{"id":29299,"date":"2026-09-10T12:14:36","date_gmt":"2026-09-10T16:14:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.clarku.edu\/news\/?post_type=story&#038;p=29299"},"modified":"2026-09-10T12:14:37","modified_gmt":"2026-09-10T16:14:37","slug":"clark-student-practices-circus-arts","status":"publish","type":"story","link":"https:\/\/www.clarku.edu\/news\/2026\/09\/10\/clark-student-practices-circus-arts\/","title":{"rendered":"Clark student practices circus arts"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-ashton-lapenn-29-specializes-in-trapeze-juggling-and-stilts\">Ashton LaPenn \u201929 specializes in trapeze, juggling, and stilts<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Ashton LaPenn \u201929 on his Passion for Circus\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/qRZm-7tuRX4?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"><em>Ashton LaPenn &#8217;29 shows off circus arts skills during an interview recorded during his first year at Clark.<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image alignright size-large is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"683\" height=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/www.clarku.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/37\/Ashton-Murphy-LaPenn_20_APR_2026-5-683x1024.avif\" alt=\"student practicing trapeze\" class=\"wp-image-29303\" style=\"aspect-ratio:0.6669991980126362;width:298px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.clarku.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/37\/Ashton-Murphy-LaPenn_20_APR_2026-5-683x1024.avif 683w, https:\/\/www.clarku.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/37\/Ashton-Murphy-LaPenn_20_APR_2026-5-200x300.avif 200w, https:\/\/www.clarku.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/37\/Ashton-Murphy-LaPenn_20_APR_2026-5-768x1152.avif 768w, https:\/\/www.clarku.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/37\/Ashton-Murphy-LaPenn_20_APR_2026-5-1024x1536.avif 1024w, https:\/\/www.clarku.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/37\/Ashton-Murphy-LaPenn_20_APR_2026-5-1200x1800.avif 1200w, https:\/\/www.clarku.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/37\/Ashton-Murphy-LaPenn_20_APR_2026-5.avif 1246w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 683px) 100vw, 683px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Ashton LaPenn &#8217;29<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>From juggling to spinning on a trapeze, Ashton LaPenn \u201929 makes gravity look like an afterthought.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>LaPenn, a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.clarku.edu\/psychology\/psychology-ba\/\">psychology<\/a> major with a concentration in the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.clarku.edu\/programs\/concentration\/environmental-humanities\/\">environmental humanities<\/a>, has been practicing circus arts for about 12 years. He has performed with a circus troupe in Easthampton, Massachusetts, for about 6 years, and is currently practicing circus out of a studio in Lowell, Massachusetts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cIt&#8217;s interesting and fun, and I like that it sets me apart,\u201d LaPenn says of circus arts. \u201cI&#8217;ve worked really hard on circus, so getting the opportunity to show other people [my skills] and feel how impressed they are is nice.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In the video above, recorded during his first year at Clark, LaPenn shows off his skills. In the Q&amp;A below, LaPenn shares more about his passion.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-what-was-your-introduction-to-circus-performance\">What was your introduction to circus performance?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>I did gymnastics as a kid, but only a little bit. I did a camp once or twice, and I found circus because of camp classes that my mom put me into. It was something to do over the summer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-what-are-your-performance-specialties\">What are your performance specialties?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>I&#8217;ve done a lot of work on a bunch of different apparatuses. My main one is definitely dance trapeze, which is a trapeze rigged on a single point. I&#8217;ve also done static trapeze. My three specialties are trapeze, juggling, and stilts, but I&#8217;ve also tried most everything else.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-how-has-adjusting-to-college-life-impacted-your-practice\">How has adjusting to college life impacted your practice?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>I didn&#8217;t take any circus classes for my first semester. I was really worried about making time to meet people and staying on top of my classes. In the six months that I wasn&#8217;t doing circus, I realized how much I hated not doing it. I&#8217;d like to [continue to] keep it up, and I&#8217;d like to find opportunities to perform.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-is-there-a-link-between-psychology-and-circus\">Is there a link between psychology and circus?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>I am really interested in developmental psychology, and I&#8217;ve done a lot of work in circus teaching younger students, ages 2 to 18. The biggest link is that you learn a lot when you&#8217;re working with kids, especially in a setting like circus. You see a lot of interesting things about how kids react to new situations, which is something that I would be interested in studying.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-how-will-you-incorporate-the-environmental-humanities-into-your-psychology-major\">How will you incorporate the environmental humanities into your psychology major?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>I think that if I were to combine them into one research topic, idea, or theoretical capstone, it would be studying climate anxiety in adolescents. I think that&#8217;s really interesting.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-columns alignwide is-layout-flex wp-container-core-columns-is-layout-28f84493 wp-block-columns-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"682\" src=\"https:\/\/www.clarku.