It's Not Too Late to Join the Circus

REDLANDS >> The world’s oldest community circus returned to the stage this past month and will be finishing out its 76th show season the weekend of May 21 with three final performances of “Out of This World.” Every year, the Great Y Circus takes on different themes. Last year, to celebrate the 75th anniversary of the show, the performers delved into “A Circus Legacy.” This year, the performers lead the audience members throughout the universe, exploring galaxies and planets and making sure every act has a touch of the extraterrestrial, from trapeze to wire walking. “This year, we’ve worked hard to ensure that our entire performance is spectacular from start to finish,” said Tanner Greenhalgh, Redlands YMCA Circus director and previous Y circus performer himself. “With such incredible performers, we wanted to make sure that our concept and set design could match. It’s our 76th year and we want it to be every bit as renowned as the years before it have been.” The Great Y Circus, founded in 1929 by previous Director Roy Coble, who was a former Ringling Brothers and Barnum and Bailey circus clown, is a community effort co-sponsored by the Redlands YMCA and nonprofit Community Circus Arts Corporation. The circus began as a family fun night but it grew and grew into so much more. Roy eventually got funding to build a gym for the circus where all of the necessary equipment could be attached to the ceiling. Roy's granddaughter, her husband and their daughter are still very involved with the circus. It always was and still is a fun event for the whole family because parents and kids get to participate together. The circus features performers from all over the Inland Empire, some of whom have traveled worldwide and continued on to become professional performers. Over 400 performers from ages 3 to 65 come together eight hours a week, on average, to learn different circus acts that continue to wow audiences year after year, from acrobatics to juggling. “The level of commitment that each performer gives never fails to impress me,” Greenhalgh said. “Each year, I witness a group of talented individuals take their shared love for circus and come together to create something truly amazing for the community.” The love the community has for the Great Y Circus is not hard to find. Redlands resident Samita Needelman shared a letter on Facebook that she wrote to her circus family at the Redlands YMCA, describing the passion she has seen in the performers for the circus. “I have seen young adults grow into adults, get married, have children of their own and return to Circus because that is where their home is,” Needelman wrote. “I have seen Life. I have seen Magic. I have seen the Holy and all while being a part of a Circus family.” The 76th season of the Great Y Circus will be closing out with three final performances: May 20 at 7 p.m., May 21 at 5 p.m. and May 22 at 3 p.m. Limited seating is available for show dates, so be sure to purchase your tickets in advance at the Redlands YMCA, located at 500 East Citrus Avenue. To find out more information about the Great Y Circus or other YMCA events and opportunities for the community, visit the YMCA of the East Valley online at www.ymcaeastvalley.org or call 909-798-9622.