The Circus Club is a great way to meet talented and creative students while also honing your performing skills.
English and adolescent education double major junior Hannah Fahy had no idea she was going to join the Circus Club when initially coming to Geneseo. She joined the club with the intention of socializing and making friends but once joining the club, Fahy never looked back. She has now dabbled with many circus skills including juggling, poy, spinning plates and devil sticks.
“I did not know how to juggle and had never done anything circus related,” Fahy said. “One of the first people I met at Geneseo knew how to juggle but didn’t want to go to the circus club alone, so I went with her. I ended up going every week because I wanted a friend, I learned how to juggle and do a ton of other circus arts too.”
Although Circus Club does not hold any annual events, for the past few years they have invited the Great Dubois to perform for students. The Great Dubois is a two-person circus show where the performers juggle, hula hoop, unicycle, aerial, circus stunt and perform contortion. The performers make the show comical while they interact with the audience.
“Circus Club gets to talk with them before and after, and they teach the club some tricks. They also put on an awesome performance in which we get to enjoy circus arts and people who aren’t in the Circus Club get to enjoy circus arts,” Fahy said. “Circus Club gets inspiration from them, they do a lot of tricks that we will come back and be like, ‘do you remember that one trick? I want to learn it.’”
Circus Club started as a way to make friends but has now shaped Fahy’s experience at Geneseo. Fahy isn’t planning on pursuing a career in circus arts but wants to continue learning new tricks.
“Circus Club has taught me that you should learn in all facets of your life. You shouldn’t just learn academics, you should be a part of as many things as you can in your educational experience,” Fahy said. “I have learned all of these skills that have come in handy in ways you wouldn’t expect.”
Psychology major freshman Parker Jackson is also a member of the Circus Club and appreciates the energy and vibes radiated by other members.
“What I love the most is the people. If the people hadn’t been as fun and kind as they are, I probably wouldn’t have stayed. They are very inclusive and just high energy, the amount of enthusiasm that I see in these people every week is astonishing,” Jackson said.