Original and in Motion
Friday, June 27th, 2025
BACKSTAGE circa 9:30pm—The formidable semicircular silhouette of the Rainbow Stage is haloed by stage lights and a canopy of oak leaves. Campers preparing for their acts scurry around in the dark, gathering props and receiving pep talks from their respective skills teachers. A pair of counselors tend the night watch fire in preparation for impending bedtime. One restless camper has left the audience to stir the fire with a long stick and ponder the glowing coals.
Having seen most of the show, I have relocated myself backstage to gather quotations upon dismissal from the theater. The din of cheering and canned music is punctuated at intervals by the emcee stylings of Improv Instructor Mars Francis and Dance Instructor Karma Engel. The show finally comes to a close, signaled by the evoking of Wavy’s signature line, “Brush ‘em if you got ‘em!” All at once the campers pour out of the theater into the Tipi Circle. I steady my pen over my ledger of lunacy and brace for impact.
“The best part of Camp is dressing up in silly outfits,” says Ivory, 8, Green Tipi. “I like making adults laugh; they’re too serious. I think it’s because they always have to be taking care of things. I’m not excited to be an adult. I like being a kid and running around. My advice to the adults is you can act like a kid, but you’re still an adult. So remember that!”
“The banana act was funny,” says Marcus, 7, Lime Tipi.
“There’s something magical about Loo Loo,” says Counselor & Bodyguard Beau Slater, referring to the supervision post near the downtown bathrooms. “The mysterious aromas, the strange scenarios, and the best part: getting someone to cover for you while you use the bathroom. I like this shift because I get to witness all the crazy chit chat that kids have while brushing their teeth before bed. Then again, it’s not always that interesting. You could say Loo Loo is kind of a crap shoot—pun intended.”
“I loved the emcees!” says Juliet, 12, Red Tipi. “They were pretending to be French panda bears obsessed with peanut butter. Tonight I performed an original song entitled ‘No Clue’. It’s sort of happy and sad at the same time. This year was way better than last year; I didn’t get as homesick and the song circle had better songs. ‘Gates of Steel’ really gets me amped up.”
“The show was pretty good but way too loud for the last two applauses,” says Red, 8, Lime Tipi. “I was impressed by the juggling, especially the juggling rings. My main goal at Camp was to do stilts and I did that, so now my new goal is to get good at tight rope. But in general my main goal in life is to get a Nintendo Switch.”
“The second best act tonight was the dance,” says Jada, 9, Yellow Tipi. “They did a routine to ‘Now or Never’ by Kendrick Lamar. I don’t know how to describe it but it was pop-y and dramatic. It made me feel powerful.”
“The show tonight was sweet and sincere in typical Tornado fashion,” says Clowning Instructor Riley Soloner. “It was silly; it was beautiful; children sang from the heart. There were some acts that made you think, ‘What am I watching?’—acts that could only be conceived of by a child. My highlight was seeing our clowns do their routine. For three minutes and thirty-four seconds they ran in slow motion from one side of the stage to the other to the theme song from Chariots of Fire. It’s fun to watch clowns do something simple and ridiculous.”
“The Tornado of Talent represented what is true about this session,” continues Riley. “There’s just lots of tiny children being silly, original, and in motion.”
Stay hydrated,
—J. Payseno, Editor
