Wow, it was started by Alex Berenchtein, a guy I used to work with!
Alex has an interesting story himself. I used to work for a compnay
called the National Circus Project, an arts-in-education company in New
York, started by JeanPaul Jenack, son of the USA's founder, Bill Jenack.
In 1989, we started working with Sascha Slougotnis, a Soviet circus
performer from Latvia. He came over totally raw, speakin no English at
all. It was a fun learning process getting to know him and being able to
work out how to perform with him, even though he still had no
language.
Anyway, after Sascha had been with us for a year or more, he was in NYC,
walking through Central Park, I believe. He saw someone walking toward
him who looked familiar. "Alex?" And sure enough, it was Alexander
Berenchtein, who he knew either from circus school or from working
together at some time in the past! What are the odds of running into
someone from the other side of the world, who you haven't seen in
years?
Anyway, Alex was a recent arrival to the U.S., like many Soviet circus
performers at that time, and was looking for work. He came to work for
us at the NCP and I did many shows and workshops with him. His specialty
was juggling a single soccer ball, which he was amazingly good at.
The story goes, once upon a time Alex went to the Russian state soccer
team, to see if he could train with them on no-hands manipulation of the
ball. He showed them what he could do, and they said, "No, you will
train *us!*" That's how good he was.
It's great to see his and Regina's venture is obviously bearing fruit!
Congratulations to them! I'll have to drop them an email.
The funny part: The Russian part of the Russian American Kids Circus,
apparently, is him. All the kids are from Brooklyn! 🙂
--
johnfoss - More Moab Fun
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