A Westchester First: Big Top Circus Camp Comes to Katonah

With a new generation inspired by Hugh Jackman’s, The Greatest Showman, it’s only fitting that the summer of 2018 will feature Westchester’s first ever Big Top Circus Camp. The Westchester Circus Arts Big Top Tent will be set on the sprawling grounds of The Harvey School in Katonah, NY. This inspirational backdrop is the setting in which professional circus artists will inspire campers to go after their dreams. Campers ages 6-18 at all skill levels will train with circus professionals in aerial arts, acrobatics, balancing, juggling, clowning, and more. Sessions are two weeks in length and end in an exciting Big Top Showcase for friends and families to attend.

With a circus history in Westchester stretching as far back as 1805 when Hachaliah Bailey of Somers purchased ‘Old Bet,” an elephant that began a craze for traveling menageries in the region, the county has never hosted a circus camp held in an authentic “Big Top” tent. Modern-day circus impresarios Hilary Sweeney and Carlo Pellegrini, co-directors of Westchester Circus Arts, decided the time was right for this long-time dream in the making.

The Big Top Tent provides an authentic setting for instruction that has been termed “three-ring empowerment.” Westchester Circus Arts founder Hilary Sweeney counts herself as among those transformed by the circus arts, calling herself a “circus strong girl.” As an aerialist for over 15 years and counting, she is a living example of how empowering the Circus Arts can be. Inspired by a performance of Cirque du Soleil, Hilary found that she could combine her ballet career with aerial artistry, while honing her skills as a business woman, to create a circus arts organization for Westchester County. She believes people of all ages should not have to “run away” with the circus or be born into a circus family to experience its confidence-building power. She created Westchester Circus Arts as a place where people can experience circus in the most direct way and discover what it can do for their own lives.

Sessions run from 9:00am to 4:00pm each day, with lunch included. Tuition is $1,275 for each two-week session. Bus transportation to Katonah from locations in Ardsley and Briarcliff is also available for $200 for a two-week session. Registration and additional information is available by phone at (914) 275-5711, or online at: http://www.westchestercircusarts.com/camp/summer-camp/

About Westchester Circus Arts

Westchester Circus Arts was founded to provide members of the local community the opportunity to experience first-hand how just how transformational and empowering the circus arts can be. WCA provides year-round afterschool programs for children, adult arts and fitness classes, summer camp, flying trapeze, and school programs in addition to special performances. Hilary Sweeney is a recipient of Westchester Business Council’s 40 Under 40 Rising Stars. www.westchestercircusarts.com