PORTSMOUTH — While not quite the Big Top, the Cirque D’Art Theatre in Portsmouth provided Lawrence County talented and gifted students the venue to test out their circus performer aptitude as they tumbled, climbed and hung upside down last week.

The event, part of the annual TAG Camp, gave students from Ironton, South Point, Chesapeake, Fairland, Rock Hill and Symmes Valley school districts the chance to stimulate their minds outside the classroom, Terry Montgomery, Chesapeake Middle School TAG teacher said.

“It’s a two-day camp and we try to give the kids a variety of experiences,” Montgomery said.

Cameron King, Chesapeake student, said he has been to TAG Camp in the past, but this is the first time he has done something like this.

“It’s exciting,” King said. “Hanging upside down, seeing everyone from a different place is fun. This is probably the most different thing we’ve done at TAG Camp.”

King said while he enjoyed the experience, he was not planning on becoming a circus performer when he grows up.

Montgomery said social events like this embody part of what TAG Camp is about. She said it is rare for TAG students to interact with their peers in other schools, and events like these help give them the chance to do so.