Articles

Occupational Therapy and Circus
Social Circus in Guatemala
Feel good community circus stories

Occupational therapy and circus: (Australia - State of Victoria)

Potential partners in enhancing the health and well-being of today's youth

By Jill Maglio and Carol McKinstry, 2007

Introduction

This paper describes and discusses the benefits of a project involving a community circus program developed for Victorian schools to assist in addressing students' needs for life skills acquisition. A program logic model framework (CAOT, 1999), together with an occupational perspective, was used to develop an evaluation tool for Westside Circus' 'Circus in Schools' program. The project was unique in that it introduced an occupational perspective to the evaluation of this innovative educational program. Although the project's focus was primarily on program evaluation, it also demonstrated a connection between the core beliefs of community circus, education, occupational therapy, and health promotion.

The occupational therapy profession can play a key role in education reform, which includes working in partnership with community organisations to develop innovative programs that meet the needs of young people. Educational and allied health professionals agree that effective teaching strategies which seek to promote over- all health and well-being need to be implemented in schools to provide students with skills that will enable them to be healthy and positive contributors to society (Struthers, 2005). With an understanding of the dynamic interdependence of the person, occupation, and environment (CAOT, 1999), occupational therapists are equipped with skills that enable them to advise on educational program development, implementation and evaluation.

Research conducted by the Victorian Curriculum and Assessment Authority (VCAA) led to the establishment of a framework, the 'Victorian Essential Learning Standards' (VELS) that aims to promote holistic education for young people (VCAA, 2005). The success of this educational reform requires a collaboration of disciplines to meet the complex needs of young people. Occupational therapists' knowledge of program development, service delivery and evaluation can enable them to work in collaboration with community organisations, providing varied and innovative input into educational programs.

Background

Westside Circus is a not-for-profit community circus organisation that works in partnership with the community to provide a variety of programs, workshops, and performance opportunities for young people throughout Victoria. 'Community Circus', also known as 'Recreational Circus', 'Social Circus', or 'New Circus' (Bolton, 1999), focuses on teaching, empowering, and communicating using circus as a medium, featuring physical activities and no animals. Community circus provides an environment of personal artistic expression and group solidarity, creating opportunities for young people to forge new ties with society.

Westside Circus recently implemented the 'Circus in Schools' program across a range of Victorian primary and secondary schools. The program included a variety of games and circus disciplines with physical and coordination components that were pursued individually, in pairs, and within larger groups. The two-hour weekly program occurred during a school term at either the school or the Westside Circus training space. The program aimed to use circus as a constructive model to build resilience, develop life-long learning, and encourage excellence in students incorporating the VELS.

National and international research completed by the VCAA (2005) led to the development of the VELS, promoting life-long learning through curriculum design. The new approach closely links traditional subject areas to life skills such as the development of physical, personal and social skills, and the ability to apply knowledge in workplace situations and future learning (VCAA). Life skills contribute to the successful independent functioning of an individual and are needed for the transition into adulthood. A review of the literature by Cronin (1996) reported that many students do not learn life skills by themselves and require increased life skills content throughout their school careers. 'Personal and Social Skills' and 'Interdisciplinary Skills' are new focus areas that schools are encouraged to include in their curriculum to address students' need for life skills acquisition. Under this framework schools are given the autonomy to determine the most appropriate way for students to acquire knowledge and skills in these areas (VCAA). The 'Circus in Schools' program has strategies that provide multiple ways in which schools can meet the VEL standards and promotes the learning of life skills.

To assist schools implementing the VELS and increasing health promotion, an opportunity exists for occupational therapists to adopt a consultancy approach, marketing their services to schools rather than working only with individual students. Occupational therapists can assist in Victoria's educational transition to a more holistic view of students and the skills they require. Occupational therapy skills and strategies can promote school and student success in accordance with the Ottawa Charter's strategies for health promotion (World Health Organization, 1986) and VELS; occupational therapists can assist schools in the following ways:

Collaborating as part of a multidisciplinary team at all levels of the education system from policy-makers to specific program delivery and evaluation (World Health Organization, 1986).
Understanding the importance of occupational balance to overall well-being, and specifically related to learning as the main productive role of youth.
Assessing personal components involved in occupational performance within social, cultural, institutional, and physical environments (CAOT, 2002).
Involvement in school management and governing bodies, working in partnership with community organisations, parents, and as advocates (Struthers, 2005).
Assisting school systems in the transition process of implementing programs like the 'Circus in Schools' program, that meet the VELS.
Assessing learning environments, assisting teachers in identifying essential program components for the population, and suggesting programs to address local and social issues present that will fit with individual or group needs.

