Thanks to the active support of hard-working parents, the large circus tent was erected in the school playground on Sunday. It was a great sight for our children, who entered the schoolyard the next day with wide eyes.
On Monday, the circus week started with the children being allowed to choose which role they would like to play: Clown, artist on the trapeze or aerial ring, floor gymnast, juggler, magician or tightrope walker. They then rehearsed diligently both in our gym and in the circus tent.
During the rest of the school day, the children worked diligently in their classes on their circus folders and artwork, for example, many classes created circuses in shoeboxes. Much to the delight of the children, there was no homework this week!
The first dress rehearsals for the gala performance on Thursday afternoon and evening took place on Thursday. The other groups were allowed to watch and 13 kindergartens were also invited. This time the colorful costumes were also worn for the first time, what a spectacle!
The dress rehearsals for the gala performance on Friday afternoon and evening then took place on Friday morning. The other groups were also allowed to attend these rehearsals as spectators.
Many families and friends of the young artists came to the public gala performances. The children had received some free tickets in advance. These free tickets and the entire circus project were only possible because the children had carried out a large sponsored run in the run-up to the circus project. Over €10,000 was raised during this run. A big thank you to all the sponsors!
A whiff of popcorn drifted through the large circus tent when the time really came: in a total of four gala performances, the young and old artists were able to show off what they had practiced diligently during the week. As soon as they entered the circus tent, there was a crackling tension in the air. Colorful lights flickered and cheerful circus music played from the loudspeakers.
Two children acted as presenters throughout the program. The program began with the floor gymnasts, who built various human pyramids in their dazzling costumes.
Then came the magicians, who not only changed the color of the large playing cards and conjured up a rabbit, but also pierced a magician in the box with swords in a spectacular climax. Thanks to the magicians, the magician emerged unscathed!
The cheerful clowns then provided colorful entertainment and a party atmosphere, almost driving the ringmaster mad with their party music. The party atmosphere quickly spread to the audience.
The jugglers then showed what they had learned during the week in black light with scarves, rings, balls and glowing balls.
Shortly before the interval, four men from the audience were also allowed to show off their muscle power and built a human scaffold.
The break was followed by a breathtaking performance by the tightrope walkers. Dressed in dazzling costumes, they balanced with a sure step over the thin wire rope. It was impressive how some of the children even performed little tricks with scarves and at the end there was even a rose cavalier who handed his lady the rose in the middle of the rope.
Another highlight were the young trapeze artists, who flew through the air with graceful movements. They bravely swung on the trapeze, spun seemingly effortlessly and elegantly and landed safely on the ground again at the end!
Then the cheeky clowns came running through the circus tent a second time and thought they had to clean the audience with their colorful feather dusters.
The performance concluded with the aerial ring artists. They put on an elegant performance: hanging from a golden hoop, they performed graceful figures as if they were floating weightlessly through the air.
The performance ended with a cheerful parade of all the participants through the circus ring. The children beamed with pride at their achievements and the applause from the enthusiastic audience was never-ending.
The circus project was a complete success - a week full of courage, creativity, team spirit and brilliance. It remains an unforgettable experience for everyone involved and has shown what the children are capable of when given the stage.
A big thank you to the Casselly circus family and all the helping hands and sponsors!
We would like to take this opportunity to say a special thank you to Mr. Terdenge from the company Terdenge Garten- und Landschaftsbau, who helped us dismantle the circus tent with his wheel loader. Without his quick and uncomplicated help, it would not have been possible to pull the tent's anchors out of the ground in the schoolyard!