Gogue Center Performance Study Guide: Omnium Circus: “I’m Possible”
PERFORMANCE STUDY GUIDE
GRADES K— 5
Omnium Circus
I’m Possible
The Jay and Susie Gogue Performing Arts Center at Auburn University engages audiences across the university, the state of Alabama and beyond with curated arts experiences that inspire, enlighten and unite.
Our annual K–12 School Performance Series provides opportunities for students to enjoy exclusive performances by some of the most talented and accomplished artists from around the world. Prior to each K–12 school performance, teachers receive a study guide containing details about the performance, artist and company, supplemental information about the art form and its history, and grade-appropriate activities designed to spark conversation and exploration in the classroom.
To learn more about education and engagement initiatives at the Gogue Center, visit goguecenter.auburn.edu/education.
produced by Jay and Susie Gogue Performing Arts Center at Auburn University 910 South College Street Auburn, Alabama 36849
k–12 school performance series contact Andrea Jarmon, D.M.A. Education Coordinator telephone: 334.844.7371 email: gpac.education@auburn.edu
Omnium Cirus: I’m Possible
PERFORMANCE STUDY GUIDE
GRADES K— 5
photo: Maike Schulz
The Jay and Susie Gogue Performing Arts Center at Auburn University
Where will we go?
GOING TO THE GOGUE CENTER
The Jay and Susie Gogue Performing Arts Center, otherwise known as the Gogue Center, is located on the campus of Auburn University in Auburn, Alabama.
The Gogue Center houses the 1,200-seat Woltosz Theatre. The theatre was built with exceptional acoustics so that it is possible to hear well from every seat.
WHO WILL YOU SEE HERE?
Ushers
These are the people who will greet your bus, lead your class into the building and help you find your seat. Be sure to say “hello!”
Stage Crew
These are the people who work backstage, so you won’t see them in the lobby, but you might see them before or after the performance, and sometimes, they even come on stage during the performance to move things.
Lighting & Sound Operators
These are the people who control the lighting and the sound for the performance. You may see them in the middle of the auditorium at the big sound board or in the back of the auditorium in the booth. Sometimes, the spotlight operators are in the back way above your head.
Performers
These are the people on the stage who may be dancers, musicians, singers, actors or acrobats. It is their job to communicate using their bodies, instruments and voices.
Audience Members
This includes you, your classmates, and other students and teachers from around the state of Alabama and maybe even Georgia.
What Does the Audience Do?
Alabama Course of Study
GMu3-5.15
GMu6-8.14
National Standards
MU:Pr6.1.3-8b
The audience is an important part of the performance. Without the audience, who would watch the performers? Who would clap and sing along and appreciate what the artists bring to the stage? When you are a member of an audience at the theatre, there are a few things to know about what to do and what not to do.
Sit in your seat and look around, but please keep your feet toward the ground.
Listen and watch, but do not talk.
Have a camera or phone? Please turn it off.
The performers will take to the stage, and we know they will engage. You can laugh, you can sing, you can get up and dance, but just make sure that you give them all a chance!
BRAVO!
THANK YOU!
When the song is done, or the show comes to an end, make sure that you give the performers a hand! Applause is the way that we can say thank you for all that they did today!
Stanley and Virginia Katharyne Evans
Walter
Woltosz Theatre
Acoustics: The Science of Sound
Alabama Course of Study Standards
SC1.1
National Standards
NS.K-4.1 NS.5-8.2
Acoustics is the study of sound and how that sound reacts in spaces, particularly rooms and buildings. What is sound? Sound is vibration. That vibration travels through the air and into our ears where we hear it.
Vibration begins through movement—for example, strumming a guitar string. That vibration creates a sound wave. In a theater or concert hall, acoustics are important so that everyone can hear the performers.
There are two ways that acoustics are controlled. The first, reverberation, is controlling how sound waves bounce off surfaces, like walls and floors. Hard surfaces cause more reverberation and make spaces louder. The second way, absorption, is the opposite of reverberation. Soft surfaces absorb sound waves and make rooms quieter.
Let’s see if we can figure out which of these materials cause reverberation and which cause absorption of sound:
• Tile
• Carpet
• Marble
• Curtains
• Cushions
• Wood
The controlling of reverberation and absorption of sound waves is how acoustics are controlled in the Woltosz Theatre.
Who to know at the show
THE STARS OF OMNIUM CIRCUS
The thrill and excitement of the circus dates back hundreds of years. Today, the stars of Omnium Circus bring a bold new circus to the scene, one that has reimagined our need for community and unified our celebration of the vast potential of the human spirit. Omnium Circus treats its audiences to amazing feats of human strength and daring, balancing and juggling, and joy and comedy. It is a show that celebrates diversity and honors the incredible passion and dedication of its artists and team, who have created this groundbreaking new adventure—redefining circus for now and always.
Tersit Asefa Dersu, Juggler
Born and raised in Ethiopia, Tersit Asefa Dersu has been involved in professional circus arts since her early childhood. She may be the fastest female bounce juggler in the world!
King Charles Troupe, Unicycle basketball players
Formed in the South Bronx in 1958, King Charles Troupe (KCT) was the first African American group ever to perform in Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus. In 2021, the Bronx honored KCT by naming a street King Charles Unicycle Troupe Way.
Malik Paris, Poet, acrobat and dancer
Malik Paris is a deaf actor and performance artist based in Philadelphia. He is also a teaching artist.
Jen Bricker-Bauer and Dominik Bauer, Aerialists
Born without legs, Jen Bricker-Bauer was placed for adoption by her birth family. She was adopted by a loving family who supported her monumental efforts to become her best self. Besides his aerial skills, Dominik Bauer is also an accomplished musician, specializing in trombone and opera. Bricker-Bauer is American, and Bauer is from Austria.
Rik Daniels, Dancer
Born in the Bronx, Rik Daniels was the poster child for the March of Dimes and a champion high school and college gymnast. He seeks to enlighten and inspire through modeling, dancing and performance art.
Elayne Kramer, Contortionist
Elayne Kramer is the sixth generation of an Argentinean circus family. She started training at age 4 and was performing professionally by the time she was 7. Kramer is one of the top hand balancers of her generation and has won international circus awards.
Ottavio and Naomi Gesmundo (Mr. and Mrs. G.) In addition to presenting their world-famous crossbow act in the show, Ottavio and Naomi Gesmundo are also resident directors and choreographers for Omnium Circus. Ottavio hails from six generations of circus performers and is the co-author of an awardwinning memoir. Naomi’s family comes from the Pacific Islands. She was born in Holland, where she began her martial arts training at age 3.
dersu paris king charles troupe
bricker-bauer and bauer
Dick Monday (Monday) and Tiffany Riley (Slappy), Clowns
Dick Monday and Tiffany Riley have been life partners and performing partners for the past 20 years, during which time they have headlined at circuses and festivals worldwide.
Owen Sanchez, Hand balancer
Owen Sanchez is a fourth-generation circus performer. He practiced gymnastics from ages 9 to 14, winning a medal in the Mexican nationals. Sanchez made his circus debut at age 15, performing trampoline acts and comedy acrobatics. He has been performing the high handstand since age 18.
Danette E. Sheppard-Vaughn, Ringmaster
The first featured female vocalist in the history of Ringling Bros. & Barnum and Bailey Circus, Danette E. Sheppard-Vaughn is from New York City. She loves bright colors and anything glittery and sparkling, so she’s a perfect fit for an impressive career in musical theatre and circus.