Traditionally, occupational therapists have intervened to assist individuals to meet their needs within the school context (Case-Smith, 2005). Although there is still a place for the profession to intervene directly with individuals, an opportunity now exists for occupational therapists to intervene within school systems and the wider community (Struthers, 2005) to address the VELS.

Presently, teachers and school administrators are expected to modify practices to work with students holistically, as well as develop community partnerships to meet the VELS requirements. Occupational therapists can assist in program development, enabling essential learning for students and also in evaluating these program components and student acquisition of life skills.

Although there is a lack of literature relating to circus programs, particularly in Australia, Bolton (1999) highlighted the use of recreational circus by humanitarian and peace-making groups as well as by schools and the increasing number of new circus companies emerging throughout the world. In addition, many organisations are providing circus training for various populations of people in need of social justice and support. For example, Cirque du Soleil has formed a program dedicated to allying with youth at risk (Cirque du Soleil, 2007). The Women's Circus in Victoria prioritises working with survivors of physical and sexual abuse as well as women aged over 50 years (Andrea Ousley, personal communication, 22 February 2007). The Westside Circus outreach program also provides circus training experiences to people with emotional and mental health issues, intellectual and physical disability, as well as to mainstream society. Further research and published literature are needed to promote the effectiveness of circus programs to the overall health and well-being of individuals (Bolton).

With continued development and evaluation of community circus programs, it is proposed that evidence of the effectiveness of circus as a suitable occupational therapy intervention will aid the profession to develop future partnerships with schools, and community circus organisations. Given that this project's evaluation was completed from an occupational perspective, the occupational elements are also clearly evident.

Project methods

The overall aim of the project was to conduct a process evaluation using a program logic model framework (CAOT, 1999), in addition to developing an evaluation tool that could assess outcomes of future programs against VELS criteria.

Phase 1: Information gathering

To identify the connections between the circus program and VELS standards relating to the development of students' life skills throughout their education, VELS documents were analysed and circus trainers were interviewed. Program sessions were also observed and school action plans were reviewed to identify program aims, objectives, components, strategies and proposed outcomes. This was also necessary to identify the connections between the circus program aims and what the VCAA believe are important life skills for youth to obtain throughout their education.

Phase 2: Process evaluation

The information gathered in phase 1 was plotted into a program logic model in order to make evident the relationship between overall program objectives and specific program practices, demonstrating the 'Circus in Schools' program's ability to implement relevant strategies as intended. In this phase, the following components of the circus program strategies were identified in each session:

Warm-up games - opportunities for team work, collaboration, verbal and non-verbal communication, increased challenges, and a mix of attainable and challenging tasks.
Acrobatics - core, upper and lower limb strength and flexibility, body awareness, trust, positive risk-taking, giving and receiving physical support.
Acrobalance - team work, body awareness, problem-solving, trust, safe and positive physical interaction, gender stereotypes around strength challenged, and a mix of achievable and challenging tasks promoting self-efficacy.
Manipulation (juggling, hula hooping) - grading of tasks to increase challenge. Opportunities to improve coordination, gross, and fine motor skills. Promotion of rapid thinking, reaction, persistence and practice. Opportunities for peer education, creativity, and improvisation of combining skills learned.
Balance-based activities - promotes reduced fear of heights and physical limits. Peer-to-peer support and trust of self and others. Taking responsibility for safety of self and others is integrated. Awareness of self in relation to others and the physical environment is continually addressed.
Performance - promotes creativity, collaboration, breaking down of inhibitions, exploration of theatrical themes, giving and receiving social support, experience of taking on different roles, development of different characters, brainstorming, problem-solving, and various forms of communication.

These activities assist individual students and groups to improve occupational capabilities in a range of physical, cognitive and affective areas. The variety of activities enables the intervention to be more effective in meeting the diverse needs within the population.

