Alvaton Elementary School pupils put on a circus Tuesday in the schools gym. Fifth- and sixth-graders worked with Broadway the Clown for more than a month to put the show together through a Kentucky Arts Council grant. Photo by Clinton Lewis

Take about a dozen rainbow wigs, a chicken costume, some cowboy hats, polka-dot pants and balloon animals. Mix them with an audience of proud parents and youve got the Alvaton Elementary School Circus. The greatest show under the big top was held under the ceiling of the Alvaton gym Tuesday night. There were jugglers, clowns and magicians and they were all fifth- and sixth-graders. The circus was the culmination of a months worth of studying under Nick Wilkins, known to the kids as Broadway the Clown. Wilkins came to Alvaton as a part of a Kentucky Arts Council grant to teach the kids about clowning. He taught the history of clowns, traditional tricks and the three types of clown faces: white face, au gust and character. Au gust face has exaggerated features, a huge smile and big eyes. The character face has historically been the hobo or the tramp. Wilkins started his lessons with a message for the kids. We dont allow the word cant, he told them. He said self-esteem and a positive attitude are essential to any circus, especially when dealing with children. Tuesday night, the kids laughed their way through an 11/2 hour-long show that featured a balloon orchestra, classic clown gags, magic tricks and juggling. Wilkins said he has about an 85 percent success rate on teaching juggling. Some of them can get it in five minutes, he said. Some take five hours. John Taylor-Turley, 11, had never juggled before he met Broadway. After a week, he was juggling three balls. During the circus, he tossed the balls into the air skillfully, even as more than 100 of his schoolmates performed next to him. I practice every night for about 20 minutes, the fifth-grader said. Last weekend, John juggled at his 6-year-old brothers birthday party. He cant even juggle two (balls), John said. He wants me to teach him. As Wilkins proved at Alvaton, teaching children to clown can be a worthwhile profession. Music teacher Kathy Austin, who also prepared the kids for the circus, said much of the lessons emphasis was on the history, social studies and math involved in the circus. She also taught kids about their job options if they decided to become clowns. John was asked if he wants to join the circus and become a real clown when he grows up. I think I do, he said.