Smirkus A Family Affair for Newton residents
Editor’s note: This story first appeared in the Newton TAB on June 19, 2018 and was written by Nick Greenhalgh.
Smirkus Trouper Chase Levy with his father, Pie Boss Andrew Levy
Whether you call them ‘Smirkos’ or troupers, jugglers or trapezists, or father and son, Vermont’s Circus Smirkus operates as a tightly knit circus family.
In Newton, one family has taken the family atmosphere literally.
When the Big Top Tour kicks off next week, 17-year-old Newton resident Chase Levy will be front and center. In his third year on tour, Chase will showcase his growing skills in partner acrobatics and diabolo, or chinese yo-yo.
His father, Andrew, won’t be far off as he awaits a swarm of hungry troupers. He’s affectionately known as the “pie-boss,” serving as the tour’s head cook for the past four summers.
While she won’t travel with the tour all summer like her son and husband, Michele Levy is still highly involved with Circus Smirkus. Michele has been a member of the Circus Smirkus Board of Directors for seven years, leading a recent capital campaign.
Each member of the family serves a role, helping the country’s only traveling youth circus reach its spectacular potential.
An introduction to Circus Smirkus
The Levys weren’t always a circus family. The big tops and high wires only became part of their lives in the last decade.
Eight years ago, the family hosted a trio of Circus Smirkus troupers at their Newton home, while the circus performed locally. The family saw an advertisement and stepped up to host, not realizing the extent of the Circus Smirkus operation.
“We didn’t know there was such a thing as circus camp,” Michele said.
While the teenage troupers stayed in Newton, they practiced their circus acts, flipping and using the diabolo in the backyard.
Chase was hooked.
“I think it goes back to the three kids that we homestayed,” Chase said, reflecting on what sparked his Circus Smirkus interest. “They were so friendly and such good role models for me.”
He went to Circus Smirkus camp for a number of years before breaking through and qualifying for the Big Top Tour a few years ago. His life has been largely consumed by training and improving on his performance skills since then.
He laughs retelling his routine following a previous summer’s tour. Upon the conclusion of the tour, Chase said he slept for 48 straight hours, rising only to eat. Once he regained his energy, he was back in the gym, training for a tour still 10 months away.
“It’s really addictive almost. You have a goal and you push, push, push until you get it,” he said. “Once you finally get that goal and you’re able to show it on stage, it’s so fun to see yourself progress over the years.”
The Circus Smirkus Big Top Tour
The tour’s selection process is strict, taking applications from prospective performers across the country. In the end, only 30 kids between the ages of 10 and 18 are selected to participate in the summer tour.
The tour spans two months, 16 stops, and two performances per day. It begins on June 29 and finishes on Aug. 19 at Circus Barn World HQ in Greensboro, Vermont.
As he sits at his kitchen table a month before the tour, Andrew rattles off each tour stop and date with ease. He has each stop mapped out, awaiting food deliveries along the journey to keep his kitchen stocked.
As head chef, you can often find Andrew in the “pie car,” a 20-foot-by-8-foot commercial kitchen on wheels.
“It looks like a food truck on steroids,” he said.
The four-person kitchen staff is responsible for providing meals for 30 hungry troupers and another 40 adult staff members and coaches. It’s a taxing job, but Andrew said he much prefers it to his prior work in restaurants and catering.
“Being in the pie car and looking out the windows and seeing the Green Mountains of Vermont or the ocean when we’re in Maine is great,” he said. “It’s a different venue and different food every day.”
This summer, Andrew will travel in style for the Big Top Tour as he’s renovated a 1973 Travel Trailer in need of a few cosmetic upgrades.
He looks out a side window at the trailer, resting unfinished in the driveway, pelted by rain during a May storm. The adult staff members typically stay in a bunked trailer, but not this year for Andrew.
“After four years on the road, I said, ‘I need my space,’” he said.
Michele will travel to shows along the tour, but said this is truly Chase and Andrew’s experience to share.
“It’s definitely their circus adventure this summer,” she said.
Michele said the entire Circus Smirkus operation, from summer camp to the Big Top Tour, has created a safe haven for kids to showcase their passion for the arts.
“The organization touches a lot of people. There’s a lot of kids involved in the camp that just love that it’s a place where they can be themselves. We need more of that,” she said.
As he prepares for the tour, Chase has set out a series of goals for himself. In the fall he’ll enter his senior year at The Cambridge School of Weston with high hopes for his circus career.
“I want to increase my skills and be able to put together an act or two to present to circus schools,” he said.
The Big Top Tour will make a stop in Waltham at Gore Place from July 27 to 29, and tickets and other tour dates can be found online at http://www.smirkus.org/.
In his third year on tour, Chase is excited about shifting into a leadership role and growing closer to his fellow Smirkos.
“Within the first week, you’re already in the family,” he said.