Phase 3: Outcome evaluation

The completed program logic model enabled a data collection tool to be developed that assessed the program from the perspective of the trainers, participants, and school representatives. The evaluation tool consists of a before and after design with the intervention being two circus activities that incorporate a wide range of the program's strategies. Each program strategy is linked to a different VELS component; therefore, demonstrating the programs ability to address and meet the VELS.

In addition to the development of this tool, observations made by the project manager, school representatives, and journal entries from the participants resulted in subjective data which also supported the 'Circus in Schools' program's overall aim of satisfying VELS criteria.

Project findings

The project found that the 'Circus in Schools' program objectives and values are congruent with principles that underpin VELS education reform initiatives and occupational therapy practice. The implementation of the program strategies was also shown to be consistent with VELS criteria. Observations made by the project manager, in addition to qualitative perspectives of the students and school representatives, highlighted the positive benefits of the 'Circus in Schools' program in the following program objectives:

Increases positive risk taking both physically and emotionally, in a safe and supported environment.
Promotes physical health and body awareness through activity.
Enables participants to acquire a broadened skill base relating to circus as well as more generic 'life skills'.
Increases self-confidence and self-efficacy.
Improves social connectedness, teamwork, and leadership skills within the group.
Provides opportunities for calming rhythmic activities, increased sensory feedback, a focus on balance, and coordination.
Creates a space in which participants feel a sense of belonging.

Implications for occupational therapy, education, and circus in future practice

The experience of working with Westside Circus highlighted many parallels between the 'Circus in Schools' programs and occupational therapy practice. The program was innately client-centred and structured to meet participants' individual needs while capturing the essence of the programs' main objectives and VELS criteria. Occupational therapists are well placed to take a broader-based advisory role, working at a policy or program development level in education, in addition to working with individual children to meet their specific needs. In order for a successful partnership among community circus facilitators and occupational therapists to emerge, a number of key things are required. Open dialogue among both disciplines is needed to enable understanding of each others role and how they can work together to ensure that the programs meet the needs of each individual participant. Occupational therapists and circus facilitators also need to create opportunities to attend each others' forums, events, and workshops. This would enable a richer understanding of the community circus and occupational therapy culture and how they can contribute to creating optimal health for specific populations of people who utilise the service.

Although this project focussed on life skill acquisition for youth, occupational therapists can continue to work in partnership with circus organisations and schools to address the needs of individuals in relation to sensory processing, coordination and tone, and physical, emotional, and mental health. In assessing the capacities of individuals and planning programs to improve function and occupational performance, circus trainers and occupational therapists have complementary skills. Occupational therapists and circus trainers can work together under a health promotion focus to meet the overall health needs of the youth population. Some specific examples of how the two disciplines can work as partners to empower individuals and communities include:

Professional development - Occupational therapists can educate circus facilitators about the particular issues facing specific populations. For example, when dealing with groups of people who have autism, occupational therapists can share information about individuals needs for proprioceptive feedback. Therapists can help the facilitators have a better understanding of the limitations and strengths commonly faced by people with autism. This input by the occupational therapy profession can enable circus trainers to fully address the needs of the specialist groups they are working with.
Co-facilitating - Circus trainers and occupational therapists facilitating programs together within the circus training space can enable each profession to support each other by sharing their expertise (Ous- ley, 2007). The occupational therapist provides focus on the strengths and limitations of the individuals within the group, determining appropriate grading of tasks to promote success of the participants and offering assistance where needed. The circus trainer is able to direct the session focussing on the various elements within the activity that integrate the holistic focus of community circus philosophy.

Community circus and occupational therapy both appear to have a tradition of working with people with physical and mental health needs, survivors of sexual abuse and torture, marginalised young people, and those experiencing occupational alienation within their social and physical environments. By opening dialogue and joining forces, each discipline can become more effective in their overall goal of creating global well-being within all communities for all individuals.