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/37\/Ashton-Murphy-LaPenn_20_APR_2026-41-1024x682.avif\" alt=\"student juggling in green and black outfit\" class=\"wp-image-29301\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.clarku.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/37\/Ashton-Murphy-LaPenn_20_APR_2026-41-1024x682.avif 1024w, https:\/\/www.clarku.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/37\/Ashton-Murphy-LaPenn_20_APR_2026-41-300x200.avif 300w, https:\/\/www.clarku.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/37\/Ashton-Murphy-LaPenn_20_APR_2026-41-768x512.avif 768w, https:\/\/www.clarku.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/37\/Ashton-Murphy-LaPenn_20_APR_2026-41-1200x800.avif 1200w, https:\/\/www.clarku.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/37\/Ashton-Murphy-LaPenn_20_APR_2026-41.avif 1502w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Ashton LaPenn &#8217;29<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" src=\"https:\/\/www.clarku.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/37\/Ashton-Murphy-LaPenn_20_APR_2026-36-1024x683.avif\" alt=\"student smiling with clown face paint in green and black\" class=\"wp-image-29300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.clarku.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/37\/Ashton-Murphy-LaPenn_20_APR_2026-36-1024x683.avif 1024w, https:\/\/www.clarku.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/37\/Ashton-Murphy-LaPenn_20_APR_2026-36-300x200.avif 300w, https:\/\/www.clarku.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/37\/Ashton-Murphy-LaPenn_20_APR_2026-36-768x512.avif 768w, https:\/\/www.clarku.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/37\/Ashton-Murphy-LaPenn_20_APR_2026-36-1536x1024.avif 1536w, https:\/\/www.clarku.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/37\/Ashton-Murphy-LaPenn_20_APR_2026-36-1200x800.avif 1200w, https:\/\/www.clarku.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/37\/Ashton-Murphy-LaPenn_20_APR_2026-36.avif 1840w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Ashton LaPenn &#8217;29<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>LaPenn, a psychology major with a concentration in the environmental humanities, has been practicing circus arts for about 12 years. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":29302,"template":"","meta":{"story_color":"var(--clarku-color-green)","story_headerImg":29302,"section_label":"","footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[225,223],"displayed_author":[498],"featured":[493],"topic":[250,119,121,184],"class_list":["post-29299","story","type-story","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-arts-humanities","category-clark-community","displayed_author-clark-news-staff","featured-primary","topic-arts","topic-student-life","topic-undergraduate-students","topic-visual-and-performing-arts"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v28.1 (Yoast SEO v28.4) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Clark student practices circus arts | ClarkU News<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.clarku.edu\/news\/2026\/09\/10\/clark-student-practices-circus-arts\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Clark student practices circus arts\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"LaPenn, a psychology major with a concentration in the environmental humanities, has been practicing circus arts for about 12 years.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.clarku.edu\/news\/2026\/09\/10\/clark-student-practices-circus-arts\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"ClarkU News\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-09-10T16:14:37+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.clarku.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/37\/Ashton-Murphy-LaPenn_20_APR_2026-12.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1738\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"1158\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.clarku.edu\\\/news\\\/2026\\\/09\\\/10\\\/clark-student-practices-circus-arts\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.clarku.edu\\\/news\\\/2026\\\/09\\\/10\\\/clark-student-practices-circus-arts\\\/\",\"name\":\"Clark student practices circus arts | ClarkU News\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.clarku.edu\\\/news\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.clarku.edu\\\/news\\\/2026\\\/09\\\/10\\\/clark-student-practices-circus-arts\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.clarku.edu\\\/news\\\/2026\\\/09\\\/10\\\/clark-student-practices-circus-arts\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.clarku.edu\\\/news\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/37\\\/Ashton-Murphy-LaPenn_20_APR_2026-12.avif\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-09-10T16:14:36+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-09-10T16:14:37+00:00\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.clarku.edu\\\/news\\\/2026\\\/09\\\/10\\\/clark-student-practices-circus-arts\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.clarku.edu\\\/news\\\/2026\\\/09\\\/10\\\/clark-student-practices-circus-arts\\\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.clarku.edu\\\/news\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/37\\\/Ashton-Murphy-LaPenn_20_APR_2026-12.avif\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.clarku.edu\\\/news\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/sites\\\/37\\\/Ashton-Murphy-LaPenn_20_APR_2026-12.avif\",\"width\":1738,\"height\":1158,\"caption\":\"Ashton LaPenn '29\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.clarku.edu\\\/news\\\/wp-json\\\/wp\\\/v2\\\/story\\\/29299#breadcrumbs\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":0,\"name\":\"ClarkU\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.clarku.edu\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"ClarkU