Evgeny Vasilenko, Wire walker and Cyr wheel artist
Evgeny Vasilenko is the new representative of a known circus family in Russia. In 1992 he started training as a circus performer in the National Circus School of Moscow. After graduating, Vasilenko was employed by the Old Moscow Circus where he continued to improve his professional skills in acting and a variety of dance styles.
daniels kramer
monday and riley
sanchez
sheppard-vaughn
vasilenko
the gesmundos
What to know before the show
CIRCUS HISTORY
Circus performers have been entertaining audiences for thousands of years. Jugglers entertained royalty in ancient courts, and acrobats performed in Greek amphitheaters. The circus as we know it today started in England in 1768 with Philip Astley. Astley was a horseman in the British cavalry and served in the French and Indian War. After his service, he wanted to share his knowledge and love of horses with others, so he opened a riding school. To promote his school, he put on “displays” in a circular space so that everyone could see. This led him to discover the wonder of centrifugal force. Astley “discovered that if he trained his horse to canter in a circle at a constant speed, while both he and his horse were leaning slightly inward, centrifugal force would help him keep his balance. He also discovered that a horse cantering in a circle of a certain size would provide just the right amount of force for achieving the most graceful balance” (John Culhane, The American Circus). He determined that the perfect diameter for the ring was 42 feet—the same size as the circus ring today!
The display was a hit, so Astley added more acts. The first was a trick rider who jumped on and off, changed his clothes, and flipped over and under the horse all while it was cantering! As more acts were added, the display became known as a circus, based on the Latin word for ring. The circus became so popular that Astley soon opened another in Paris. Other show promoters, businesspeople, theater producers and former students adopted the idea of a circus, created their own version, and made it the most popular form of entertainment throughout Europe.
The first American circus appeared in Philadelphia in 1785, with President George Washington in attendance. Soon, circuses popped up across the United States. Since the United States was a new country, there were very few large cities, so to reach a significant number of people, the circus had
to travel. At first, circuses constructed buildings to house the ring in every town they visited. This took a long time and was very expensive. In the mid-nineteenth century, circus owners replaced the buildings with tents, which they could pack up and travel with on trains or wagons, making transportation much easier.
The circus became so efficient that both the United States military and Kaiser Wilhelm’s German army studied its methods to improve their own logistical operations. Hundreds of different circus shows used to tour the country at the same time. There are not many touring circuses like Omnium Circus left today.
Women in Circus
At the dawn of the twentieth century, women’s athleticism coupled with their feminine beauty began to garner more attention at the circus. During an era when a woman’s role was to be in the home, the women of the circus broke the mold. Circus women are a unique, strong, talented and accomplished group. While most were born into the profession, they took their art seriously and worked hard to perfect their acts during this rare period of history when old societal norms intersected with suffrage and the rise of feminism.
Black Circus Performers in America
Inclusivity in circuses dates back centuries. As circus is an art form passed from generation to generation, many artists hailed from the same family and often the majority were of the same nationality. But in the nineteenth century, companies grew larger and became more inclusive of international performers. The first people of color to join the circus were predominately in Great Britain and Europe. Pablo Fanque, the equestrian, was the first black circus owner. Olga Brown, the aerialist known simply as “La La,” was immortalized by Edgar Degas in a painting that hangs in the National Gallery in
Edgar Degas (1834–1917)
Miss La La at the Cirque Fernando, 1879
National Gallery, London, UK
London. George Christoff was a highly regarded tightrope walker. Maccomo, a Black lion tamer, and Delmonico, an African American lion tamer, were two of many people of color performing in nineteenth century circuses throughout Europe.
In America, it was not as easy for black performers, which is why many went to Great Britain. In the nineteenth century, most African Americans in the circus were part of the side show, the place for oddities. P.T. Barnum famously exploited African Americans in the beginning of his career. The Ringling Brothers kidnapped albino African American brothers and put them on display as men from Mars. When their mother found them years later, she sued the circus and won $100,000. The first African American circus was created by Ephraim Williams in Milwaukee, Wisconsin in the 1880s. Today, Universoul Circus is a Black-owned circus out of Atlanta, Georgia. It was started in the 1990s, 110 years after Ephraim Williams’ circus.
Realizing that the rich history of black performers in American circuses was quickly fading, a brilliant aerialist, Veronica Blair, began to record and preserve those stories as the Uncle Junior Project. The project is named for Emanuel “Junior” Ruffin, the protégé of the world-famous wild animal trainer, Clyde Beatty. Starting out as a circus “cage boy” at the age of 13, Ruffin worked under Beatty, breaking and training lions and tigers for the Clyde Beatty Wild Animal Circus. By the age of 20, Ruffin had worked his way up to performing center ring under the name of “Prince Bogino.” In January 2010, Ruffin broke another barrier by becoming the first African American to be inducted into the Circus Ring of Fame, the highest honor a circus performer can achieve. You can learn more about his history and about many other great performers at unclejrproject.com.
Oil on canvas
Clowns in the Circus
Throughout history, many types of clowns have appeared in different cultures. The court jesters in Europe were some of the first clowns. Shakespeare’s plays feature many jesters, or fools. Jesters also entertained pharaohs in Egypt and emperors in China. Jesters were playful and could comment on policies made by the rulers without facing consequences. Their comments were taken as jokes. Hence, they were able to turn serious matters into funny situations. Many Native American cultures, including the Hopi, Iroquois, Winnebago and Navajo, had clowns built into the fabric of their society. These clowns not only made situations funny, but they were also a big part of the religious ritual systems in their respective cultures. In the circus, the role of the clown is to transition the energy of the audience from one act to the next. They accomplish this by using their comedic skill to refresh our appetite for even more amazing feats.
The art of clowning includes much more than makeup and costumes. Especially in Omnium Circus, clowns are comedic characters that help the audience follow the storyline and provide comic relief after serious moments. “Comedy is serious business” the saying goes, and there is a true art to creating unified laughter among 1,500 different people. If you like making people laugh, there are schools around the world where you can study to be a professional clown, including the Clown Conservatory in San Francisco, the LeCoq school in Paris, l’Ecole National du Cirque in Montreal, Circus Smirkus in Greensboro, Vermont, and Circadium in Philadelphia. There are also a variety of workshops and classes across the United States that can give you a taste of what it takes to create laughter for crowds of thousands of people.
Why are people afraid of clowns?
Because clowns are an innocent and delightful part of the circus, they have sparked the imagination of novelists like Steven King who enjoy creating a contrast between joy and horror. Clowns who performed in very large arenas exaggerated their makeup so the audience could see it from far away. These traditional clown faces were not intended to be viewed from up close.
Today, clowns tend to favor a much more natural look and rely upon their skilled and practiced body language along with their facial expressions to convey their comedy. The fear of clowns is called coulrophobia, with the prefix “coulro” coming from the ancient Greek word meaning “one who goes on stilts.” The clown team in I’m Possible have inspired joy and laughter from people in hospitals to arena-sized crowds around the world. They are incredible humans, and we don’t think there’s anything scary about them.
