Under the big top

I really tried to make a better video than I normally make. Let me know what y'all think:

The Circus Project from Casey Parks on Vimeo.

Nine months ago, Jenn Cohen dropped her dreams off at a bus stop in Yachats.

That followed a winter weekend that was supposed to be a benchmark for Cohen and the non-profit she runs, which teaches circus skills to homeless and at-risk youth. The Circus Project was low on money, but the students were becoming great performers. Cohen took them to the coast to write their first performance.

But two days into the retreat, Cohen discovered that three students had been doing drugs -- a violation of company rules.

"How could you do this?" Cohen asked, crying.

After a sleepless night, she delivered the news: I'm sending you back to Portland. When she dropped them off at the bus stop, the group was six months old. The three offenders had helped create the program and made up half the troupe.

How could she go forward without them?

Read the rest on the Oregonian's Web site