Meet 5C Circus Club founder: Jack Gomberg (POM '18)

By Taylor Haas ‘18
Design Editor

Jack Gomberg ‘18 (POM) just started a 5C Circus Club with the help of several other students. He has been involved in circus for most of his life and specializes in the gym wheel. He wanted to bring the art of circus to the Claremont Colleges and has many grand plans for the future of the 5C Circus Club.
How did you get started in circus?
I’ve been doing circus since I was 5 years old. I got started when I joined an after-school program called CircEsteem and then I moved up to their performance troupe.
What circus acts do you do? What’s your favorite?
I didn’t really know what I wanted to specialize in my first few years so I bounced around a lot — which helped me pick up a lot of different tricks. I do juggling, trampoline, partner acro, tumbling, chinese pole, silks, trapeze and cyr wheel. My favorite is the gym wheel, which is my specialty.
What is the coolest circus experience you have had?
Coolest circus experience was definitely working with Cirque du Soleil. I got to fly up to their headquarters in Montreal to work with/coach some performers and shadow some amazing behind-the-scenes action. It was absolutely insane.
Why did you want to start a 5C circus club?
I wanted to start 5Circus not only because circus is a huge part of my life, but also because circus is just a really awesome thing that unfortunately not a lot of people get the chance to try. Circus as an art form is currently gaining a lot of momentum, and a lot of the new and exciting ideas are coming from college circus clubs, so I thought I’d help bring that to the 5Cs.
How did you get the club started especially as a freshman?
The club was pretty tricky to get together, but I had more help than I could ever ask for. Some students on campus were already interested — Harrison Goodall ‘16 (POM) has been teaching silks in the village and helped a ton in setting up the club considering I wasn’t even on campus yet. I also had a ton of help from existing college circus clubs across the U.S. and also from official circus organizations like Circus Now and American Youth Circus Organization (AYCO).
What are some of the acts of the circus club members?
We’re a pretty new club so we haven’t had an official show yet but so far we have some people with experience coming in — Sara Arthur Paratley ‘18 (POM) with hula hoop — Harrison with partner acro and aerials — and a bunch of gymnasts  who can do really amazing stuff.
What plans do you have for the 5C circus club in the future? Any performances?
We’re hoping to have a performance before the end of the school year, and then after that maybe once a semester. We’re also hoping to get some new props to play around with and get some act creation going.
How can someone get involved? When and where do you meet? Do you need experience to join?
We meet every Sunday at Walker Beach from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m.. Absolutely no experience required. Come out and learn to juggle, stand on top of someone’s shoulders or do a cartwheel. Check out our Facebook page: www.facebook.com/5circus