Conclusion

Utilising a partnership between occupational therapy and community circus, this project demonstrated the ability of an intersectorial health-care approach to meet the diverse needs of the primary and secondary school students. The introduction of the VELS within the Victorian education system provides occupational therapists with the opportunities to develop implement and evaluate programs that will assist schools to meet the VELS requirements, enhancing the health and well-being of students. This is the beginning of a new partnership between education, circus, and occupational therapy disciplines, with much room for expansion. This innovative project combining occupational therapy with an alternative education program is an example of how occupational therapists can utilise a health promotion approach. A collaborative intervention focussed on a community provides a more effective and sustainable way of building healthier communities.

Acknowledgements

We would like to acknowledge the assistance provided by Stephanie Urruty, project sponsor and general manager of Westside Circus, Andrea Ousley, the Westside Circus trainers, the Yarra Youth Rotary Project, and all the schools and participants within the programs observed. This project was completed in partial fulfilment of the graduate entry Master of Occupational Therapy Program, at La Trobe University.

References

Bolton, R. (1999). Circus as education. Australian Drama Studies, 35.
Canadian Association of Occupational Therapists (CAOT) (1999). A program evaluation workbook for occupational therapists: An evidence based practice tool. Ottawa, ON: CAOT Publications ACE.
Case-Smith, J. (2005). Occupational therapy for children (5th ed.). St. Louis, MO: Elsevier Inc.
Cirque du Soleil (2007). Retrieved 18 March 2007, from http://www.cirquedusoleil.com
Cronin, M. E. (1996). Life skills curricula for students with learning disabilities: A review of the literature. Journal of Learning Disabilities, 29, 53-68.
Struthers, P. (2005). Inclusive and health promoting schools- implications and challenges for therapists. South African Journal of Physiotherapy, 61, 28-32.
Victorian Curriculum and Assessment Authority (2005). Victorian Essential Learning Standards. Retrieved 14 July, 2006 from http://vels.vcaa.vic.edu.au/.
World Health Organization (1986). Ottawa Charter for Health Promotion. First International Conference on Health Promotion (Ottawa, Canada). Retrieved 14 July 2006, from http://www.ldb.org/iuhpe/ottawa.htm

Jill Maglio BA Psych, MOTherapyPrac; Occupational Therapist.

Carol McKinstry BAppSc(OT),MHlthSc; Lecturer. Faculty of Health Sciences, School of Occupational Therapy, La Trobe University, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia

Correspondence: Jill Maglio, 124 Gore Street, Fitzroy, Vic. 3065, Australia. Email: jillmaglio @ yahoo . com (remove the spaces)

Social Circus in Guatemala

By Jennifer Dempsey

Jennifer Dempsey writes about two different projects in Guatemala - Proyecto Payaso a clowning project tackling issues of HIV and AIDS and Gabriela Cordon at La Cambalach an arts school offering Circus to Mayan youth around lake Atitlan. La Cambalach offers opportunities for volunteering in Social Circus.

Proyecto Payaso

For almost ten years, a clown troupe based in Gautemala has been performing shows about HIV and AIDS to indigenous communities throughout Central America. Proyecto Payaso, or The Clown Project, is a non-profit organization comprised of performers - both indigenous and non-indigenous - who see clowning as a powerful way to address the issue.

"The clown is poetic, naive, innocent and can speak about anything without shame," explained Project co-founder Stephane Gue, a clown of 15 years. "Through clowning you can open a door, you can start a debate about sexuality in all its complexity. You can talk about condoms, what is safe sex, what is important in your relationship."

In full red nose persona, Proyecto's head clown Anthony Savdié addressed a crowd at the XVI International AIDS Conference in Toronto. "Clowning gives you a kind of diplomatic immunity to talk about things that are quite embarrasing to talk about in public," he said. "Even if your religion doesn't allow you to use condoms, it's not a question of religion, it's a question of public health. Your body belongs to you, not to the state and not to the church." UNAIDS estimates that 61,000 people are living with HIV in Guatemala and 2,700 deaths have occurred due to AIDS.

Proyecto Payaso collaborates with health educators to target areas in Central and Latin America in which HIV/AIDS information is lacking. USAID research found that rural and indigenous communities in Guatemala were some of the most vulnerable areas to the pandemic due to language barriers, geographical isolation and lack of educational opportunities. It also was reported that few governmental resources were dedicated to the prevention of the spread of HIV/AIDS in these areas.

Proyecto Payaso travels to these areas and uses indigenous language in their performances and in their follow-up workshops.