Elements of the Circus
While circus gets its name from the Latin word for ring, it is also defined by the artistry within the ring. Circus is distinct from theater, dance and other performing arts, even though it incorporates aspects of many of them. Circus performance is filled with a sequence of variety acts showing the agility, grace and strength of human and (traditionally, but not always) animal performers. Circus acts fall into distinct categories, though individual acts often include elements from more than one category.
PRE-SHOW DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
Use the following questions to start a classroom discussion prior to attending Omnium Circus: I’m Possible:
• How did the circus get its name?
• Why does the circus perform in the ring?
• When was the first circus created? What else was happening in Europe at this time?
• When was the first circus in America? What elements of American society at that time made it easier or more difficult for circuses?
• Which part of the traveling circus inspired military minds around the world?
• How are modern circus performances different from those 200 years ago?
• Where can you see a circus? In a tent? In a theater? In a park?
• What are some countries and cultures that have clowning traditions?
• Why have clowns or jesters often held positions close to people with political power?
• Can you think of five things a person should do to practice the art of clowning?
• How would someone learn to be a clown?
• Who are some characters in film and television that have made you laugh? Are any of them clowns?
• Be introduced to the history and key elements of the circus
• Understand the historical development of the circus
• Explore the cultural significance and evolution of circus arts
• Create and perform a mini-circus act inspired by historical elements
MATERIALS
For this activity, you will need the following items:
• Age-appropriate books about the circus
• Art supplies (e.g., construction paper, markers, crayons, paint, scissors, glue, etc.)
• Costumes and props (e.g., clown noses, scarves, hats, etc.)
• A large sheet of paper or a whiteboard for a timeline
• Music for performance (optional)
PROCEDURE
To complete this activity, follow these steps:
1. Introduction to Circus History
a. Start by reading a book about the circus. This can be done as a class or individually, depending upon the age of the students and the teacher’s preference.
b. Using some of the details from this study guide and other sources, discuss with the students what a circus is and some of the different acts and elements one might see, such as clowns, acrobats, animals and more.
c. Consider using pictures and videos to help students have a better understanding.
2. Circus Timeline
a. Create a simple timeline on the board or a large sheet of paper.
b. Introduce a few key points in circus history, such as the first modern circus in the eighteenth century, the rise of famous circuses like Ringling Bros., and the circus today.
c. Use pictures to illustrate each point on the timeline.
d. For older students, allow them to research, in pairs or groups, different time periods or a specific aspect of circus history, placing their research on the timeline.
3. Creative Art Project
a. Give each student a piece of construction paper and access to various art supplies.
b. Ask students to create their own circus poster, including drawings of different acts and colorful designs. Encourage them to use their imaginations and think about what they would want to see in a circus.
4. Costume and Prop Creation
a. Provide simple materials for students to create their own circus costumes and props. This can include making clown noses, juggling balls, masks and more.
b. Allow the students to decorate their costumes and props as they like.
5. Mini-circus Performance
a. Divide students into small groups and assign each group a type of circus act (e.g., clowning, acrobatics, animal training, etc.)
b. Give them time to create a short performance (approximately two-to-three minutes) that showcases their act. This could be a simple skit, a dance or a pretend animal show.
c. Set up a mini-circus ring in your classroom or the performance space. Play some circus music and let each group perform their act for the class. Encourage students to be an enthusiastic audience for their classmates.
6. Reflection and Sharing
a. After all performances have ended, discuss with students what they enjoyed most about the activity and what they learned about the circus.
b. Discuss how the circus has changed throughout history and what makes it special.
WRITING ACTIVITY
Have students write a short story or draw a comic strip about a day at the circus.
C i R c U S
V0 C a B U La R y
to fully understand the performance, students should be familiar with these key terms.
Acrobat
A person who uses gymnastics in their act
Act
A display of skills by a person or group of people in a circus
Aerial
An act performed on equipment hanging in the air above the circus ring
Aerial Silks
Pieces of fabric attached to a point above the circus ring and hanging down for an artist to perform on. Fabrics may be hung from the middle so that two pieces swing loose, or they may be folded or tied at the bottom to make a hanging loop.
Applause
When the audience claps to show appreciation
Audience
The people watching the circus
Charivari
Meaning “noisy celebration,” a high-energy opening act that usually includes most of the cast performing a series of short acrobatic skills in rapid succession
Company
All performers, crew and staff of the circus
Contortion
The art of bending and twisting one’s body
Costume
What a performer wears during the show
Cyr wheel
An acrobatic apparatus that consists of a single large ring made of aluminum or steel with a diameter slightly taller than the performer
Diabolo
A circus prop, derived from a Chinese yo-yo, that consists of two cups connected in the shape of an hourglass spun on a string and attached to two hand sticks
Hand balancing
An act of incredible strength and balance in which one or more acrobats use their hands to balance and perform feats of great strength and dexterity
Juggling
The art of throwing, catching and manipulating balls, clubs, rings and other objects
Ringmaster
The person who guides the audience through the circus performance
Slack Wire
A loose wire hooked to a stand at either end and constantly in motion, making balance extremely difficult
• Expand their vocabulary to include specific circus words
MATERIALS
For this activity, you will need the following items:
• “Circus Vocabulary Word Search” worksheet on page 21
• Pencil
PROCEDURE
To complete this activity, follow these steps:
1. Teach students the circus vocabulary words found in the “Circus Vocabulary” section on page 18.
2. Instruct students to work on the word search individually or in groups.
Name Date
Circus Vocabulary Word Search
Search for the 17 circus vocabulary words listed below. Remember that words can go in any direction!
CREATING A CIRCUS COLLAGE
Alabama Course of Study Standards
National Standards
OBJECTIVE
By completing this activity, students will:
• Demonstrate their ability to recognize basic shapes
• Identify shapes in correlation with other objects
MATERIALS
For this activity, you will need the following items:
• Circus by Lois Ehlert
• Pencil and paper for pre-activity writing and drawing
• Neon construction paper
• Black construction paper
• Scissors
• Glue
PROCEDURE
To complete this activity, follow these steps:
1. Using the “Circus History” (pages 12–15) and “Circus Vocabulary” (page 18) sections, teach students about elements of the circus.
2. Read and discuss Lois Ehlert’s Circus with students.
3. Have students become the author and illustrator of their own circus stories by brainstorming and writing an introduction to an act from Omnium Circus and drawing a picture to go with it.
4. Explain that students are going to create a circus collage in the style of Lois Ehlert’s Circus
5. Explain that a collage is a technique of cutting and gluing different types of materials to create a work of art.
6. Using the pictures in Circus as inspiration, review with students the general shapes used to create their chosen circus performer. Discuss other objects (and corresponding shapes) used during the performance.
7. Demonstrate for students how to carefully use scissors to cut the various shapes needed for their collages.
8. Demonstrate for students how to glue these shapes together to create their collages.
Share your students' colorful creations with us.
We'd love to see the masterpieces your talented students create. Send us a photo of their circus collage and other projects from this performance study guide. Be sure to include each student's name, age, grade and school with your submission. You can send all submissions to the Gogue Center via email at gpac.education@auburn.edu.
