Schools

Zerbini Circus Entertains in Shrub Oak

Two circus performances benefit the St. Elizabeth Ann Seton School and Parish.

A bright yellow and blue circus tent behind St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Church in Shrub Oak on Friday signaled the arrival of the Zerbini Family Circus.

Two performances by the circus were fund-raisers for both the school and St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Roman Catholic Parish, said Sister Gabriel Miriam, S.C., principal of the school.

Dave and Kelly Russell of Yonkers enjoyed the performance with their son, Kyle, age 2. Kelly Russell had received tickets through the Hawthorne Country Day School, where she is a director. An anonymous donor gave a block of circus tickets to the school for the second year in a row, she said.

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Kelly had brought Kyle last year and Dave came along this year and was plucked from the audience for a funny skit with Gustavo the Clown. He gamely played along as Gustavo posed him and then abruptly dressed him in a pink tutu and glittery hat. 

The one-ring circus included several aerial acts. One routine featured a woman using long pieces of silk chiffon that she climbed and wrapped around herself in a routine that showcased her strength and flexibility. The same performer also did a routine later in the show on a hoop above the ring.

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Other feats of acrobatics included a trampoline act, and an act where a man climbed a vertical ladder while balancing a tray of glasses on top of a sword -- which was in turn balanced on the tip of a knife he held in his teeth. The Flying Condors closed the show with a daring leaps from a large swing into a net.

Animal acts took over the ring several times, including an amusing dog act, The Dog Pound Revue, that featured several small mutts. Later, a menagerie was featured that included a trained American bison who walked over a teeter totter and then bowed to the audience. A trainer walked a camel around the ring and another animal handler carried into the ring first a 15-foot python and then a 200-pound alligator.

Sonia Kesselmark and Anne Cleary organized the fundraiser for the St. Elisabeth Seton School. The school also raffled off a 19-inch flat screen television and several other items during the intermission for the 5 p.m. circus performance.


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