"We start with a show, then do a workshop, then distribute education materials and condoms, " Gue said. "The purpose of the workshop is to break down boundaries. We realized that in Guatemala there is no access for this kind of information for indigenous communities. We want to democratize access for information."

The Project also offers clowning workshops for indigenous youth to hone their performance skills and develop shows that address social issues.

"We feel we are making an impact with the young indigenous population we are working with," Gue said. "The process they go through is a social transformation...to be in front of their own community, parents and friends. They have to deal with religion and with the culture. They have to fight their social condition. There was a time that the indigenous population didn't want to recognize the problem of HIV."

Proyecto Payaso conducts a tour almost every week to rural health clinics, schools and community centers.

Gue said, "A lot of people ask us, 'Why don't you work on a different issue?' I always say HIV is about everything. It's about poverty, it's about migration, it's about discrimination. By addressing AIDS you can address all issues. That's why for me, AIDS is a human rights issue."

Proyecto Payaso also partners with Action-Clowns in France, Association of Clowns in Spain, Healthlink Worldwide and the Irish charity Trocaire. For more information go to www.proyectopayaso.org

La Cambalach

Gabriela Cordon has had many successes in her career, but she considers La Cambalacha her "obra maestra," or masterpiece.

"If someone had shown me in a crystal ball where we'd be today I wouldn't have believed it," said the 33-year old Guatemalan-American dancer and founder of La Cambalacha, an arts and education school based in San Marcos La Laguna in western Guatemala. "La Cambalacha has taught me to not make plans because any plans I make will be surpassed by La Cambalacha's own momentum." A Spanish word meaning "to exchange," La Cambalacha offers training in circus, dance, theater, music and art to Mayan youth from villages around Lake Atitlan. Tucked away off a small trail at the foot of a mountain, La Cambalacha is a magical second home for more than 2,500 indigenous youth each month.

To enter La Cambalacha is to enter another world completely. Colorfully painted boulders of stilt walkers, clowns and acrobats align the trail. A heavy wooden door marked with "Arte para Todos" (Art for Everyone) lets you know you have arrived. Giggling Mayan children practice pyramids on straw mats in an open dirt arena. A Mayan boy and Australian girl rehearse a trapeze routine hanging from a jocota tree. In a mirrored dance studio, under an image of Che Guevara, Mayan teenagers learn hip hop moves from a North American volunteer. Supervised by a visiting French clown, Mayan young adults wear red noses and practice comedy routines in preparation for an AIDS awareness tour in health clinics around the country. In the 'comedor,' or dining area, a group of Mayan 'tweens' gather around an Irish volunteer to receive a Spanish/English lesson. All the while, a team of Mayan men and British volunteers work hastily in the open compound to erect a new shelter space in anticipation of the country's rainy season.

The La Cambalacha staff is all volunteer - from its founder Cordon, to the Argentinian co-director, the English technical manager, the North American training supervisor and the rotating team of visiting teachers. Students range in age from 6 - 26 and primarily speak Kaqchikel and Tzutujil, the indigenous languages of area. Participants in La Cambalacha are selected by their dedication to the program and those showing particular promise are offered scholarships to attend workshops three to five times a week. Older students help conduct workshops in local schools and community centers, perform in tours around Guatemala and may participate in international exchanges. These students are granted a stipend of $175 per month to compensate what their families would receive from them working.?For Cordon, working in the arts with a different culture is what makes La Cambalacha so rewarding and so challenging.

"The first year I started I didn't know what I was getting myself into, working with the indigenous population, and that was probably a good thing," she said, laughing. "I didn't know all the obstacles. It's a really big job trying to understand children who have had such a different background, to realize all the needs they have that are unfulfilled. These kids had never seen a circus or a ballet. They didn't know what theater was, so they didn't know what we were talking about. At La Cambalacha, it's about how art can be used for social transformation, as a tool for change. I know I need to be involved in something I feel is really going to make a difference for people who need a difference made."

Cordon was born in Guatemala and raised in Illinois until she was 13 years old. It was there she learned hip hop, contemporary and street dance. After moving back to Guatemala City, Cordon established a dance school called Dimension 8 and was declared by the press as "one of Guatemala's best dancers." Despite her success, Cordon became "sick of the pretensions, the cocktails, the receptions. My dance company was very profitable, we always had an audience, but I was sick of city life."

