The Gamma Phi Circus will be holding circus arts camps for children six years and under this July.

The Circuslings day camp will be for children ages five and six and will consist of two, two-day sessions. The cost of each session is $40. The Circustots camp will be for three- and four-year-old children and will also have two, two-day camp sessions.

Day camps will consist of training in numerous circus arts such as balancing, juggling, acrobatics, and tightwire.

Although Gamma Phi Circus has already been offering regular circus camps for eighteen years, this is the first time day camps have been offered to children under the age of seven, according to Deb Wylie, Gamma Phi Circus program director.

“We often have participants coming back year after year, and that sometimes plays a role in people coming to ISU in order to continue pursuing circus arts,” Wylie said.

The Circuslings day camp will be for children ages five to six and will be held on July 2 and 3 and on July 5 and 6 from 10:00 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. The Circustots camp will be for three- and four-year-old children and will be held on the same dates as the Circuslings camps and will last from 9:00 a.m. to 9:50 a.m. Each two day session for Circuslings will be $40 and each two day session for Circustots will be $30.

The camps will take place at the Thomas Metcalf School and are facilitated by Kim Walker-Smith, junior Gamma Phi Circus director. The programs are self-funded through registration fees and are sponsored by the College of Applied Science at ISU.

Basic, advanced, and trapeze camps are still available in July for children seven and up. A trapeze camp will be on July 2 and 3 and on July 5 and 6. An advanced camp is available from July 9 to 20 and an additional basic camp will be from July 23 to 27. Trapeze camp will be $200, advanced camp will be $500 and basic camp will be $270. 

Along with training, there is also an opportunity for participants to perform their skills in the Horton  South Gym for their family and friends, according to Wylie.

To register for Circuslings, Circustots, or one of the regular basic or advanced camps for children over the age of seven, go to www.GammaPhiCircus.IllinoisState.edu or contact Tracey Sherman at Conferences Services at (309) 438-2160. Brochures and registration forms for Circuslings and Circustots day camps are available for download on the website.