THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Tuesday, February 21, 1995 TAG: 9502210038
SECTION: DAILY BREAK PAGE: E3 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY RICKEY WRIGHT, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: Medium: 66 lines
HERE COME the elephants.
And there go the Kidz - the Chicago Kidz - all 10 members of the tumbling troupe, taking turns sailing over the pachyderms.
The tiniest goes first, with the leapers progressing in size and the animals increasing in number until 18-year-old Tim Shaw, the oldest and tallest acrobat, ultimately lands a flip over four elephants.
The act, which the Kidz brought to Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus in 1993, has been a learning experience from the start, when the group's core began practicing ``street tumbling'' in their low-income Chicago neighborhood. They'll bring it to Scope tonight, when the circus begins a six-day run in Norfolk.
Shaw remembers ``this boy named Dennis, he had took gymnastics training. We all looked up to him on the street. He was like our coach. He was telling us what kind of flips to do.''
After being discovered by the circus, the Kidz spent more than six months in training and development under the eyes of Russian instructors. They've advanced to a slickly packaged and costumed number that's a high point just before intermission.
``Clown of Clowns'' David Larible gets in on the act, too, adding another attraction and some laughs: You'll see an elephant fly before you ever catch Larible doing a proper twirl.
``When they see him, they know it's going to be good,'' Shaw said of the mischievous crowd-pleaser.
After a few years on the circuit, the Kidz aren't scared of their huge, four-footed colleagues.
``The first time, we were worried because they were moving a lot,'' said Richard Williams, 15, whose brother Robert, 14, is also in the outfit.
``We come from the streets, and there's a lot of partying,'' Shaw said of some of the bit's other elements. ``We go to a lot of parties, and we bring a lot of dances in from that.''
He said the group is the perfect size, noting: ``If we lose a person, we'll replace him, but that's it. The most we got up to was 12, but it kind of makes the act overcrowded. And the coach has to look out for more people.''
``I'm sure,'' Shaw said, laughing, ``ten is pretty hard to handle.''
Former acrobat Janos Novak, a native of Hungary, is the coach. He stresses to the Kidz both book learning and knowledge of their craft.
``These guys are so talented,'' he said. ``We just had to train them in the basics. They didn't know and couldn't do clearly a forward jump and other basics. They got their talent and their basic skills. We just change and polish and clean up.
``I believe all of them just love to be here, as long as, this way, they've got their education.''
Which is important to Shaw, who hopes to be a lawyer someday.
``The performing I see giving me a good start,'' he said. ``My main goal is staying with Ringling for as long as I can. I'm young; I have plenty of time ahead of me. I just wanna have a lot of fun.
``We feel so lucky to be picked out of so many kids.'' ILLUSTRATION: Photo
MOTOYA NAKAMURA/Staff
During a performance in Richmond, the Chicago Kidz flip over
elephants.
by CNB