Cordon had visited the remote mountain village of San Marcos La Laguna many times and in 2002 decided to move there. "I stepped off the boat and said this is it. I saw a little sign that said I could buy a piece of land for 10,000 quetzales and that's exactly what I had in bank. I just did it. I think it was some divine force that made me choose this place," she said, shrugging. That year, with a small government grant, Cordon set up La Cambalacha, intending it to be a space for professional artists to collaborate and teach kids for a few hours a week.

"But in that first year we realized what was needed was social integration through creative expression," she said. "The first school in San Marcos was started only 40 years ago and so few people went to school back then. These kids are the first generation getting an education past elementary school. It's a gigantic job to get pass the shyness, the shame, the silence, the low self-esteem." With a population of approximately 3,000, San Marcos La Laguna is one of the more traditional, conservative, Catholic villages around Lake Atitlan and reactions to La Cambalacha have evolved over the years.

"There have been beautiful awakenings in both the kids and parents," Cordon said. "At first the parents were kind of nervous about it, but now they'll come and tell me how expressive their kids are and how they wish they had the same opportunities when they were young. Some religious fanatics do their best to encourage kids not to participate. We identify kids whose will to participate in the arts is stronger than what anyone can tell them. There have been magical moments when we get to see one of our kids really opening up to another dimension...when we see them understanding that the world isn't so small and so closed."

Manaces Ixcaya, 23, has been training at La Cambalacha for four years.

"In La Cambalacha I have learned to express myself and to help others overcome the fear and shame that keep these communities repressed," he said.

"Art is like medicine," said Juana Puzul, a 20 year old acrobat and clown who was preparing for AIDS awareness tour. "It heals and gives strength."

Gaspar Ixcaya, a 20 year old dancer, trapeze artist, acrobat and clown, said, "I want art to take the place of violence. I want to help change Guatemala ."

Students at La Cambalacha also get exposed to other cultures through volunteers that spend anywhere from two weeks to two years at the school.

"We've had volunteers from Australia, England, Korea, North American, Ireland, Chile, Argentina, Canada, Spain and Germany, 26 countries in total," she said. "People find out about us through volunteer organizations, the website and word of mouth. It blows my mind how many people contact us and come here." Volunteers also provide much of the funding that keeps La Cambalacha going by raising money for the time they spend there. On average, volunteers pay $150 a week for room, board and all meals. Approximately 40% goes toward their costs with the other 60% going towards scholarships.

"We used to go through the whole grant thing but we got sick of the bureacracy," she said. "I want to show other projects that you don't need to get so wrapped up in the system to do what you need to be doing. All of our funding comes from people who know us, trust us, love us and believe in what we're doing."

One such believer is Tom Russell, a retired Illinois judge and part-time resident of Guatemala . Russell discovered La Cambalacha on one of his extended stays while staying in the neighboring village of Tzununa . He was so impressed by La Cambalacha that he arranged a trip for volunteers from the Salida Circus in Colorado to go last March.

"La Cambalacha is a magical place," Russell said, "empowering Mayan kids of all ages through the arts. Over time, it is helping to bring economic, social and political justice to a people who have suffered 500 years of oppression and extreme poverty. These kids are discovering their creative voices through the arts, while growing in character, self-awareness and self-confidence. Undoubtedly, many will become community leaders and bring to their beautiful culture not only the respect it deserves, but also a strong voice in the political, artistic and social life of Guatemala." Salida Circus parent Debra Juchem took her two sons Nathaniel, 6 and Seth, 11 to La Cambalacha for two weeks. "Visiting La Cambalacha was an incredibly moving and creatively inspiring experience," she said. "Gabriela has simultanesouly created a positive societal and employment solution for young Mayans and a stimulating creative outlet for many international volunteers. For the young Mayan children of Lake Atitlan, La Cambalacha offers the potential of replacing a life of hard labour hauling firewood and coffee beans with a creative livelihood in the arts."Cordon did admit that money is always concern at La Cambalacha, but said, "Our motto is we do the best we can with what we have," and, she added with a grin, "We do a pretty damn good job."

www.lacambalcha.org

Jennifer Dempsey is director of the Salida Circus (www.salidacircus.com) and volunteered at La Cambalacha in March 2009.

