Castro Valley Brothers Join the Circus
Eleven-year-old Desmond Heintz juggles and clowns with Circus Smirkus this summer.
Brothers Milo (16) and Desmond Heintz (11) have run off with the circus this summer — and their mother is just fine with that.
“It was quite a process with the tryouts and everything, but they’re just blossoming there,” says their mom, TJ Heintz.
The Castro Valley brothers are traveling around New England with Circus Smirkus, a nonprofit arts and education program which recruits kids from all over the country to perform with its youth circus. It is based in Greensboro, Vermont, so the initial tryouts were done by video.
Last October, the boys submitted audition videos and were invited to in-person auditions in Vermont in January. Over 40 kids auditioned, and both boys were chosen. Milo performs aerial ropes and clowning, and Desmond (the youngest in the troupe) is a juggler.
How does someone get from Castro Valley to performing in a circus on the East Coast, one might ask?
It takes years of practice and perseverance.
Sixteen-year-old Milo Heintz
The Heintz family moved from Hayward to Castro Valley in 2014. When the boys were little, they took tumbling, music, and dance through Hayward Area Recreation Department and attended Castro Valley Co-op Nursery School.
When Milo was almost seven, he started taking classes at Kinetic Arts Center (KAC) in Oakland, where he fell in love with physical theater and aerial ropes, known as “corde lisse.” Starting at age nine, he joined KAC’s circus troupes, first Circus Gilly and then Circus Spire.
“Being five years younger, Desmond was always tagging along to Milo’s training and would take a class here and there,” says their mother. “But once he decided to learn to juggle, he did not look back. Desmond got really good at juggling and clowning during the pandemic. He also learned to ride a unicycle!”
When he turned nine, Desmond was accepted to KAC’s Circus Gilly. He has developed his own clowning videos and is constantly juggling.
“I can juggle up to seven balls,” says Desmond, “But my coach said, ‘Your six-ball qualify is performance-ready.’ “
Circus Smirkus is the only traveling tented youth circus in the U.S. Now in its 36th year; it performs 63 shows under traditional European-style circus tents. There are no animal acts. The show is designed for audiences of all ages and focuses on circus arts such as aerials, acrobatics, juggling, and clowning, all in colorful costumes.
The kids will be away for ten weeks total, including a three-week rehearsal. Actual performances started July 1 and will run through mid-August. The performers are supported by 80 people, including coaches, cooks, tech and tent crews, and a live band. The circus performs before approximately 40,000 patrons each summer.
Undeterred by recent east coast rain and flooding in Vermont, the boys are enjoying their circus experience.
“I love being a Smirko,” says Milo. “I’m learning so much about what it’s like to be on the road and travel around giving large audiences an amazing show. I have made so many friends from all over the U.S. that share my passion for circus. And I’m getting more skilled at performing and behind the scenes, like breaking down the tent, rigging, and how costuming, lighting, sound, and stage management works.”
Despite being the youngest, Desmond is also enjoying himself.
“I don’t feel like my age is a factor. I don’t feel like the youngest trouper, everybody retreats me like an equal, and I really like that,” says Desmond.
He adds, “When you’re traveling with Smirkus, it’s like you’re in a whole different world. But Smirkus is more than just making shows and performing them. It’s about the people you meet and the unique experience of traveling with a circus. When you’re performing in front of like 750 people, it feels like less people than it actually is. And it feels amazing! Also, the food is so good!”
For those of us who have never seen a Circus Smirkus performance, former Castro Valley resident Dee Ette Bruns has been to multiple performances in Kennebunkport, Maine. She’s never met the Heintz family but is very familiar with how popular the circus is and how high the standards are to be chosen to perform.
“It’s a huge deal,” Bruns says. “Only the best kids ever make it as performers. Honestly, if you’ve been to one of the performances, you’d understand how truly impressed I am that these boys have managed to compete with kids from all over the country and achieve a position with Circus Smirkus. It's absolutely no exaggeration that they have to be exceptional if they are performing there.”
Milo will enter his senior year at Bishop O'Dowd High School in the fall, and Desmond will start seventh grade at Wells Middle School. You may see Desmond juggling with the Castro Valley Jugglers at the Castro Valley BART station during the school year!
More information about Circus Smirkus can be seen at www.smirkus.org, and on the Circus Smirkus Facebook page.