Circus Harmony's New Board President Was a Former Flying Child

ST. LOUIS - June 13, 2023 - PRLog -- When Tiffarnish Lewis first started taking circus classes at Jefferson Elementary School in 1988, she just thought it was fun. Thirty-five years later, Tiffarnish is the newly-elected president of the Board of Directors of Circus Harmony, St. Louis' only social circus school. Social circus means using the teaching and performing of circus arts to motivate social change. Ms. Lewis is currently the Audit Coordinator for the Community Development Administration of the City of St. Louis. She has been serving on the Circus Harmony board of directors since 2016.

Tiffarnish was one of the first members of the St. Louis Arches, Circus Harmony's youth performance troupe. "So, this means so much to me!" she said. "Being in the Arches changed my life forever. And now, as an adult, I can serve a program that served me once upon a time. Thank you to Jessica and the rest of the board for believing in me to get the job done. Here's to the next two years!!!"

Circus Harmony works to teach the art of life through circus education and develop leadership skills in their students. Artistic/Executive Director, Jessica Hentoff, is excited to have one of her former students take this position. "Circus is like a family. So, it makes perfect sense for a child from our family to grow up and take a leadership role that will help the generations coming up behind them. Tiffarnish knows the power of what we do from personal experience and that makes her a great ambassador and advocate as well as board president!"

This year, Circus Harmony has started a Defy Gravity 101 program where they will be teaching circus and tumbling classes in seven different St. Louis City recreation centers. They will also be sending nine children to Germany to continue their Peace Through Pyramids partnership with Circus Circuli in the St. Louis sister city of Stuttgart. The first time Tiffarnish went out of town as one of the St. Louis Arches was to perform in Charleston, South Carolina at the Spoleto Festival. She remembers the trip as being one of the highlights of her childhood.

Jessica Hentoff founded the St. Louis Arches in 1988 and created the nonprofit organization Circus Harmony in 2001 to be able to expand circus arts offerings to more St. Louis youth. Together, this former flying child and visionary social circus artist look forward to continuing the life changing work of Circus Harmony as they help more children learn to defy gravity, soar with confidence, and leap over social barriers.

To learn more, visit www.circusharmony.org.