Circus Vargas performers delight kids at SLO summer camp
About 90 kids in a San Luis Obispo summer camp didn’t have to go to the circus — the circus came to them.
Five performers from Circus Vargas demonstrated their showmanship Thursday to the city’s Youth Services KidVenture Ultimate Day Camp group at Sinsheimer Elementary School.
They wowed their young audience with a display of balancing acts, juggling, dancing, acrobatics and more.
The performers, who don’t use animals in their act, are currently performing at the Madonna Inn through Monday.
The kids got a taste of their skills as performer Jon Weiss balanced a 12-foot step ladder on his chin.
My favorite part of performance is bringing smiles to children’s faces.
Nicole Weiss
Circus Vargas performerSteve Caveagna, whose spiky hair takes up to two hours to style, spun multiple Chinese yo-yos — called diabolos — to great heights.
Weiss’18-year-old daughter Nicole Weiss set five hula hoops in motion in a graceful dance and then shimmied with about 20 hula hoops wrapped around her body.
Nicole Weiss has been a circus performer since the age of 9 and spent most of her life on the road with her family.
Her parents, Jon and Laura Weiss, were married at Madison Square Garden in New York City in 1986, a ceremony that featured clowns, elephants and a circus bear as the ring bearer.
We partnered with Circus Vargas to give the kids a chance to see the circus, because they might not otherwise have this opportunity.
Michelle Rolle
summer camp youth services coordinatorNicole Weiss and the other Circus Vargas performers currently receive coaching from four Russian acrobatics trainers.
“My favorite part of performance is bringing smiles to children’s faces,” Nicole Weiss said. “It doesn’t get old because you enjoy it.”
Michelle Rolle, the camp’s youth services coordinator, said that the kids, ages 4 to 13, attend the 7-week-long camp weekdays from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. It runs through Aug. 5.
The kids enjoy outdoor activities, undertake science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) projects, create art and play “good, old-fashioned camp games,” Rolle said.
“We partnered with Circus Vargas to give the kids a chance to see the circus, because they might not otherwise have this opportunity,” Rolle said.
If you go
Tickets to the Circus Vargas show at the Madonna Inn are $20 to $35 for general admission seating and $50 to $70 for reserved ringside seats. For more information and show times, go to www.circusvargas.com or call 877-GOTFUN-1 (877-468-3861).
This story was originally published July 7, 2016 at 6:25 PM with the headline "Circus Vargas performers delight kids at SLO summer camp."