arts Festival (WCAAF) is open for registration!
 
November 10 – 13, 2022
Aerial Dance Theater, Costa Mesa, California
Competition Dates: November 11 & 12, 2022
 
This aerial competition features categories ranging from 7-year-olds to seniors, novice to professional, various apparatuses, and group entries. Competitors receive participation medals, judges’ feedback, and swag bags. The premium competition package includes an audience ticket and free workshop taught by established educators. Top three winners receive cash prizes, a trophy or medal, social media exposure, and the opportunity to perform their winning piece in the award ceremony. Best of all, participants get to make new friends, choreograph pieces with fellow aerialists, and visit Southern California attractions like Disneyland and Hollywood!
 
Celebrating a decade of festivities, WCAAF provides community and competition that nurtures and inspires professional and non-professional aerialists. To learn more: www.westcoastaerialartsfestival.com. Early Bird rate ends August 1, 2022.

For the fourth year in a row, WheelFest will take place. Wheel Fest is a chance to learn new skills, try new things, and meet new people. You’ll have the opportunity to work with a variety of circus coaches, professionals, and performers.
 
Workshops include flexibility and stretching, harness training, handstands, Cyr and Gym wheel, and more! Get a chance to learn how to flip and fly in Arcadia, IN at Ripfest https://www.ripfest.net/
 
There will also be a tournament with single, duo, and fun wheel competition.
 
Wheel Fest is a great opportunity you don’t want to miss. More information can be found at www.usawheelgymnastics.comThe focus is not only on training, but also on making new contacts and friendships.  

Are you curious? Take a look here: https://www.usawheelgymnastics.com/2021-wheelfest 
  
Location & date: 
August 17-20 in Chicago, Willye White Park (610 W Howard St, Chicago, IL 60626).  
August 20-21 in Arcadia IN at RIPFEST Diving (108 South Olive St, Arcadia, IN 46030). 
 
Do you have any questions? Contact Mearieta Clemente: mearieta@gmail.com  

Are You, Your Students or Your Kiddos Getting Ready to Audition for Circus Schools This Year? CSAW is Here to Help!
 
CSAW – Connecting Circus Students Around the World has released their 2022 Circus School Application Deadline Mastersheet! Click here: https://bit.ly/csawcircusschoolsheet
 
This spreadsheet includes:
• Circus schools
• Links to applications
• Application deadlines
• Audition dates
• The CSAW Ambassador for the school 
• How to contact that ambassador! 
• What is a CSAW Ambassador? 
 
A CSAW Ambassador is a current student of their international circus school. They are here to support you through applying, auditioning and attending circus school. If you have a question about a school just send the Ambassador an email or a DM and get an honest answer from a student of that school asap!
 
There are currently 16 CSAW Ambassadors to help future circus generations. You can find all of the current CSAW Ambassadors by clicking here: https://www.csawcircus.org/ambassadors

Diamond Family Circus is pleased to again be selected by the Massachusetts Housing Authority as its statewide social circus provider at public housing sites for low-income families, elders, and people with disabilities.  MassHousing’s TAP Resident Programs work to improve quality of life for public housing residents and help to maintain healthy housing communities by offering diverse on-site programs and workshops.

After a successful Summer filled with exciting programming such as CircEsteem’s annual Around Chicago Summer Tour and several sessions of Summer Camp at their Uptown location, CircEsteem welcomes and ushers in the changing season with its Fall programs. Registration for their well-known Homework & CircusWork program, which is situated in several elementary schools throughout Chicago, is currently open, along with Chicago Youth Circus (CYC) Saturday classes at their Uptown location. Registration for CYC’s new location at Humboldt Park Field House, will open soon. Current CircEsteem youths may be considered for Performance Troupe. Stay up-to-date on registration. 

CircEsteem is also proud to announce that they have purchased the building they reside in and will soon undergo an extensive remodel of their facility, starting January 2023. In addition to a new building, CircEsteem is always open to adding to their team. Come work with them.

Materials: None!

How to play: This is a tag game! There are two rolls: The Spider and the Flies. The Spider is “it” and can only move in a crab walk. Everybody else are Flies and can only move by hopping on one foot. Once the Spider tags a fly, the Fly also becomes a Spider until everyone is a Spider! 

Want to get discounts with these awesome Circus vendors? Discounts are just another awesome perk of being an ACE member.  Become a member today!

Like discounts like this? The more our members use them, the more leverage we have as an organization to encourage companies to provide discounts!

Interested in including your news or events relevant to the national circus community in AYCO/ACE’s newsletters? Send your submissions to communications@americanyouthcircus.org by the 2nd Friday of the month to be included in our monthly newsletter. Submissions should be no longer than 150 words, written in the third person, and include appropriate links and contact information if relevant. We cannot include PDFs or images, but we can link to them. Please also indicate if you would like your submission included in the AYCOgram (directed towards youth), ACE News (directed towards organizations and educators), or both.

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