Feel good community circus stories

By Jennifer Dempsey

Unexpected Results

Insanity, according to Albert Einstein, is doing the same thing over and over expecting different results. This must be why circus people have a reputation for being a little crazy. For three months this kid had been trying to get his cartwheel and for three months the same thing would happen. "Just remember it's hand, hand, foot, foot," I would tell Travis each week at the Salida Circus kids' workshop. His brother, the other eight kids and I would watch with bated breath as 5 year old Travis (actually "Twavis" if you asked him) would step out onto the mat, raise his arms over his head, stand with feet astride and sway back and forth. "Hand hand foot foot," I repeated. We'd all be quiet as we watched him concentrate, swaying slowly and methodically. Then in a sudden fling, he'd hurl himself heels over head, and land in a crumpled heap on the mat. We'd all tell him 'good job' as he'd pick himself up, brush himself off and get back in line to try it again.

"Don't worry, Travis, you'll get it," I'd tell him. To be honest, it didn't look like Travis was getting it. I didn't know if he'd ever get it, but he didn't seem the least bit worried. "Okay everybody, let's move on to plate-spinning." As the kids scrambled and fought over who got which plate, I mulled over some of the quirky findings from my own 25 years in circus life. One thing I have come to understand is that "getting" the trick isn't always a comfortable thing. Attaining a new skill expands who you are and that can be overwhelming. A minute ago you were someone who couldn't do a cartwheel and now you are someone who can do a cartwheel...so what does that mean? What else can I do that I don't know about? Where are my boundaries now? I doubted Travis was thinking any of this when he came to circus class, but then neither had I when I started circus training back in Virginia . I was nine when I first started trying to do a side aerial. I tried and tried and tried and then one day, when I was ten and wasn't even trying, I did it. I did a no-handed cartwheel and landed on my feet! I couldn't believe it. My circus coach couldn't believe it. The other kids couldn't believe it. I was ecstatic and exhilarated and as everybody hugged me, I burst into tears and didn't know why. Maybe that's why they call it a 'circus family.' This circus class, this practice space, can be a safe place where we test our boundaries and expand ourselves. Our circus mates are there to support us as we try, fail, and sometimes hardest of all, succeed.

It was almost five o'clock. "Okay everybody, put the plates back in the bag and find a space for final stretches." As the kids raced to put the plates away and find a space on the floor, I saw a small body hurl himself down the mat..and land on his feet. "Travis! What was that?!" I hollered. Travis froze where he landed and looked at me startled. The other kids looked around startled. A circus mom who had just arrived looked startled. "Do that again, quick!" I told him. Travis backed up on the mat, raised his arms over his head, swayed back and forth and - hand, hand, foot, foot - did a cartwheel! "Travis! You did a cartwheel! Do it again!" Wide eyed and with a stunned look on his face, Travis ran back to the front of the mat and, with the whole class watching did a cartwheel.and then another and another, and even another. The class burst into applaus and his brother ran over and hugged him. Travis looked shell-shocked, teary-eyed and happy as his brother ran to tell his Dad what Travis had just done.

As parents arrived, I swept the floor, feeling excited about the Salida Circus kids trying things like cartwheels and plate-spinning, aerials and juggling, stilt-walking and trapeze, unicycling and diabolo, contortion and body-balancing.things they've never tried before... and they can try and try and try again, until like Travis, just when they think they'll never get it, they'll surprise themselves with unexpected results.

Different Assignment

When I dropped out of Queen's University to join the Belfast Community Circus, I wasn't being rebellious, I was accepting a different assignment. It was October '89 and I had been in Belfast for a month as a junior year abroad student, when I walked out of the Student Union to see a small sign posted on a tree advertising a circus workshop at a nearby church. Ignoring the time and my Irish literature class, I headed over to the church hall where I opened the door to a roomful of kids walking on stilts, trying to juggle, spinning plates and tossing diabolos.

