Hentoff Receives Local and International Recognition

Insight client Jessica Hentoff is receiving two special honors in early 2009. The Arts & Education Council of St. Louis has named her Arts Innovator of the Year and the World Circus Federation has invited her to address the joint symposium of the World Circus Federation and the European Circus Association on the topic of Social Circus.

The term Social Circus refers to using circus arts as a way to motivate social change. Jessica Hentoff is one of the leading American proponents of this social art form. In her 20 years of being a social artist in St. Louis, Hentoff has used circus arts to inspire individual and connect communities.

The international symposium takes place during the annual Monte Carlo Circus Festival in Monaco which is the global circus community's most important event. The festival and World Circus Federation were created by the late Prince Rainier III of Monaco and are now under the patronage of his daughter Princess Stephanie. The Federation's goal is to preserve and promote circus arts and culture around the world. The Monte Carlo Circus Festival has been held annually since 1975. Hentoff's presentation is scheduled on Friday, January 16, 2009.

Hentoff is founder of Circus Day Foundation/ Circus Harmony-- St. Louis’ only circus school-- and of everydaycircus, the entertainment agency that books circus acts for regional events. Jessica Hentoff and her "flying" children, the St. Louis Arches youth circus troupe, are familiar to attendees of the circus at City Museum, Circus Flora and numerous St. Louis area festivals and events.

Circus Lady Hentoff's remarkable vision and use of circus arts to build character and community has brought about ground-breaking and bridge-building programs like Circus Salaam Shalom (with local Jewish and Muslim children) and Far East Meets Midwest (combining Asian and Midwestern arts and artists).

For the past two year, Hentoff's work has gone international with Peace through Pyramids, an inspirational collaboration between the St. Louis Arches and the Galilee Circus, a Jewish/Arab youth circus in northern Israel. A documentary film is being made about this remarkable Social Circus project. Click on http://www.circuskids.tv/ to view excerpts from the film. The concept of Peace through Pyramids is what has earned the Circus Lady the appellation of
St. Louis Arts Innovator and the invitation to address the combined World Circus Federation and European Circus Association in Monte Carlo.

Peace through Pyramids is the embodiment of Jessica the Circus Lady’s mission to help children "defy gravity, soar with confidence and leap over social barriers, all at the same time."

The Arts & Education Council's St. Louis Arts Innovator Award will be presented to Hentoff in St. Louis on January 26, 2009. The awards honor groups and individuals who help preserve a legacy of artistic excellence and enrich St. Louis' cultural community.

Gift Certificates Can Please Everyone This Season

Tired of standing in line at the mall and still not being able to please the hard-to-buy-for loved ones on your holiday shopping list?

This year, just a click can do the trick as three of the St. Louis area's most interesting non-profit organizations offer gifts that even the choosiest person will cherish.

The Greater St. Louis Book Fair is a beloved St. Louis tradition. Held for four days each spring in the massive parking garage at West County Center, the Fair is a highlight on the calendars of book lovers in St. Louis and across the Midwest.

For the first time, you can give the gift of Book Fair purchases. Just click on http://www.blogger.com/www.StLouisBookFair.org and give a gift certificate good for merchandise at the 2009 Fair, April 23 through 26. The festively decorated certificates come in denominations of $10 and $25. The Book Fair accepts payment via Mastercard, Visa, American Express and Discover or through your existing PayPal account.

In addition to hardbound and paperback books, Fair attendees will find collectible materials, rare and out-of-print items, music, movies, ephemera and hundreds of thousands of items spanning 150 categories for sale. Most items sell for between $1 and $5 each.

The Greater St. Louis Book Fair is the Midwest's largest and oldest charity book sale. Proceeds are used to promote education and literacy for underserved individuals in the St. Louis area.

For the theatre fans in your life, one of the most beloved stories in American literature comes to the St. Louis stage in January 2009 as Metro Theater Company presents To Kill a Mockingbird at the Edison Theatre at Washington University.

Curtain times for To Kill a Mockingbird are January 9, 10, 16 & 17 at 7:30 p.m. and January 10, 11, 17 & 18 at 2 p.m. On January 9, immediately following the opening night performance, Metro Theater Company and Edison Theatre will host a post-show reception for the cast and actress Mary Badham, who played Scout Finch in the Academy Award-winning 1962 film adaptation, widely considered one of the best movies of all time. Ms. Badham will also participate in Q&A sessions following both performances on Saturday, January 10.

Tickets to the show are $16 for adults; or $12 for children, students and seniors, while groups of 10 or more can purchase blocks of tickets at $8 each. Tickets to the opening night post-show reception are $35. Both are available through the Edison Theatre Box Office at (314) 935-6543; through all MetroTix outlets; and online at http://www.metrotix.com/.

Edison Theatre is located in the Mallinckrodt Student Center, 6445 Forsyth Blvd. For more information, call (314) 935-6543 or visit http://www.metrotheatercompany.org/ or http://www.edisontheatre.wustl.edu/.

Instead of watching a performance, why not give one? Another St. Louis organization can help your elves – both young and old – learn skills that will catapult them into the center ring.

Circus Harmony, formerly known as the Circus Day Foundation, is offering skills classes beginning on February 2, 2009 that will teach everything from trapeze artistry and wire walking to balancing, juggling, magic and tumbling.

Classes, which are taught by professional circus performers, take place in the ring and backstage areas at City Museum, 701 N. 15th Street in downtown St. Louis. Circus Harmony’s current students range in age from five to more than 80 years old.

Gift certificates for the sessions can fit into everyone’s stocking and there are enough different class choices for every night of Hanukah. To learn more, click on http://www.circusday.org/ or dial 314-436-7676.

The Associated Press Covers St. Louis' Own Circus Lady

Insight worked recently with Associated Press writer Betsy Taylor who produced a terrific feature on Jessica Hentoff, the executive director of Circus Harmony in mid-December.

The story details Jessica's passion for social circus, her upcoming award from the Arts & Education Council and her work to bring the Jewish/Muslim Galilee Circus to St. Louis to perform with the children of Circus Harmony.

Click here to see the story in USA Today.

Book Fair Dates Announced

Attention bibliophiles. We have the information you've been waiting to hear. The Greater St. Louis Book Fair has announced its 2009 dates.

The Midwest's largest charity book sale, which celebrates its 60th anniversary in 2009, will take place April 23 - 26.

Held in the parking structure at West County Center, the Fair offers book lovers access to hundreds of thousands of items including books (of course), movies, ephemera and much more.

For more information, visit the Greater St. Louis Book Fair's web site.