FASHIONING FIGURE SCULPTURES
Alabama Course of Study Standards
OBJECTIVE
By completing this activity, students will:
• Learn about the proportions of the human body
• Explore form, balance and movement through sculpture
• Create a unique piece of art
MATERIALS
For this activity, you will need the following items:
• Pipe cleaners in a variety of colors
• Pony beads
• A variety of blocks or other found objects to be used for sculpture bases
• Paint for decorating wooden bases
• Hot glue gun for attaching sculptures to bases
PROCEDURE
To complete this activity, follow these steps:
1. Using the “Circus History” (pages 12–15) and “Circus Vocabulary” (page 18) sections, teach students about elements of the circus.
2. Discuss with the students what they think their favorite acts and performers will be in the show.
3. Explain that students are going to create sculptures of circus performers.
4. Discuss proportion in relation to the human body.
5. Have students begin by sketching ideas of their figures in motion.
6. Demonstrate with pipe cleaners how to begin forming the body. After forming the body, students will begin to manipulate their figures into the correct shape to represent their chosen act. Students may wish to sculpt props or other items to accompany their performer.
7. Discuss balance with students and demonstrate various ways to balance their sculptures.
8. Attach sculptures to bases (if needed) and decorate with your choice of materials.
Depending on the materials available and the time allotted for the lesson, sculptures can be as simple or as detailed as you wish!
HISTORY OF OMNIUM CIRCUS
Founder Lisa B. Lewis attends Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Clown College, where she finds her true passion, the circus.
Lewis joins the Big Apple Circus (BAC) Clown Care Unit, performing in pediatric hospital units, and volunteers for Circus of the Senses, a modified circus show for audience members who are low-vision, blind and/or deaf.
Lewis becomes the director of community programs for the new BAC, expanding audiences and producing Dinner and a Show in the Dark (an immersive experience that requires attendees to rely upon senses other than sight).
Lewis becomes the project coordinator for Circus of the Senses.
CircuSense is reinvigorated and launches Omnium: A Bold New Circus. Omnium plays its first season virtually through Winter 2020–2021. The circus focuses on excellence, diversity, inclusion, access and opportunity for both artists and audiences.
I’m Possible performs at Capitol One Hall in Tysons, Virginia, as well as the Forward Festival for the Arts at Queens Theater and the Big Umbrella Festival at Lincoln Center in New York. The show then travels to the Arizona State Fair for two weeks of performances. The virtual show, A Celebration of Diversity, continues to play to schools, families, companies and organizations across the United States.
Lewis forms CircuSense, Inc., to continue the work of community circus programs while BAC reorganizes under bankruptcy protection from a nonprofit to a for-profit.
Omnium Circus presents its first-ever live performance at Gallaudet University. The new show, I’m Possible, features a diverse, international cast of spectacular talent.
Omnium launches its first live tour across six states and seven venues. I’m Possible performs to full houses and receives standing ovations.
I’m Possible continues to perform throughout the country to rave reviews.
Omnium Circus Fun Facts
The cast of I’m Possible come from nine different countries: Argentina, Austria, Ethiopia, Italy, Mexico, Netherlands, Pacific Islands, Russia and the United States of America.
Two performers use wheelchairs. One performer is deaf.
Three performers are from multi-generational circus families.
Three acts are performed by married couples.
Three performers have been recognized in Guinness World Records.
EXPLORING MAPS
Alabama Course of Study Standards
SS10.K.8 SS10.1.8 SS10.2.6 SS10.3.2,
National Standards
NSS-G.K-12.1
OBJECTIVE
By completing this activity, students will:
• Identify and describe specific locations on a world map
MATERIALS
For this activity, you will need the following items:
• “Exploring the World” worksheet on page 29
• Marker, crayon or highlighter
PROCEDURE
To complete this activity, follow these steps:
1. Discuss with students the “History of Omnium Circus” (page 26) and “Omnium Circus Fun Facts” (page 27) sections.
2. Distribute copies of the “Exploring the World” worksheet.
3. Have students work in pairs to find and label the countries and regions the cast members of Omnium Circus: I’m Possible call home, according to the “Fun Facts” section.
4. Discuss which continents are represented by cast members.
5. Ask students how many cast members are from north of the equator, and how many are from south of the equator.
6. Discuss how this representation from all around the world may impact the circus (e.g., different languages, traditions, experiences, etc.).
Exploring the World
OUR SENSES
How do we perceive the circus? We use all our senses, but what are senses? Senses allow us to observe and understand the world around us. They are biological systems that detect things and provide information. We have five senses: sight, sound, smell, touch and taste. We see with our eyes, hear with our ears, smell with our nose, touch with our hands, and taste with our tongue.
Sight: Light travels in a straight line, bounces off objects and enters our eyes through the pupil. Our irises change the size of each pupil to let in more light or less, depending on how much light we require to see. The circus tent is filled with many lights. Different colored lights create different looks for each act. Each act has different colors. Why do you think a designer might choose different colors?
Sound: Sound waves travel through the ear canal to the eardrum. The eardrum passes the vibrations through the middle ear to the inner ear. The inner ear is shaped like a snail shell and is called the cochlea. Inside the cochlea are thousands of tiny hair cells. These structures facilitate hearing so that people can listen to things like the music in the circus. What types of sounds do you think you might hear at the circus?
Smell: Your sense of smell—like your sense of taste—is part of your chemosensory system, or the chemical senses. Your ability to smell comes from specialized cells called
Every day offers sights, sounds, smells, tastes and textures—input for all the senses. Some may be overwhelming, like the loud cry of a siren close by, the strong odor of stinky cheese, or the glare of a very bright light shining directly in our eyes. Some may be delightful, like the scent of a rose, the beautiful sound of our favorite music, or the
olfactory sensory neurons, which are found in a small patch of tissue high inside the nose. Each olfactory neuron has one odor receptor. How many different smells can you name? Which ones are your favorites?
Touch: Our sense of touch is controlled by a huge network known as the somatosensory system that consists of nerve endings and touch receptors in the skin. This system is responsible for all the sensations we feel—cold, hot, smoothness, roughness, tickling, itching, pain and vibration, to name a few. What types of things do you think you could touch at the circus?
Taste: If you look at your tongue in the mirror, you can see that it is covered in little bumps. Inside of those bumps are taste buds. When you put something in your mouth, your taste buds send a message to your brain to give you information about whether the food is salty, sweet, sour, bitter or umami (a meaty, savory taste). Can you name a circus food that is sweet? Salty? Sour? Bitter? Umami? Which is your favorite?
refreshing feel of a cool summer breeze. Each person experiences their senses in a way that is unique to them. Not everyone experiences the input of the senses in the same way.
Some people don’t see, or don’t see very well. They are blind or have low vision. At Circus Omnium performances, visual parts of the show are shared
in two ways—one visual, one auditory. The auditory way is referred to as audio description. People called audio describers explain the show in vivid detail so that blind or low vision audience members who are listening can create the imagery in their mind’s eye. In this way, they can “see” the show through their ears. Audience members who experience low vision or blindness are sometimes invited on stage to touch many of the props before the performance. This adds another sense, the sense of touch, to enrich their experience.
Some people do not hear vibrations with their ears. People who are deaf have a visual language called sign language. The first American school for the deaf was established in 1817 by Laurent Clerc and Thomas Hopkins Gallaudet. Laurent Clerc arrived in Hartford, Connecticut, in 1816 and brought with him the sign language of Paris, a city with a large deaf community. He taught this visually sophisticated language to Gallaudet and other teachers. Students at the school brought other sign languages with them—from New York City, Philadelphia, and a tiny island off the coast of Massachusetts, Martha’s Vineyard, which at the time had an unusually large population of deaf people. Out of this mix came what was called “the natural language of signs,” known today as American Sign Language (credit: Gallaudet University). There are different sign languages around the world, just as there are different spoken languages.
