Green Light Circus History
Since 1994, Denali Arts Council, and a dedicated group of volunteers have been offering kids, ages 5 and up the chance to discover the magic of circus art! We know everyone can benefit from laughter, working together, and turning themselves upside down.
Whether being initiated into the circus world, or a veteran trouper, your child will be challenged with expert guidance in circus skills. They will explore aerials, stilt walking, unicycling, tumbling, physical theater, clowning, juggling, and much more!
Our 3-week camp culminates into a wild parade through Talkeetna and two performances for families and friends, a joyful and awe-inspiring experience!
Schedule and Cost:
Tykes (ages 5 to 6 years-old): $125 per child. This is a one week camp, from June 12th through the 16th. Hours are 9:00am to 10:30am, Monday through Friday. The Tykes will have a (free!) Showcase Performance on Friday, June 16th, from 10:30am-11:00am. This will be their opportunity to show off their skills to parents and family members. Tykes will also be invited to participate in the Green Light Circus parade during the set break of Live at Five on June 16th. View and print Tyke’s Camp Schedule here.
Trailers (Beginner Circus Performers, ages 7-17): $300 per child. This is a three week camp, from May 30th through June 17th, with two evening performances on Friday, June 16th and Saturday, June 17th. Hours are 11:30am to 1:30pm, Monday through Friday. Guardians are required to attend the parent orientation on Monday, May 29th, at 5pm. View and print Trailer’s Camp Schedule here.
Troupers (Intermediate to Advanced Circus Performers, suggested ages 10-17): $275 per child per focus group, or $450 per child for both focus groups. This is a three week camp, from May 30th through June 17th, with two evening performances on Friday, June 16th and Saturday, June 17th. Participants will be able to sign up for an Aerials (silks, trapeze, lyra) Focus Group (2:30-4:00pm, Monday through Friday), a Manipulation (balance, stilt-walking, unicycling, juggling, diablo, clowning, hula hooping, etc) Focus Group (4:00-5:30pm, Monday through Friday), or BOTH! Guardians are required to attend the parent orientation on Monday, May 29th, at 5pm. View and print Trouper’s Camp Schedule here.
Scholarships: Partial and full scholarships are available.
Shuttle Bus: We hope to offer a complimentary shuttle service from Willow and along the Talkeetna Spur Hwy for all three weeks of circus camp! Children under the age of 7 must be accompanied by an adult. More information coming soon.
What to expect:
Tyke campers will be introduced to a wide range of circus skills and values, including balance, coordination, strength, flexibility, support for others, cooperation, and encouragement.
Trailers campers will start each day with a high energy warm-up, often using circus objects. They will then split into smaller rotating groups working with instructors on various circus skills and drills. As camp progresses, participants will be able to start focusing on the circus arts that they gravitate towards.
Troupers Camp Focus Groups will be specialized from the very beginning of camp, which will give participants the opportunity to concentrate on specific areas and skills to grow as performers and athletes.
Meet the Instructors!
Rob Crites
Rob is a professional entertainer, circus performer and instructor. He specializes in juggling, stilt-walking, unicycling, aerial and ground acrobatics, and fire juggling/eating/breathing. After receiving a B.A. in Theatre, Rob performed in Way2Much Entertainment and Jumbo Shrimp Circus. From 2005 to present, Rob has continued to entertain and instruct for Cirque School L.A. and Cirque Du Monde in Los Angeles. He is the founder and president of Gravity Cirque Inc.
Rob’s talents and versatility as a circus performer have taken him all over the world! He has been a circus stunt performer and actor in several films and shows, such as ‘OZ: The Great and Powerful’, ‘Water For Elephants’, ‘Dancing with the Stars’, and many more.
Celeste Kelly
Celeste’s specialty is hoop dance and she has been teaching and performing since 2009. Celeste has also taught and performed Tribal Fusion belling dancing for 10 years. She is a skilled stilt-walker. Celeste is skilled with fire palms, fire fans, fire hoops, fire double staffs and has extensive knowledge of fire performance and safety.
Jennifer Berry
With an extensive professional background in Pilates, Ballet and Modern dance as well as Cirque style Stilt performance, Jennifer holds two collegiate degrees: Masters of Fine Arts from the University of California at Irvine in dance science and a Bachelor of Fine Arts in dance performance and choreography from the University of Cincinnati’s College Conservatory of Music. Between degrees, Jennifer spent several years dancing professionally and training with prestigious dance companies including: New York City Ballet, Atlanta Ballet, Chattanooga Ballet, Lexington Ballet, Cincinnati Ballet, Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre, Jacob’s Pillow, Gus Giordano Jazz Dance Chicago, and New World Dance Experience. In 1999, she was awarded “Outstanding Teacher” in dance by the Tennessee Governor’s School for Arts Education as well as, “Emerging Artist of the Year” in dance by Arts Association of Tennessee.
Jennifer has expanded her dance and fitness performance to include vertical stilt dancing. She has co-founded Gravity Cirque, a variety arts entertainment agency with her husband Rob Crites performing stilt dance, fire fans, and juggling for A list celebrities on many red carpet events. Also, she performs with entertainment companies such as Stilt World, Stilt Circus as well as Jumbo Shrimp Circus, Karla Ross Productions, A-Max Entertainment, True Variety and Way Too Much Entertainment to name a few.
Jessica Joy
Jessica Joy received a degree in Performing Arts, studying dance, music, and acting. Jessica discovered the magic of circus in 2004 after entering an aerial program with Hollywood Aerial Arts. She than continued her education in circus schools, Focus Fysh in LA, CA, Streb in NYC, NY, and Boulder Circus Center in Boulder, CO, and found a sense of belonging she had never felt in other performance scenes. Jessica specializes in trapeze, silks, lyra, corde lisse, Spanish web, and hammock. She is additionally skilled in hooping, acrobatics, stilts, and fire. Jessica has trained with Cirque du Soleil performers including private instruction with Rob Crites and Jenn Berry. Jessica has a strong connection to Talkeetna and been involved with Green Light Circus in previous years, and we are excited to see its growth under her leadership!