News\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.clarku.edu\\\/news\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Stories\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.clarku.edu\\\/news\\\/wp-json\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":3,\"name\":\"Stories\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.clarku.edu\\\/news\\\/wp-json\\\/wp\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":4,\"name\":\"Stories\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.clarku.edu\\\/news\\\/wp-json\\\/wp\\\/v2\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":5,\"name\":\"Stories\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.clarku.edu\\\/news\\\/wp-json\\\/wp\\\/v2\\\/story\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":6,\"name\":\"Stories\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.clarku.edu\\\/news\\\/wp-json\\\/wp\\\/v2\\\/story\\\/29299\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.clarku.edu\\\/news\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.clarku.edu\\\/news\\\/\",\"name\":\"ClarkU News\",\"description\":\"\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.clarku.edu\\\/news\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Clark student practices circus arts | ClarkU News","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.clarku.edu\/news\/2026\/09\/10\/clark-student-practices-circus-arts\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Clark student practices circus arts","og_description":"LaPenn, a psychology major with a concentration in the environmental humanities, has been practicing circus arts for about 12 years.","og_url":"https:\/\/www.clarku.edu\/news\/2026\/09\/10\/clark-student-practices-circus-arts\/","og_site_name":"ClarkU News","article_modified_time":"2026-09-10T16:14:37+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1738,"height":1158,"url":"https:\/\/www.clarku.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/37\/Ashton-Murphy-LaPenn_20_APR_2026-12.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Est. reading time":"3 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.clarku.edu\/news\/2026\/09\/10\/clark-student-practices-circus-arts\/","url":"https:\/\/www.clarku.edu\/news\/2026\/09\/10\/clark-student-practices-circus-arts\/","name":"Clark student practices circus arts | ClarkU News","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.clarku.edu\/news\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.clarku.edu\/news\/2026\/09\/10\/clark-student-practices-circus-arts\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.clarku.edu\/news\/2026\/09\/10\/clark-student-practices-circus-arts\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.clarku.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/37\/Ashton-Murphy-LaPenn_20_APR_2026-12.avif","datePublished":"2026-09-10T16:14:36+00:00","dateModified":"2026-09-10T16:14:37+00:00","inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.clarku.edu\/news\/2026\/09\/10\/clark-student-practices-circus-arts\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.clarku.edu\/news\/2026\/09\/10\/clark-student-practices-circus-arts\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/www.clarku.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/37\/Ashton-Murphy-LaPenn_20_APR_2026-12.avif","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.clarku.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/37\/Ashton-Murphy-LaPenn_20_APR_2026-12.avif","width":1738,"height":1158,"caption":"Ashton LaPenn '29"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.clarku.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/story\/29299#breadcrumbs","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":0,"name":"ClarkU","item":"https:\/\/www.clarku.edu\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"ClarkU News","item":"https:\/\/www.clarku.edu\/news"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Stories","item":"https:\/\/www.clarku.edu\/news\/wp-json"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"Stories","item":"https:\/\/www.clarku.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":4,"name":"Stories","item":"https:\/\/www.clarku.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":5,"name":"Stories","item":"https:\/\/www.clarku.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/story"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":6,"name":"Stories","item":"https:\/\/www.clarku.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/story\/29299"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.clarku.edu\/news\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.clarku.edu\/news\/","name":"ClarkU News","description":"","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.clarku.edu\/news\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"}]}},"fimg_url":"https:\/\/www.clarku.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/37\/Ashton-Murphy-LaPenn_20_APR_2026-12-1024x682.avif","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.clarku.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/story\/29299","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.clarku.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/story"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.clarku.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/story"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/www.clarku.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/story\/29299\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":29523,"href":"https:\/\/www.clarku.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/story\/29299\/revisions\/29523"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.clarku.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/29302"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.clarku.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=29299"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.clarku.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=29299"},{"taxonomy":"displayed_author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.clarku.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/displayed_author?post=29299"},{"taxonomy":"featured","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.clarku.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/featured?post=29299"},{"taxonomy":"topic","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.clarku.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/topic?post=29299"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}