A girl gracefully twirls through the air, suspended only by her firm hold on two red strips of silk fabric that hang from the ceiling.
As she gracefully floated higher into the air, sounds of "Oh, wow" and "Look at her, Mommy" filled the air.
Jazmin Ment, 15, was performing acrobatics during an aerial silks act at the Riverspace Arts Center yesterday, where about 10 teenagers engaged in balancing acts, trapeze arts, juggling, jokes, tricks and more - all part of a show put on by the Amazing Grace Youth Circus.
"I loved it when the girl went up the curtains," said Georgie Johnson, 9, one of more than 650 people in a sold-out audience. "It looked really enchanting."
Carlo Pellegrini, a youth counselor at Grace Episcopal Church in Nyack, helped start the nonprofit youth circus in 2002 to bring hope to a community downtrodden by the events of Sept. 11, 2001.
He said people are often inspired to see kids doing all sorts of tricks in an atmosphere where they are not typically seen.
Yesterday, the audience laughed, cheered and egged the performers on as they juggled using their mouths, rode on unicycles and just plain clowned around.
Even when the occasional juggling pin hit the ground or an actor lost his balance for a moment, the audience hardly noticed.
"I think it's a masterful production," said Frank Felberbaum, 70, one of more than 650 people in a sold-out audience. "There's a nice feel to the whole thing - and I'm not a circus fan. Now I am."
