wow! whoops! whee! me?: impact in contemporary circus...by ruth juliet wikler boom arts / tohu /...
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WOW! WHOOPS! WHEE! ME?: IMPACT IN CONTEMPORARY CIRCUSBy Ruth Juliet Wikler
Boom Arts / TOHU / Montreal Completement Cirque Festival
T A T I A N A - M O S I O B O N G O N G A W A L K S M O N T M A R T R E , 2 0 1 8
WHAT KIND OF IMPACT IS POSSIBLE?
A. SPECTATORSHIP: A CATALYTIC EXPERIENCE
B. ASSEMBLY: AN AVENUE FOR CIVIC & COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT
C. PARTICIPATION: A TOOL FOR YOUTH EMPOWERMENT
A. SPECTATORSHIP: A CATALYTIC EXPERIENCE
CONTEMPORARY CIRCUS MODELS:
• BREAKING THE 4TH WALL• MASTERY, RISK, & FAILURE• LIVENESS & AUTHENTICITY• RIGOR, STRENGTH, & PHYSICAL
DISCIPLINE, ESPECIALLY AMONG YOUNG PERFORMERS
• COLLABORATION & INTERDEPENDENCE• SITE-SPECIFIC & IMMERSIVE• SOMATIC PRACTICE: “SNEAKY DANCE”
“Our proximity concept--in which toddlers and young audiences are very close to moving bodies, to artists’ breathing, to the vertiginous side of the circus, to the concentration in the look of the acrobat who is about to make a complex movement and the experience of practically being with him in his performance-- is an incomparable way for a rich experience of access to live art. Contemporary circus combines virtuosity and the artist-audience encounter with a human approach.” -- Sandy Bessette, La Marche du Crabe
This UK-based company, spotlighting at IPAYtomorrow and represented by Potluck Arts at Booth 15, develops new work through inclusive research processes with young people (and other populations) and weaves community engagement into their performance and touring practice. US opportunity: MAAF Touring Subsidy 2019 for “Bedtime Stories.”
This Australian company, showcasing at IPAY tomorrow at 8:45pm and represented by Boat Rocker Entertainment at Booth 1, originally emerged from the Cirkidz training program in Adelaide and is now making its third major work under multiple international commissions.
B. ASSEMBLY: AN AVENUE FOR COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT
EXAMPLES:• FOSTERING NEIGHBORHOOD COHESION:
MONTRÉAL COMPLÈTEMENT CIRQUE FESTIVAL’S “NEIGHBORHOOD PROGRAM”
• BRIDGING CULTURAL & LINGUISTIC DIFFERENCES: POTLUCK ARTS ’ CIRCUS SITES
• UPLIFTING CIVIC ENGAGEMENT: DOUBLE EDGE THEATRE’S OUTDOOR SPECTACLES
Circus Sites: a series of 3 presentations in communities around NW Arkansas in Fall 2016. The project aimed to integrate culturally & linguistically diverse audiences through contemporary circus. Pictured: Triciclo Rojo (Mexico).
Audience reach: The project served 2,2174 NW Arkansans over 3
projects, 46% of whom were native Spanish speakers
(percentage determined using online ticket
purchasing data).
Once a Blue Moon - Cada Luna AzulJamaica Plain, Boston, MA
The Ashfield Town Spectacle
Ashfield, MA
C. PARTICIPATION: A POWERFUL TOOL FOR YOUTH EMPOWERMENT
Prescott Circus
AYCO STUDY:THE IMPACT OF SOCIAL CIRCUS
ON YOUTH AT RISK
JANUARY 2018
Vimeo Link
(3:05-4:05)
Participants: Circus Harmony, St Louis, MO; Circus Smirkus Ringmaster Residencies, Greensboro, VT; Fern Street Circus, San Diego, CA; My Nose
Turns Red, Cincinnati, OH; Prescott Circus Theatre, Oakland, CA; School of Acrobatics and New Circus Arts Social Circus Program, Seattle,
WA; Trenton Circus Squad, Trenton, NJ; Wise Fool New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM
Circus Up, Jamaica Plain, MA
Mission: Circus Up uses circus arts to overcome social
barriers and build community with people of all ages,
backgrounds, and abilities.
Vision: A world where inclusion is the model, access is the
norm, and play, creativity, and diversity are
celebrated.
