{"id":30291,"date":"2015-12-11T12:56:55","date_gmt":"2015-12-11T12:56:55","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.jomec.co.uk\/altcardiff\/?p=30291"},"modified":"2015-12-11T12:56:55","modified_gmt":"2015-12-11T12:56:55","slug":"the-social-circus","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cardiffjournalism.co.uk\/altcardiff\/2015\/12\/11\/the-social-circus\/","title":{"rendered":"In depth: Circus – art or altruism?"},"content":{"rendered":"

As No Fit State celebrates its 30th anniversary, we investigate the lesser-known role of circuses in building healthier futures for the young and disenfranchised\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

Cardiff-born Chris Moore<\/a> didn\u2019t plan on the circus when he joined No Fit State<\/a>\u00a0for summer school. But forensics, the class for his first-choice, was full. As a child, he suffered with autism, bad health and communication, but a year with the circus saw his life do a 180. Today, the 23-year-old is pursuing circus studies and has become an integral member of the crew \u2013 and he\u2019s not alone in his experience. Social circus has helped thousands of disadvantaged people the world over, and continues to do so right at our doorstep.<\/p>\n

\"Credit:

The word \u2018circus\u2019 might conjure images of tigers leaping through rings, contortionists, clowns and freakshows, but since its beginning under the big top, the art form has married entertainment with altruism, and its impact is astounding.<\/p>\n

Unconventional education<\/strong>
\nThe concept of the \u2018social circus\u2019 was born during the circus revival of the 80s, as a medium for the disenfranchised to develop physical literacy, social skills and become part of an inclusive, undiscriminating community.<\/p>\n

In the UK, many consider the book Circus in a Suitcase<\/a><\/em> by Reg Bolton as the catalyst for concept of community circus. Bolton, a circus performer himself, claimed it offers six vital experiences otherwise missing from the lives of contemporary Western children: self-design, risk, trust, dream, fun and work.<\/p>\n

Today, circus plays an essential role in physical literacy. In 2013, Wales submitted a proposal for physical literacy to be included in the core curriculum of schools, and just last year, the Physical Literacy Programme for Schools<\/a> was launched with the hope that the framework developed through it will be put into place next year. Given the statistics of childhood obesity in Wales is the highest in the UK, this is an imperative move. Unfortunately, children\u2019s interest in standard PE programmes has been less than enthusiastic, and this is where circus comes in to save the day.<\/p>\n

No Fit State\u2019s co-founder Ali Williams has always involved young people and local communities in their art. Frontrunners in Wales\u2019 circus revival of the \u201980s, they started their dedicated youth circus in 2004, and currently deliver circus training to PE teachers as part of the Physical Literacy Programme. \u201cIf you can learn A-B-C, you learn to read and write, if you learn 1-2-3, you can learn math. Similarly, there are key physical skills you need to learn to develop physically and healthily. Normally, you learn these by being outside \u2013 but in today\u2019s generation, our kids miss out,\u201d explains Ali. \u201cIf you don\u2019t learn these skills in your developmental years, you\u2019ll be disadvantaged for the rest of your life,\u201d she adds.<\/p>\n

\"Aside

A social lubricant<\/strong>
\nFrom No Fit State to Newport Circus<\/a>, Circus Eruption<\/a> in Swansea to Organised Kaos<\/a> in the valleys, Wales has become a hotbed for social circus organisations. Phill Burton, founder of Circus Eruption, Swansea, thinks it has something to do with the fact that circus perfects the balance between sport and art. \u201cIt doesn\u2019t include the competitive hot-housing in sport, nor is it as elitist as drama can sometimes be,\u201d says Phill, whose programme also works with hundreds who are homeless, physically or mentally disabled, addicts, refugees or from ethnic minorities. \u201cCircus is inclusive \u2013 it doesn\u2019t say \u2018you\u2019re not good enough\u2019\u201d, he adds. Neither does it rely on verbal acuity, allowing the disabled to participate in the making of culture.<\/p>\n

In 2007, Wales added another social circus to its roster with Organised Kaos opening in the Upper Amman Valley, where teenage anti-social behaviour is high. Like other circus programmes, they teach juggling, aerial, trapeze and a variety of other skills. Within no time, local police began to see a significant decrease of youth-related crime in the area. Today, they engage with over 2,000 people through open-access circuses in parks, football ground and community centres. Thus not only can circus improve obvious areas like concentration, spatial learning, coordination and fitness, but it also helps with self-esteem and social cohesion.<\/p>\n

“The idea that participating in circus activities could be good for your health and character development is a very old idea. What social circus does is add a political agenda to that idea, which is that this is very good for people on the margins of society”<\/strong><\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

\"Credit:

Professor Ron Beadle, who started the Circus Research Network<\/a> last year and comes from a circus family himself, says \u201cThe idea that participating in circus activities could be good for your health and character development is a very old idea. What social circus does is add a political agenda to that idea, which is that this is very good for people on the margins of society,\u201d he claims.<\/p>\n

\u201cPeople who have been damaged by power structures can benefit most from it: it\u2019s a discipline, it\u2019s difficult to learn, but there is a real possibility of achievement, and therefore, a quality of liberation to it, useful in helping those who have had a rough deal out of life,\u201d he adds.<\/p>\n

Without the competitiveness of sport and the exclusivity of art, circus opens up a space for those left on the sidelines, with benefits running the spectrum from physiological to emotional. The days of parading tigers and dancing midgets may be behind us, but circus has a whole new future ahead of it \u2013 one that strives to include us all.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

We find out why the social circus has such a positive impact on local communities<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":325,"featured_media":30420,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_exactmetrics_skip_tracking":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_active":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_note":"","_exactmetrics_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[36],"tags":[5394,5395,5396,5397,263,1239,5398,5399,5400,5401,5402,5403,3142,5404,4279,5405,5406,5407,5408,5409,4280,5410,5411,5412,5413,266,5414,5415,5416,1284,4262,5417,5418],"coauthors":[],"class_list":["post-30291","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-no-logo","tag-30th-anniversary","tag-ali-williams","tag-artform","tag-big-top","tag-children","tag-circus","tag-circus-eruption","tag-circus-in-a-suitcase","tag-circus-research-network","tag-circus-skills","tag-community-circus","tag-confidence","tag-elderly","tag-journeys","tag-juggling","tag-national-assembly-of-wales","tag-newport-circus","tag-nicola-hemsley","tag-no-fit-state","tag-organised-kaos","tag-performance-art","tag-performances","tag-phill-burton","tag-physical-literacy","tag-physical-literacy-programme-for-schools","tag-refugees","tag-reg-bolton","tag-social-circus","tag-spatial-learning","tag-swansea","tag-trapeze","tag-upper-amman-valley","tag-youth-circus"],"yoast_head":"\nRunning 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