Savannah circus troupe invites community to train with them

SAVANNAH, Ga. (WTOC) -Have you ever been to a circus and wondered how the performers nail their stunts and tricks?

An up-and-coming circus troupe here in Savannah is inviting you to find out for yourself by training alongside them.

WTOC talked to some members who say anyone can learn these amazing moves.

Haley Allen, the founder of Kaleidoscope Circus said she has always loved the excitement of trying new things and challenging herself.

“I have always been a physically active person; I was in and out of sports and gymnastics through high school and I got really into yoga and I guess it always intrigued me.”

One day when she was practicing yoga at the park with a friend, she was introduced to a different type of yoga.

“We would go to Forsyth Park a lot and I met a group of people doing acro yoga which is partner acrobatics and from there I did some aerial classes,” said Allen.

From then on, she was able to pick up on skills all while making connections with circus communities across the country.

“Aerial stuff, I have learned from multiple studios from either Jacksonville, Charleston, Minnesota, New Orleans as well as all those festivals that teach those classes.”

All that traveling sparked the idea of creating a Savannah-area troupe.

Her goal is to grow the circus community in Savannah and offer a different avenue for performers to train with them.

She said everyone is invited to train with them and recommends beginners start with the basics.

“I find that doing yoga helps a lot with everything with circus it is a good foundation just to have the basic yoga skills.”

Allen said that the key to nailing the stunts is patience and body awareness.

And Emily Daniels, another member of the troupe, said she couldn’t agree more.

Daniels said although it takes patience and persistence, the main thing she could not do without is the support of Haley and the rest of her troupe.

You get inspiration from people who are better than you, but then you also get to inspire people who are just getting started. Because everyone starts from square one but look where I can get to,” said Daniels.

But she said the thing she loves the most, other than the community, is performing.

It’s the rush, it’s knowing you have put so much hard work and passion into a performance and the audience responds to it in the way you have hoped.”

If you’re interested in checking it for yourself, the troupe holds training sessions every Tuesday from noon to 4 pm at Forsyth Park.

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