Photograph by Robert Scheer
Amity Hartman (right) of Saratoga performs in Cirque San Jose's "Spaced Out."
By Mark Kregel
Sharon Allen and Amity Hartman have fulfilled their dreams of joining the circus, and they didn't have to run away to do it. Both Saratoga High School students perform acrobatics and gymnastics for Cirque San Jose, which opens a new production, Spaced Out '97, starting April 11.
"I like the attention," said Allen, 15, as her reason for performing. She finds time to practice for shows after school. She said she may be the world's tallest contortionist at 5 feet. Contortionists are normally much smaller, she said.
She does both contortionist routines and acrobatics.
"Most people ask, 'Why are you doing this if you're not getting paid?' " Allen said. "A lot of them don't understand."
She initially joined the circus after attending its acro-gymnastics summer camp in 1992.
In 1995, her friend Hartman, a gymnast, joined the troupe.
Hartman, who previously was with West Valley Gymnastics, does the Russian swing, a high-wire balancing act, and performs on the trapeze.
Performances run April 11 through May 3 at 7 p.m. at Cirque San Jose, 634 N. Eighth Street, San Jose. For tickets, call 292-4286.
This article appeared in the Saratoga News, April 9, 1997.
©1997 Metro Publishing, Inc. All rights reserved.