I told the long-haired Australian man in charge that I had been in a children's circus club in Virginia . Mike welcomed me in, took me around to meet some of the kids and explained what the Belfast Community Circus was all about."We use these circus workshops as a way of bringing kids together," he said. "Many of these kids would never meet each other except maybe in a sectarian street fight. Here they work together and learn that Catholics don't have horns and Protestants aren't cross-eyed. We don't set out to make these kids circus superstars, but sometimes along the way it happens. "Hey Mike! Watch this!" We turned around and saw Paul, a 13 year old from the Shankhill Road walk by us on a rolling globe while juggling three clubs. "Fantastic, my man!" Mike shouted, giving him a high-five. We moved through the room, darting around a young unicyclist wobbling his way straight towards us. "Whoa, steady Sean, you've got it!" Mike said as Sean pedaled faster and faster before crashing to the ground. Mike gave him a hand up and introduced me. "This is Jennifer, she was in a circus back in the United States and wants to teach us acrobatics." Before I knew it, I was doing a warm up with some 20 kids, eager to learn the double crab, the triple window and caterpillar walk, tricks I had learned back in Virginia at the Oak View Youth Circus.

That was the beginning of my 12-year career with the Belfast Community Circus. I told the lady at the junior year abroad office that I was dropping out of Queen's to work with the local community circus. She was totally baffled and wanted me to explain, but I didn't want to go into the 'different assignment' thing with her; besides I had a gymnastics workshop starting shortly in East Belfast. I also taught unicycling, trapeze, ladder act, contortion and quartet adagio in workshops all around Northern Ireland . I learned stilt-walking, Spanish web, knife juggling and body-balancing and performed with acts throughout Ireland and the UK . I worked with kids who were Protestant, Catholic, Republican, Loyalist, British, Irish, working class and middle class. I worked with kids whose parents were in jail for paramilitary activity and kids whose parents had been killed by paramilitaries. Sometimes these kids were in the same workshop. I learned through the Belfast Community Circus that no matter what their background, kids are kids are kids, and they all basically want the same thing: to feel safe, to have fun and to show off. Through that circus, I witnessed how community arts could do more for healing hearts and minds in a troubled society than any political peace process.

Fast forward 18 years later. It was June 20, 2007, the third day of the Salida Circus Camp and also, I realized, World Refugee Day. As I headed over to the Salida Yoga Center to meet the 25 kids enrolled in the camp, I suddenly had an idea. I told the other three tutors to get the kids warmed up while I ran back home and grabbed the brochure from the Afghanistan Mobile Mini Children's Circus, a circus school in Kabul that had contacted me last year about setting up an exchange. I got back to camp just as the kids were finding their partners to practice double crab, circus wave and wheel barrow walking. "Hold on everybody! Have a seat for one second, I want to show you something." I told them about the kids in Afghanistan who were also learning the double crab and wheel barrow walk. I passed around the brochure showing the Afghan kids practicing pyramids in the desert, the girls stilt-walking wearing head scarves, the crowds sitting in ruins of rubble, laughing at the antics of the kids clowning around.

"Look! They're doing the name-game just like we did at the beginning of camp," I said pointing at a picture of 30 kids standing in a circle holding hands. "What are their names?" asked Melody, an 11 year old acrobat and stilt walker. "Good question, why don't we find out," I suggested. So for the next half hour, the Salida Circus kids wrote letters to the Afghan circus kids, asking them their names, how old they were, what their favorite circus trick was, whether or not they got nervous before a show, and other things kids experience in a circus school. The Salida kids told them what they were learning at circus camp, what their favorite trick was and how they had a big show coming up for the 4th of July. As we resumed our practice and the kids found their acrobatic partners, I thought about the lady at Queen's University. I couldn't explain to her why I was dropping out of college to join a community circus. Maybe I wasn't sure myself then. But eighteen years later, as I collected letters from the Salida circus kids written to give to the Afghan circus kids, I was positive why I had; and building a community circus is one assignment I never want to complete.

Jennifer Dempsey is founder of the Salida Circus Outreach Foundation. SCOF is a 501c3 non-profit organization established in Sept 2007 to offer circus training to children and adults in Chaffee County as a personal development and community-building tool. SCOF holds weekly workshops, three annual camps and more than 20 performance opportunities a year. SCOF also organizes circus exchanges with the La Cambalacha Circus in Guatemala and Circus WAVE in Northern Ireland.