In I’m Possible, the poet character only communicates in sign language. The role is played by Malik Paris, who is deaf. Paris dances and performs Omnium Circus in American Sign Language. He uses incredible creativity and nuance in sharing this interpretation with the audience.
Some people can find it overwhelming to receive information from multiple senses at the same time. This is called sensory overload. It can happen to anyone. Sometimes, too much sound or too many lights can be frightening, or a rapid change between dark and light or quiet and loud can make someone feel anxious. Omnium Circus offers several options for those who need or prefer a modified sensory experience. For each performance, the house lights stay on slightly. This reduces the contrast between light and dark, it also allows for safety if anyone needs a sensory break during the show. The Gogue Performing Arts Center has sensory rooms that can be reserved in advance of any performance for those who need more control over their environment. The lobby is also always available for people who need a break—a live feed of the performance is accessible there so that people can continue to enjoy the show.
Each of us is unique and wonderful. We want to bring the magic of circus to every person; however, we all use our senses in our own way.
EXPERIENCING THE FIVE SENSES
Alabama Course of Study Standards
OBJECTIVE
By completing this activity, students will:
• Identify and describe the five senses: sight, sound, smell, touch and taste
• Understand how the five senses help us explore the world around us
• Understand that some people experience the senses differently
MATERIALS
For this activity, you will need the following items:
• Various objects for sensory exploration of all five senses (e.g., distinctly shaped objects, bells, scented candles, fabrics, fruit, etc.)
• Sensory poem organizer
• Crayons, colored pencils or markers
• Glue sticks
• Scissors
• Large white paper
• Chart paper or white board
adaptations for students with visual and hearing impairments:
• Tactile and visual aids (e.g., textured objects, highcontrast images, etc.)
a. Begin by asking students if they know what the five senses are. Write their responses on the chart paper or white board.
b. Explain that our senses help us learn about the world. Introduce the five senses: sight, sound, smell, touch and taste.
c. For students with visual impairments, provide tactile objects representing each sense.
d. For students with hearing impairments, use visual aids and written text to support the explanation.
2. Sensory Exploration Stations
a. Set up five stations, each dedicated to one of the senses.
i. Sight: Include high contrast images, tactile graphics and objects with distinct shapes. Explain the concept that light is needed in order to see objects.
ii. Sound: Include vibrating objects, musical instruments, visual sound meter or written descriptions of sounds. Explain the concept that vibrations create sound and that sound waves are vibrations of the air.
iii. Smell: Include scented candles, flowers and spices.
iv. Touch: Include soft fabrics, rough sandpaper, smooth stones or items with different textures.
v. Taste: Include small samples of different flavors like sweet, salty, sour, etc.
b. For younger students, pair students with a buddy to assist with the navigation and exploration.
c. Encourage students to describe their experiences using their available senses.
3. Sensory Poem
a. After exploring the stations, gather the students and discuss their observations. What did they notice about each sense?
b. Provide each student with a copy of the “Sensory Poem Organizer” worksheet on page 34.
c. Have students write or draw one thing they noticed for each sense. For example:
i. I see __________________. (For visually impaired students, use tactile or descriptive language.)
ii. I hear _________________. (For hearing impaired students, use visual or written descriptions.)
iii. I smell _________________.
iv. I touch ________________.
v. I taste ________________.
d. Allow students to share their sensory poems with the class using their preferred communication method (e.g., speaking, signing, assistive technology, etc.).
4. Sensory Collage
a. Give each student a large piece of white paper. Have them create a sensory collage by drawing, cutting out pictures from magazines, or using tactile materials that represent each of the five senses.
b. You may have students label each section of the collage with the corresponding sense, or you may choose to allow the collages to be interpreted as they are without labels.
5. Conclusion
a. Gather in a group with students and review the five senses. Ask them how each sense helps them learn about the world.
b. Display the sensory poems and collages around the classroom.
EXTENSION IDEAS
• Read a book related to the five senses, such as My Five Senses by Aliki.
• Go on a sensory walk around the school or playground.
Sensory Poem Organizer
1. Sight: What do you see? Describe the colors, shapes and movements. (Example: “Bright red apples hanging from the tree.”)
2. Sound: What do you hear? Consider any noises, music or silence. (Example: “The gentle rustle of leaves in the breeze.”)
3. Smell: What can you smell? Think about fragrances, scents or odors. (Example: “The sweet aroma of blooming jasmine.”)
4. Touch: What can you feel? Describe textures or sensations on your skin. (Example: “The cool, rough bark of the old oak tree.”)
5. Taste: What can you taste? Imagine flavors or tastes in the air. (Example: “A hint of salt from the sea spray.”)
You can use this organizer to jot down your thoughts and ideas for each sense and then combine them to create a sensory poem. Feel free to add more details or emotions to bring your poem to life!
MAKING SENSE OF SENSES
Alabama Course of Study Standards
MA19.1.16 MA19.2.16 MA19.3.16 MA19.4.20
OBJECTIVE
By completing this activity, students will:
• Gather and display data gathered from classmates
• Analyze and reflect upon data through class discussion
MATERIALS
For this activity, you will need the following items:
• My Five Senses by Aliki
• Chart paper
• Markers
PROCEDURE
To complete this activity, follow these steps:
1. As a class, read My Five Senses by Aliki.
2. Create a survey that reflects the sense that each student thinks that they rely on or use the most in a day.
3. Use the survey data to generate a bar graph.
4. Analyze the data.
a. Which sense do students rely on the most?
b. Which sense do students rely on the least?
5. Discuss with students what it would be like to not be able to use the one sense they rely on the most.
6. Explain that in Omnium Circus, there are performers who cannot use all their senses, so they have created ways to help all people experience their shows, even if they cannot depend fully on one or more of their five senses.
CIRCUS SCIENCE
The acts you see in the circus require a lot of skill. The performers have practiced for years. The performers must master the science of their skill in order to accomplish these incredible feats.
Aerial Silks
Jen Bricker-Bauer and Dominik Bauer
In this daring and beautiful silk act, Jen BrickerBauer and Dominik Bauer perform above the circus ring on two long pieces of fabric suspended from the top of the tent. Like a human spider, BrickerBauer climbs and spins, twirls and twists, as she ascends higher and higher. She wraps the shiny silks around her arms and torso and then suddenly falls as the silks unwind. She catches herself just before she hits the ground.
As aerial performers, Bricker-Bauer and Bauer know that two scientific principles are especially important to their safety. The first is friction. Friction is the force that prevents things from moving smoothly over another surface. As the silks are very slippery, they do not provide much friction against the performer’s body. For that reason, silk performers must have tremendous upper body strength and a vice-like grip to hold the fabric tightly and prevent slipping.
The second scientific principle to be considered is the plumb bob. Plumb comes from plumbum, the Latin word for the metal, lead. The plumb bob is an ancient tool that is nothing more than a string with some weight tied to one end. When the other end of the string is tied to the ceiling, the plumb bob will
bricker-bauer and bauer
always hang straight down. When the two silks are hung from the top of the tent, they will also hang straight down. So aerial silk performers must always be aware of the relationship of one silk to the other so that they can adjust accordingly to maintain their center of gravity.
