Sunday 8th March 2009
Approximately 20 Chengdu Sports Aid volunteers and the Jerry Snell circus took a bus to Luo Shui via PengZhou. About 50 kids were waiting for the group, and they got involved in sports coaching and activities, including skipping, basketball, badminton, soccer/football, and touch rugby.
There followed a fabulous performance from the Jerry Snell crew. David Fiset, the bespectacled clown, drew in the whole crowd with sensational stage craft, with suitcase-based antics, threatening to kiss the audience, balancing a mop, a chair and a bicycle on his chin. Pipat Suwapa was up next, mesmerising the crowd with his glass ball manipulation/juggling and comic moments, and Becky Hoops (Becky Priebe) followed up with dozens of hula hoops on the go simultaneously, massive hula hoops, and acrobatics verging on contortion. Her tantalisingly frilly pair of bloomers were a big hit with the clown, who joined in the act, jumping in and out of moving hula hoops, standing on Becky’s shoulders and on her front as she held a bridge, all this with hula hoops and juggling going on. David Bernbaum dazzled with his witty MCing, juggling, hula-hoop handling, magic, and handstands, and after some club-juggling and firestick juggling, the finale combined the talents of all 4 performers, overseen by Jerry Snell himself.
The crowd absolutely loved the show and screamed for more. The post-finale was the golden moment of the day, as a little girl helped the clown pick up his juggling clubs. As she handed him one, he had no choice but to drop one to make room for the proffered club. The helpful assistant would hand the ‘next’ one to the clown, who again had to make room by dropping another. After about 7 exchanges, the little girl got fed up, picked up a club, and marched it into the performers’ dressing room, with the contrite clown in tow, and the crowd applauding.
The day finished with a penalty shoot-out competition, with the winner presented with a Glasgow Rangers football kit by die-hard fan Andy McAuley.
The day was a great deal of fun, and was a chance for SQR to check out the sports surface they helped fund at the school. The sandy/soily surface is fine for all the sports played on this day, and Chengdu Sports Aid aims to make regular trips to provide sports coaching and activities.
Many thanks to all at the school for welcoming us and to all at SQR for organising the trip, and for EtonHouse for providing the bus.
The performers were in Sichuan as part of Circus Action International, and Clowns Without Borders TRAUMA RELIEF TOUR 2009
PHOTOS: to see all the photos from the day, click here.
Duo Hoops (Becky Priebe and David Fiset) perform at the Spectacle benefice de Clowns Sans Frontieres on 20th Nov 2008
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