The first rule of circus summer camp: Don’t break your face. The second rule of circus summer camp: Have fun. With rules like these, who wouldn’t want to give a week of tumbling, juggling, aerial acrobatics, or even trapeze a whirl? 

It’s a swampy Monday morning. End-of-school vibes still hang in the air as shy but buzzy children mill about outside the stone arch of the former St. Madeleine Sophie Church on Greene Street in West Mt. Airy, which now houses the Philadelphia School of Circus Arts (PSCA). Many campers wear backpacks bigger than they are, stuffed with snacks, lunches, extra clothes — all the daily necessities. 

Armed with clipboards, Coach Lesley Berkowitz-Zak and Coach Bradley Johnson welcome everyone with three-ring energy. As they tick off names, they ask people to line up by age, while nervous parents take photos and yell out the final “Have fun!” or “Remember your sunscreen!”

Jane Kenny and Greg Meyer, who live in Center City, made the morning drive to drop off their five-year-old granddaughter, Freyja Egoavil, visiting from Los Angeles for two weeks. “We were looking for some good activity for her because she's been doing monkey bars since she was two years old,” Kenny says proudly. 

Meyer adds that his granddaughter had no first-day-of-camp jitters. “She was excited and happy. She seemed good. She was very brave. She flew from LA, and she's just getting in line and going off with new kids. She's amazing.” 

Circus school history

The school’s original home was in Germantown, and PSCA shares space with Circadium, the School of Contemporary Circus.  They are separate entities, but Shana Kennedy, who happens to be married to juggler and Cirque du Soleil veteran Greg Kennedy, founded both after she, like many others, traveled to England for her training and recognized a need back home. 

Kennedy began offering classes in her backyard in 2000, moved the school to Germantown in 2008, where they also began the summer camp program, and in 2014 founded Circadium, which offers a diploma in circus arts. According to Circadium’s website, it was the first “government-recognized higher education program for circus in the United States.”

About 500 people pass through PSCA’s building each week, for camps, special events such as birthday parties, and even baby showers. There are after-school classes for kids, and its children’s department accounts for the largest block of students. 

Inside, the church’s formersanctuary, wooden pews removed, functions as a high-ceilinged gym used for aerial training and performances. Children juggle, stretch, and get to know each other — after all, camp friends are some of the best things about summer. 

Kitsie O’Neill, the school’s executive director, is friendly and is eager to share the history of PSCA and circus arts in general. She also looks like she could give some of these youngsters a run for their money on the tumbling mats. She started her circus journey learning aerial skills. “ I was a recreational student for years,  not wanting to do it professionally,” she says. “For me, it was more of a workout and a bit of a side artistic expression. With circus at any age, any background, there's something there for you too, all you need is basic curiosity and a willingness to try something new.”

In the gym, orange, red, and purple aerial silks drape from the ceiling, and thick tumbling pads cover the wooden floor. In the far corner, children bounce around playing with mini traffic cones — even wearing them as hats. Coach Bradley leads the group in an exercise to learn each other’s names. 

Egoavil, the little girl from LA., is dressed in a flowered tank and green pants. She says her trip from Los Angeles to Philadelphia on the airplane was “good.” Even more important, she says, she can “do handstands and cartwheels.”

Something for everyone

Campers spend one week learning new skills, and then perform for family and friends during an end-of-the-week showcase. “They can pick up to two or three disciplines they want to show off,” O’Neill says. “We never force kids to pick anything. We have a lot of shy kids, too. But they usually want to show their skill by the end of the week.”

Egoavil’s grandparents plan to attend the showcase. They say they have “no expectations. Just a lot of joy.” 

O’Neill says she’s been pleasantly surprised by the enthusiasm for the teen camps this year. Those campers come later in the summer. “Another thing with the circus that I love is that you have a lot of different backgrounds of kids. Kids who may not consider themselves athletic or sporty, and those who thrive on physical challenges, like fans of Ninja Warrior-type games.”

There’s also a place for theater kids eager to perform and tell stories. “What's truly fascinating is how all these different personalities come together, participating and discovering apparatus that resonate with them,” O’Neill says.

Moment of truth

After a full week at camp, Egovil’s grandparents sat up close at the big show, watching as their granddaughter showed off her new skills. The children did a wonderful job, tumbling, cartwheeling, climbing on the hanging silks and jumping over bosu balls, which Egoavil says are called “donkey hops.” 

O’Neill says some parents, after watching their children’s experience, sign up for adult classes. “It’s all about giving yourself space to try something new and maybe a bit outside your comfort zone,” she said. As long as you remember rule number one — don’t break your face.

Philadelphia School of Circus Arts Summer Camp is on now, and spaces are still available. Adult classes and workshops are also open.