Contortion
Elayne Kramer
Elayne Kramer is able to move her body in seemingly impossible ways. We can use biometrics, the science of how the body moves, to understand how she does it. Kramer has spent years stretching her muscles and tendons to make them more elastic and flexible. This gives her joints, tendons, ligaments and muscles a much wider range of motion. If you stretch regularly in a controlled and consistent manner, your hips, shoulders and spine can become much more flexible over time; however, knee and elbow joints cannot become more flexible through stretching. Kramer is also adept at being able to balance in different positions. As she moves, she keeps her balance by finding her center of gravity.
Cyr wheel
Evgeny Vasilenko
The Cyr wheel is a large, shiny hoop. Evgeny Vasilenko stands inside that hoop and begins to perform increasingly difficult and seemingly impossible spins, rolls, somersaults, inversions and pirouettes.
The science involved in the act is based on the flywheel effect. The flywheel is an off-center wheel that uses momentum to create energy and motion. To use the Cyr wheel, the performer must stand inside it and hold it with his hands above his head in the 10 and 2 o’clock positions. He will then tip the wheel slightly forward, his center of gravity now in the center of his chest, not the hoop.
The flywheel effect occurs when the performer leans to his right or left, and the weight of his upper body creates momentum that carries the performer in a circle. The wheel begins to lose energy when the performer is upside down and continues to lose energy until he is right side up again. Once the performer is back to his original position, his wheel will once again gain momentum each time it turns. Because the wheel is off-center, it will kick start more energy every time it rotates. kramer
The Cyr wheel was invented and developed by Canadian circus artist Daniel Cyr, co-founder of Cirque Éloize. In 2003, he introduced this new apparatus to the world in competition at the Worldwide Festival of the Circus of Tomorrow in Paris and was awarded the silver medal in recognition of his revolutionary new act. Cyr toured the world performing Cyr wheel and other acts for many years.
Hand balancing
Owen Sanchez
Not all of Owen Sanchez’s balancing tricks are vertical. Some of his positions are beautifully off-center. He can accomplish these feats by counterbalancing his weight, allowing him to accomplish more than would be possible based on size and strength alone.
Counterbalance occurs when two objects of unequal weight are balanced on a pivot point. Measuring scales demonstrate the principles of counterbalance. They have been used for thousands of years. Owen is a master of counterbalance.
sanchez
Juggling
Tersit Asefa Dersu
In her mind, boggling and beautiful juggling act, the lithe and lovely Tersit Asefa Dersu bounces and juggles as many as seven balls at the same time. How does she do it? Dersu practices every day, and she understands and applies important scientific principles. These principles are gravity, terminal velocity and Sir Isaac Newton’s third law of motion.
Everything falls because of gravity. Anything released on Earth will start falling at a rate of 32 feet per second and will accelerate (get faster) by 32 feet per second every second. This means that if you drop any object from high enough, it will fall 32 feet in the first second after you let go, then 64 feet, and so on. The object will continue to fall faster and
faster for about twelve seconds until it approaches terminal velocity. After that, it will continue to fall, but it will not continue to accelerate. The terminal velocity of a juggling ball—or any other falling object—is about 120 miles per hour. The higher up Dersu throws the balls, the more time she will have to catch them.
Dersu also bounce juggles up to seven balls. Bouncing demonstrates Sir Isaac Newton’s third law of motion—for every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction. The harder Dersu throws the balls, the faster they will ricochet back to her.
In Dersu’s amazing seven-ball bounce juggling act, she will be catching and throwing three balls every second.
dersu
S C I e N C e
V0 C a B U La R y
to fully understand the performance, students should be familiar with these key terms.
Acceleration
An increase in speed
Angular Momentum
The rotational velocity of a spinning object in relationship to its inertia
Apex
The top or highest part of something, especially if it forms a point
Balance
When the downward pull of gravity is equal on all sides of an object, so it does not fall
Biometrics
The study of how the human body moves
Cantilever
A long-ridged structure that extends sideways and is only supported at one end, such as an airplane wing
Center of Gravity
The point of an object where gravity can pull equally on all sides. All of the weight is centered on that point.
Centrifugal Force
From the Latin for “fleeing the center,” anything that pulls a moving object away from a central point. Anything that is not attached to a spinning object will fly off in a straight line.
Centripetal Force
From the Latin for “seeking the center,” anything that pulls a moving object towards a central point, causing the object to move in a circular motion
Curvilinear
A description of a curved path
Equilibrium
A state in which opposing forces are balanced. The equilibrium position in a pendulum is the point where a suspended object hangs and does not move.
Flywheel
An off-center wheel that uses momentum to create energy and motion, first used in potter wheels and grinding wheels
Force
A push or pull on an object
Friction
The resistance to motion between objects that touch. This is what causes a moving object to slow down or stop.
Gravity
The invisible force that pulls everything on or near the surface of the Earth. Gravity pulls everything down towards Earth at an initial rate of 32 feet per second.
Inertia
The resistance to change in motion. An object at rest stays at rest unless some force moves it. A moving object will continue to move unless some force stops it.
Kinetic Energy
Energy in motion
Linear
A description of a straight line
Matter
Any object that takes up space and has weight
Momentum
The quantity of motion of a moving body measured as a product of its mass and velocity
Pendulum
An object suspended from a fixed support so that it swings freely back and forth under the influence of gravity
Physics
The study of matter, energy, motion and force
Pivot Point
The fixed point from which a suspended object hangs
Plumb bob/line
An ancient tool consisting of a string with a weight (the bob on one end). When the string is attached to a fixed point above the ground and the weight is allowed to hang freely, it will indicate a perfectly vertical line.
Potential Energy Energy that is stored up
Speed
How fast something moves through space
Terminal Velocity
The constant speed that a freely falling object eventually reaches when the resistance of the medium through which it is falling prevents further acceleration
Velocity
The rate of speed and direction of motion with which something happens
INVESTIGATING CIRCUS SCIENCE: THE
Alabama Course of Study Standards
PHYSICS OF FUN
OBJECTIVE
By completing this activity, students will:
• Explore basic physics concepts such as balance, force and motion through engaging with hands-on activities inspired by circus acts
MATERIALS
For this activity, you will need the following items:
• Balancing beam or a tape line on the floor
• Small weights or bean bags
• Balloons
• Hula hoops
• Ramps and toy cars
• String and paperclips
• Circus music for ambiance (optional)
PROCEDURE
To complete this activity, follow these steps:
1. Introduction to Circus Science
a. Begin with a brief discussion about the circus. Ask students what they know about circus acts and performers. You can use information found in this study guide to share specifics of what the students will see at Omnium Circus.
b. Explain that many circus acts involve science, particularly physics, which is the study of motion and forces.
2. Balance Activity
a. Set up a balancing beam or a tape line on the floor.
b. Have students walk across it, balancing small weights or bean bags on their heads.
c. Discuss with students how balance is important for tightrope walkers and how they use their bodies to maintain equilibrium. In Omnium Circus, balance is important in many acts, particularly in hand balancing.
3. Force and Motion Activity
a. Use ramps and toy cars to demonstrate how force and motion work.
b. Let students experiment by changing the height of the ramp and observing how it affects the speed and distance the car travels.
c. Discuss how clowns and acrobats use force and motion in their acts, such as juggling or trapeze swings.
