St. Louis’ Circus Harmony, a social circus group that trains kids and teens in tumbling, acrobatics, juggling and the rest of the circus arts, now boasts four graduates touring with the elite international circus Cirque Du Soleil. The largest contemporary circus producer in the world, Cirque Du Soleil is known for its surreal and death-defying acts – which have been viewed by approximately 90 million people worldwide, according to their website.

Four young men from St. Louis – Sidney “Iking” Bateman, Melvin Diggs, Chauncey Kroner, and Tarrence “T-Roc” Robinson are now part of Soleil’s cast. The first three are all part of their touring show, Luzia, while Kroner is currently in rehearsal for a new (and as-yet secretive) holiday show called “‘Twas The Night Before.”

“It’s rare to find black circus performers,” Jessica Hentoff, director of Circus Harmony, noted. In the Luzia show, there are only four black people out of a large cast – but three of them came from St. Louis. Circus Harmony – and its elite group, the St. Louis Arches – is producing more and more performers who go on to be world-renowned circus artists…

Read the Full Article at The St. Louis American