Julia Karsteter
Contributing Writer
Tightrope walking, clowns, popcorn, massive tents. These things all make up the circus. Little do many know, there’s one in town all year long, and one of its stars goes to WGHS.
Crina Krueger, senior, is a star. She’s sometimes seen flying down our halls, but that’s nothing compared to the flying she does at the circus. Krueger has been in Circus Harmony since she was five years old when her parents introduced her to it.
“She’s been with us for so long I really feel she brings a sort of history to everything. She knows what it’s like to start from the very beginning and work her way up, and she’s become incredibly reliable and invaluable to the entire program,” said Elliana Kellian, Circus Harmony staff member.
Circus Harmony is centered at the St. Louis City Museum, and is composed of people who want to learn and perform different circus acts, like the ones Krueger performs.
“My specialties are trapeze, Roman Rings and cradle,” Krueger said.
The group puts on shows most weekends and offers classes to all, even members from Israel, Germany and Cuba, but specializes in teaching children.
“I teach children aged five to 18. We say that anything you see during a show, you can learn,” Krueger said. The learning takes a while, though.
“When I make an act, I rehearse for days before it’s shown to an audience,” Krueger said, and the act requires a lot of work from many involved.
“Since Crina has been with us for so long, she has a lot of input in our shows. When I’m working with her, I end up being more like a sounding board for her ideas and less like a teacher. She’s very talented, and I love working with her and seeing what new things she comes up with,” Kellian said.
A popular quote around the circus group is “Watch out for flying children”, which is displayed on the back of the shirts that they all own.
“There’s always someone flipping, jumping, or flying through the air,” Krueger said.
The group, and Krueger, have grown together.
“Crina has grown within the circus in many ways. The biggest would be how she’s become more confident in herself. She’s not afraid to take charge and do what needs to be done, and at the same time she’s become incredibly patient and really takes the time to make sure everyone understands what’s going on. I feel really lucky to have been able to teach Crina and learn so much from her,” Kellian said.
Circus Harmony offers classes over the summer that last two weeks and go from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., costing $450. It even has a flying trapeze rig where anyone can learn to fly, and anyone who wants to fly can, with teachers like Crina Krueger.