BENEFITS OF CIRCUS ARTS• Health & Fitness: Circus arts training bolsters overall health by offering fun opportunities for cardiovascular
exercise and strength training while also promoting good nutrition and a healthy body image.
• Creativity: Adults and youth learn to engage each other through new verbal and physical vocabulary,
leading to innovative ways of thinking and understanding their surroundings.
• Motivation & Competency: Goals allow students to experience the thrill of success through increasingly
difficult challenges.
• Focus & Concentration: The fun of learning circus arts inspires adults and youth to develop and practice
routines, building new skills and transforming tasks into challenges.
• Communication: The collaborative nature of circus arts demands and fosters strong communication skills,
which are essential to performance and safety.
• Teamwork: Circus arts create an encouraging environment where everyone's success contributes to and is
necessary to the group.
The Circus Project, Portland, OR
Mission: To use circus arts as a catalyst for
personal and collective transformation.
Founding Credo:
We believe circus arts has the potential to:
• Open ourselves and each other to
perspectives that elevate the human
condition; and
foster an appreciation of mystery, ambiguity,
and difference.
• Create bridges between mind and body,
feeling and expression, self and other.
• Transmute suffering into beauty, distill
meaning from chaos, and forge community
from isolation.
• Empower us to become the creative
directors of our own lives and author our stories
with creativity, resilience, and grace.
Founding Principles
• Art creates change.
• Everyone has the capacity to become an
artist.
• Diversity stimulates creativity.
• Failure is an opportunity for innovation.
• We’re all in this together.
SOCIAL CIRCUS AROUND THE WORLD
Caravan, the European network for social circus
Sirkus Magenta, Finland
Afghan Mobile Mini Circus for Children
Phare Circus, Cambodia
Sirkhane, Turkey
Circolombia
Circus Zambia
Palestinian Circus School
Zip Zap Circus, Cape Town
….And many more
HUMANITARIAN CIRCUS: CLOWNS WITHOUT BORDERS
Mission Statement:Clowns Without Borders (CWB-USA) offers joy and laughter to relieve the suffering of all persons, especially children, who live in
areas of crisis including refugee camps, conflict zones and territories in situations of emergency.
In 2018, CWB organized:11 tours. 202 Performances for displaced/marginalized people. 30 Workshops for humanitarian aid workers and circus artists.
47,249 people served (audience and workshop participants). Budget $128,000.
CWB sends small teams of professional circus artist to perform for displaced people. CWB always partners with local organizations - and whenever possible, local artists -- to make sure that the performances are wanted and appropriate.
"Before the clowns came, the children were playing war. Now they play clown.“ - Partner Organization, Greece
"The clowns are the first white people who haven't tried to teach me anything. We got to laugh at them and we needed that."- Local Partner, Haiti
“In places where all other resources are scarce, laughter can be abundant. Circus offers our audience a chance to witness extraordinary acts and experience awe. Most importantly, it is an opportunity to gather. The audience laughs, cries, worries, and
experiences frustration right along with the clowns. Our shows ignite curiosity. Kids wonder, "How did they do that," and then they try. Sometimes when we arrive, no one is playing with each other. Whenever we leave, people are.”
– Naomi Shafer, Clowns Without Borders
YOUTH CIRCUS TRAINING: AUSTRALIACIRKIDZ & SA CIRCUS CENTRE, Adelaide:
Teaching 560 children ages 2.5-18 y/o each week onsite+ Engaging up to 8 underserved regional communities/year through mobile teaching units
“Youth circus training is not only about creating circus artists. It’s about creating awesome humans– who are resilient & healthy using circus as a tool to achieve that.”Craig Harrison, Board President
“Circus is that magical space where brave travellers can dream and embody new stories for themselves and their communities around them. It is a space that inspires and disciplines people into realities that they, not only thought were impossible, but into realities that they didn’t even know existed.”Joshua Hoare, Artistic Director
NATIONAL FACTS: • Every capital city in Australia has at least one
youth circus training centre for extracurricular training, plus one circus integrated high school (Flying Fruit Flies)
• Circus/physical theatre is the fastest-growing genre in Australia in participation & audience
• 16 outcomes recently articulated in U of South Australia study of the impact of circus training on learning outcomes for children
• “Youth Circus in Australia: A Manifesto for the Development of Australian Youth Circus Sector 2014-2020” commissioned by circus sector professional association ACAPTA (now CAPT, part of Theatre Network Australia)
YouTube Link (:33-1:10)