Jamie Coventry and Natasha Kaluza get an auditorium of elementary school students on their feet and active as the begin their performance Friday afternoon at the Henry J. Mello Center for the Performing Arts in Watsonville. The pair are clown school sweethearts who met at the San Francisco Circus Center in 2002 and were presented on Friday by Tandy Beal & Company. Each year, Tandy Beal & Company presents award-winning artists in music, circus and dance at the Mello Center as a field trip for neighborhood schools. Past artists have included Micha Scott Dances!, SoVoSo, Linda Tillery and Keith Terry. Prior to each show Tandy Beal & Company provides pre-concert materials and study guides to help teachers integrate arts learning into curriculum. Founded in 1974 and based in Zayante, Tandy Beal & Company, has a rich tradition, created original concerts in dance, theatre, circus, and music. The company has toured four continents including an Eastern European tour funded by the U.S. State Department and two Asian tours funded by Japan-US Friendship Commission. (Shmuel Thaler – Santa Cruz Sentinel)
Clown Jamie Coventry entertains students during a walk through the audience before Friday’s performance. Coventry and Natasha Kaluza presented their Coventry & Kaluza clown act on Frdiay. (Shmuel Thaler – Santa Cruz Sentinel)