Brickett Elementary School hosted its second annual winter festival this week, featuring a morning of crafts on Monday and a special circus performance on Tuesday.
Three performers in the pre-professional program at Esh Circus Arts in Somerville visited Brickett to show off their skills for the students.
Judith, MacKenzie and Erin began the program in September, but have been practicing for years.
Judith is a contortionist who has been training for more than a decade and performs solo as “Twisted Elegance.” MacKenzie is a hand balancer and juggler, and Erin is an aerialist and a juggler. MacKenzie and Erin also perform together as a juggling duo called “Gin Rickey Jugglers.”
Throughout their performances, students oohed and aahed. When MacKenzie balanced on a chair and on her hands, they yelled and clapped.
“They were such a great audience and loved it,” MacKenzie said. “It’s so fun to just be cheered on like that.”
MacKenzie and Erin brought four student volunteers to the stage to teach them how to juggle, which was met with a lot of cheering, clapping and excitement from their classmates. MacKenzie and Erin then performed for the students, juggling up to four balls as they moved across the stage, tossing the balls back and forth and weaving in and out of each other.
“They were blown away so that was really cool,” Erin said. “It’s so fun to see their reactions and have them be so hyped up about something.”
While performing, Judith wrapped her legs around the back of her neck, and students called out in awe. Some shouted, “How does she even do that?” and “How did she not break her ankle?”
Throughout the 30-minute performances, the students were captivated by the movements and flexibility of the trio. Most had their jaws wide open the whole time.
Beth Kurkul, the Program Specialist at Brickett, said the performance was amazing and a great way to get the students out of the classroom and moving their bodies.
“They got to do the circus today and then had the winter wonderland and crafts yesterday, so it was great for them,” Kurkel said. “This is the stuff that students remember. ”
PTO President Amy Butterworth said the PTO was really grateful that the trio came and spent time with the Brickett community.
“This trio … tied it all together and were the grand finale for this festival,” Butterworth said.
Last year, Butterworth said they had a really fun time doing crafts and having music, but this year, they wanted to take it to the next level.
“We started to think about what performances could feel really magical for the time of the season and to send out the year and welcome in the new year,” Butterworth said.
She connected with the Director at Esh Circus Arts who recommended Judith, MacKenzie and Erin.
“Their costumes, their performances and their interactions with the kids felt like the perfect way to lead into the holiday break,” Butterworth said. “It ended up being even more perfect than any of us could have imagined.”
The PTO partnered with the Lynn Cultural Council to help secure the grant for the circus performers to join the winter festival.
