By Plamena Quintavalla, Bronxville School Reporter for Syntax

Jul. 6, 2016:  Students at Bronxville Elementary School "traveled around the world" for two weeks with Circus Minimus ringmaster Kevin O'Keefe before performing a variety of circus skills, including tumbling, balancing acts, acrobatics, and juggling, for classmates, teachers, and parents on June 17.

The 17th annual "Circus Around the World" is a culmination of the third-grade social studies curriculum that focuses on countries around the world. 

For two weeks, O'Keefe worked with each class individually every day to teach them about the history, culture, and geography of their assigned country and to help them master their circus skills. As part of the program, the third-graders conducted in-depth research about Australia, Brazil, Egypt, Ireland, India, and Jamaica.

The show began with a parade of all the performers, who covered their faces with handcrafted plaster masks that they had created in their art classes, before revealing their faces in front of an applauding audience. The students showcased tumbling skills from Australia, flower sticks and poi from Brazil, partner acrobatics from Ireland, plates and diablo from Jamaica, human pyramids from Egypt, and juggling and yoga from India. 

"It was awesome, mesmerizing, and absolutely magical," second-grade teacher Dianne Aronson said. 
"Parents, teachers, and students watched in amazed wonder as the third-graders 'traveled around the globe.'"

The show's grand finale was a performance of bhangra, a traditional Indian dance, which got the entire audience, including Assistant Principal Adrienne Laitman and Superintendent of Schools Dr. David Quattrone, to dance to the beat.

"Circus Around the World" was made possible through the Lecture Series, which provides students with educational and arts experiences that enrich the K-5 curriculum.

The Lecture Series, which is chaired by Dianne Aronson and Kendall Fousek, who have been teaching at The Bronxville School for more than 25 years, presents programs that are funded entirely by the generous support of parents and made possible through the volunteer efforts of the Bronxville faculty members.

Pictured here: Bronxville Elementary School students participating in the 17th annual "Circus Around the World" event.

Photo courtesy The Bronxville School