4. Balloon Juggling
a. Give each student a balloon and have them practice juggling with it.
b. Discuss how jugglers use timing and motion to keep multiple objects in the air.
5. Hula Hoop Challenge
a. Provide hula hoops and encourage students to try spinning them around their waists.
b. Discuss the concept of rotational motion and how it applies to acts like hula hooping and plate spinning. In Omnium Circus, the Cyr wheel act relies on rotational motion.
6. Reflection and Discussion
a. Gather students in a circle and discuss what they learned about the science behind circus acts.
b. Ask students which activity they enjoyed the most and why.
7. Conclusion
a. Summarize the key physics concepts covered: balance, force and motion.
b. Encourage students to think about other everyday activities that involve these concepts.
EXTENSION ACTIVITY
As a follow-up, students can create their own mini-circus acts at home using the principles they learned and present them to the class.
Why we go to the show
DIFFERENTLY ABLED PERFORMERS OF ALABAMA
Omnium Circus employs talented circus performers that possess many different skills. While all of them had to learn, practice and perfect their individual acts and performances, they all faced different challenges in the process of doing that. In Omnium Circus, there are performers who are deaf, which means they cannot hear. There are performers who are in wheelchairs. What Omnium Circus hopes to show audiences is that being differently abled can be spectacular.
For audience members with visual impairments, Omnium Circus provides a live audio description for each performance along with sign language for those with hearing impairments. In Alabama, there is a very famous singing group comprised entirely of singers with blindness or visual impairments.
The Blind Boys of Alabama
The American gospel group, the Blind Boys of Alabama, was formed in Talladega in 1939 and is comprised of musicians who are visually impaired. While the roster of performers has changed throughout the years, the commitment to singing great gospel music has not. The original group came together in the school choir at the Alabama Institute for the Negro Deaf and Blind. Founding members
included Clarence Fountain, George Scott, Velma Traylor, Johnny Fields, Olice Thomas and the only sighted member, J.T. Hutton. Interestingly, the Blind Boys were not allowed to sing Black gospel music at their school, which was run by an all-white faculty, but they could listen to it on the radio, and it was what inspired them.
Originally known as the Happy Land Jubilee Singers, the group began touring in 1945. In 1947, lead vocalist Velma Traylor died in an accident. In 1948, they were booked for a show in New Jersey with another gospel group out of Mississippi. As both groups were comprised of visually impaired performers, the concert was billed as the “Battle of the Blind Boys” and the Happy Land Jubilee Singers soon changed their name to the Five Blind Boys of Alabama. That same year they made their first recording, and in 1949 they had their first hit, “I Can See Everybody’s Mother But Mine.”
Through the decades, the Blind Boys were continuously encouraged to record more commercial music but refused to sway from their gospel roots. For their first 40 years, they primarily played in churches and school auditoriums for black gospel audiences, but in the 1980s that began to change. In 1983, the Blind Boys were cast in a production of
The Gospel at Colonus, which is an African American musical version of Oedipus at Colonus. The group collectively played Oedipus, who is blind. The cast included Morgan Freeman as well as other wellknown gospel singers. The musical was a success and made the move to Broadway in 1988. This led to more mainstream exposure for the group. They went on to great success throughout the 1990s, winning awards and gaining more recognition. Their music was featured on many television shows and movie soundtracks in the early 2000s. In 2010, the Blind Boys were inducted into the Alabama Music Hall of Fame. They continued to collaborate with artists and grow their audience throughout the 2010s. In 2022, they released an album with Black Violin that was nominated for a Grammy Award and performed at the closing ceremonies of the World Games in Birmingham. In 2023, the Blind Boys earned three Grammy nominations for their album Echoes of the South, which was named after the radio program that hosted their first professional performance.
In all, the Blind Boys of Alabama have won seven Grammy awards and been nominated an additional eight times. They have won four Dove awards, a National Heritage Fellowship, a Helen Keller Personal Achievement award, and been inducted into the Gospel Music Hall of Fame. They have released more than 70 albums and been featured guest artists on an additional nine recordings. The current members include Ricky McKinnie (vocals, percussion), Joey Williams (vocals, lead guitar), Julius Love (vocals), Peter Levin (organ) and Stephen Raynard Ladson (bass).
The Blind Boys of Alabama
SEEING THROUGH NEW EYES
Alabama Course of Study Standards
OBJECTIVE
By completing this activity, students will:
• Gain an understanding of what it means to be blind or visually impaired
• Develop empathy through interactive activities
MATERIALS
For this activity, you will need the following items:
• Books about blindness (e.g., The Black Book of Colors by Menena Cottin)
PROCEDURE
To complete this activity, follow these steps:
1. Introduction to Visual Impairment
a. Begin with a discussion about the senses. Ask students which sense they think they use the most. This lesson could follow the “Making Sense of Senses” activity on page 35.
b. Introduce the concept of visual impairment and blindness, explaining that some people see differently or not at all.
2. Blindfold Exploration Activity
a. Pair students and give one partner a blindfold. The other partner will guide them around the classroom or a safe outdoor area.
b. Encourage the blindfolded student to use other senses, like touch and hearing, to explore their environment.
c. After a few minutes, have partners switch roles.
3. Texture and Touch Activity
a. Provide students with various textured materials to feel.
b. Discuss how touch can help people who are blind understand their surroundings.
4. Introduction to Braille
a. Show students the Braille alphabet using cards.
b. Explain how Braille is a system of raised dots that allows people who are blind to read with their fingers.
5. Audio Story Time
a. Play an audio story or descriptive podcast for the class.
b. Ask students to close their eyes and imagine the story as they listen.
6. Reflection and Discussion
a. Ask students how it felt to rely on senses other than sight.
b. Discuss the challenges and strengths of people who are blind or visually impaired.
7. Creative Expression Activity
a. Have students draw a picture with their eyes closed, using their sense of touch to guide them.
b. Share drawings and discuss the experience.
8. Conclusion
a. Summarize the key points about blindness and visual impairment.
b. Encourage students to think about how they can be supportive and inclusive of individuals with visual impairments.
EXTENSION ACTIVITY
• As a follow-up, students can research other famous individuals who are blind or visually impaired and present their findings to the class.
What to do after the show
POST-SHOW DISCUSSION
Included in this section are some post-performance activities you can share with your students.
Ask students if they enjoyed Omnium Circus: I’m Possible. Ask them to share their thoughts about the following:
1. Which part of the performance did you like best? Why?
2. What did you see that seemed impossible?
3. If you were to join the circus, what act would you perform?
4. Did the performance make you want to go to the circus again?
Alabama Course of Study standards index
ARTS
ENGLISH LANGUAGE ARTS
ENGLISH LANGUAGE ARTS
Actively engage in teacher-led reading experiences and collaborative discussions with peers to build background knowledge needed to be successful as they learn to read and, later, read to learn.
ELA21.K.17 With guidance and support, orally utilize new academic, content-specific, grade-level vocabulary and relate new words to prior knowledge.
Engage in collaborative discussions about topics and texts with peers and adults in small and large groups, utilizing agreed-upon rules.
and collaborative discussions to build background knowledge and learn how oral reading should sound.
Utilize new academic, content-specific, gradelevel vocabulary, making connections to previously learned words and relating new words to background knowledge.
