Flyin’ Bob is heading to Nunavut next week to perform and host a circus camp for children during Cambridge Bay’s Omingmak Frolics.
Circus performer and instructor Bob Palmer, 57, of Sylvan Lake, said it will be his farthest trip north to date.
“When I go there it will be -22C. It’s way up on Victoria Island inside the Arctic Circle,” Palmer said on Thursday.
He will arrive on Tuesday and work with children, age eight and older, until Friday. The children will show off their new skills at their Sunday performance.
“They’re going to learn all the basics. They are going to learn how to walk on stilts, learn how to juggle scarves and balls. Get a basic walk across a tight wire.”
But Palmer said they will learn more than acrobatic skills and how to perform in front of an audience.
“Circus skills are not easy, but they’re really fun. So the kids really have to learn perseverance, stick-to-it-ness. It’s really about confidence, self-esteem building and persistence, and working hard to achieve a goal.
“They think they’re having fun and learning circus skills, but what they’re really learning are life skills.”
Frolics organizers also hired Flyin’ Bob to perform during the festival.
Palmer, who has been hosting training camps for children for over 20 years, said he expects to train between 40 and 50 children in Cambridge Bay.
He spends about 15 weeks a year hosting Flyin’ Bob Circus Camps and recently taught 100 children in Saskatoon.
Palmer is also the artistic curator for Red Deer Centrefest.
szielinski@www.reddeeradvocate.com