ENGLISH LANGUAGE ARTS (CONTINUED)
Read and reread grade-appropriate text accurately, automatically, and with meaningful expression at a rate which supports comprehension.
ELA21.3.13 Utilize new academic, content-specific, grade-level vocabulary to make connections to previously learned words and relate new words to background knowledge.
ELA21.3.18 Demonstrate content knowledge built during independent reading of informational and literary texts by participating in content-specific discussions with peers and/or through writing.
fluency when reading grade-level text and when responding through writing or speaking.
Accurately interpret general academic and domainspecific words and phrases.
ELA21.4.14 Demonstrate comprehension of literary and informational text by utilizing its content when discussing or writing
response to the text.
Demonstrate fluency when independently reading, writing, and speaking in response to grade-level literary and informational text, including stories, dramas, poetry, and cross-curricular texts.
grade-level text orally with accuracy, automaticity, appropriate prosody or expression, purpose, and understanding, self-correcting and rereading as necessary.
and use grade-level vocabulary, clarifying the meaning of unknown and multiple-meaning words and phrases in text, choosing flexibly from a range of strategies.
For a given or collected set of data, create a scaled (one-to-many) picture graph and scaled bar graph to represent a data set with several categories.
SCIENCE
SC15.K.1
Investigate the resulting motion of objects when forces of different strengths and directions act upon them (e.g., object being pushed, object being pulled, two objects colliding).
SC15.K.2 Use observations and data from investigations to determine if a design solution (e.g., designing a ramp to increase the speed of an object in order to move a stationary object) solves the problem of using force to change the speed or direction of an object.
SC15.1.1
Conduct experiments to provide evidence that vibrations of matter can create sound (e.g., striking a tuning fork, plucking a guitar string) and sound can make matter vibrate (e.g., holding a piece of paper near a sound system speaker, touching your throat while speaking).
SC15.1.2 Construct explanations from observations that objects can be seen only when light is available to illuminate them (e.g., moon being illuminated by the sun, colors and patterns in a kaleidoscope being illuminated when held toward a light).
SC15.3.1 Plan and carry out an experiment to determine the effects of balanced and unbalanced forces on the motion of an object using one variable at a time, including number, size, direction, speed, position, friction, or air resistance (e.g., balanced forces pushing from both sides on an object, such as a box, producing no motion; unbalanced force on one side of an object, such as a ball, producing motion), and communicate these findings graphically.
SC15.3.2 Investigate, measure, and communicate in a graphical format how an observed pattern of motion (e.g., a child swinging in a swing, a ball rolling back and forth in a bowl, two children teetering on a see-saw, a model vehicle rolling down a ramp of varying heights, a pendulum swinging) can be used to predict the future motion of an object.
SC15.4.8 Construct a model to explain that an object can be seen when light reflected from its surface enters the eyes.
SC15.4.10
Examine evidence to support an argument that the internal and external structures of plants (e.g., thorns, leaves, stems, roots, colored petals, xylem, phloem) and animals (e.g., heart, stomach, lung, brain, skin) function to support survival, growth, behavior, and reproduction.
Obtain and communicate information explaining that humans have systems that interact with one another for digestion, respiration, circulation, excretion, movement, control, coordination, and protection from disease.
Investigate different ways animals receive information through the senses, process that information, and respond to it in different ways (e.g., skunks lifting tails and spraying an odor when threatened, dogs moving ears when reacting to sound, snakes coiling or striking when sensing vibrations).
SOCIAL STUDIES
SS10.1.8
SS10.2.3
Identify states, continents, oceans, and the equator using maps, globes, and technology.
SS10.3.2 Locate the continents on a map or globe.
SS10.3.11 Interpret various primary sources for reconstructing the past, including documents, letters, diaries, maps, and photographs.
“Circus Vocabulary Word Search” page 21
D W Y L M M M P M E V Z N C P A J G Y X L
R A Z A I S O C Y C U W W C A Z Z I C J K M W S N E N U K H G X C G H H K R W D N M K L T K S V D W G M T G Y K
SLACK WIRE UNICYCLE
Online resources
If you would like to continue to learn and explore, here are some resources that might be helpful.
Omnium Circus
X https://omniumcircus.org/
Women in the circus
X https://www.saturdayeveningpost.com/2020/07/100years-ago-the-women-who-ran-off-with-the-circus/
Black performers in the nineteenth century
X https://jvc.oup.com/2021/02/05/black-performers-in-thenineteenth-century/
African Americans in the circus
X https://nmaahc.si.edu/explore/stories/african-americanscircus
Uncle Junior Project
X https://www.unclejrproject.com
SUPPLEMENTAL BOOKS
Circus Miradus by Cassie Beasley (fiction, chapter book)
The Farmer and the Circus by Marla Freeze (wordless picture book)
Long Road to the Circus by Betsy Bird (fiction, chapter book)
Your First Day of Circus School by Melissa Crowton (picture book, fiction)
If You Ever Want to Bring a Circus to the Library, Don’t! by Elise Parsley
The Show Must Go On! by Kate Klise
My Five Senses by Aliki
CREDITS
Omnium Circus Curriculum Guide created by CircuSense, LLC.
All images featured in this performance study guide are wholly owned and copyrighted by their respective copyright holders and are used for educational purposes only. No copyright infringement is intended. The Gogue Performing Arts Center does not claim ownership of any images unless explicitly stated otherwise. If you have concerns about the use of any image included herein, please contact us immediately.
For a list of additional image sources and credits, please contact our Department of Communications and Marketing by telephone at 334.844.7234 or via email at jaosborne@auburn.edu.
The Jay and Susie Gogue Performing Arts Center at Auburn University serves students and educators across the state of Alabama and beyond with its annual K–12 School Performance Series.
These high-quality and transformative arts experiences are further enriched with performance study guides that provide meaningful cross-curricular connections.
Developed by our Department of Education and Engagement, in collaboration with the Gogue Center Curriculum Council, each performance study guide contains information about the featured performing artist(s) or company, the art form, and relevant, grade-appropriate lessons and activities designed to help incorporate academic and arts standards into the classroom.
Our sincerest thanks to the members of the 2024–25 Gogue Center Curriculum Council.
2024–25 Gogue Center Curriculum Council
Lacey Basgier
Secondary Art
Lee-Scott Academy
Alabama Independent School Association
Stacey Blakemore
Secondary ELA
Oak Mountain High School
Shelby County Schools
Brooke Braswell
2nd Grade
Cary Woods Elementary School
Auburn City Schools
Euri Carr
Arts Specialist
Alabama State Council on the Arts
State of Alabama
Jennifer Dempsey Media Specialist
Wrights Mill Elementary School
Auburn City Schools
Abbie Gaston
4th Grade
Creekside Elementary School
Auburn City Schools
Cynthia Jackson ELA, Curriculum & Instruction
W.F. Burns Middle School
Chambers County Schools
Martin McKay
Assistant Principal Headland Middle School
Henry County Schools
Amber Pickard
Social Studies
Lee-Scott Academy
Alabama Independent School Association
Josh Roberts Head of School
Alabama Christian Academy
Private School, Montgomery
Ruth Marie Romero
Pre–K
Peter Crump Elementary School
Montgomery Public Schools
Charlotte Ellison Williams Retired Educator/Administrator
