The first ever NATIONAL YOUTH CIRCUS DAY 2007- Paul Woodhead.
The very first National Youth Circus Day went off with a bang this year on the most auspicious date of September 13th. Youth companies, groups and schools from across the country joined in with activities, ranging from simple open days to opening performances of the company’s major season.

All six states were represented on the National Youth Circus Day register with sixteen companies signing up. State were represented by: Snug Primary School and Slipstream Circus in Tasmania; Flipside Circus, Trix Circus and Vulcana in Queensland; Westside Circus in Victoria; Lunar Circus and YMCA Perth in Western Australia; Cirkidz in South Australia; and Circus West, Brewarrina Youth Circus, Kellyville High School, Australian Theatre for Young People, the Flying Fruit Fly Circus and the Handstand Factory in New South Wales.
Bathurst in New South Wales also hosted the Catapult Festival at the Bathurst Memorial Entertainment Centre and the NYCD was highlighted as a major part of that Festival, thanks to Stephen Champion. Quite a number of Youth Companies performing and training at the Festival supported the NYCD in the official photo shoot and actively promoted the benefits of becoming a member of ACAPTA.

The National Youth Circus Day was officially launched in Melbourne by Westside Circus
As an initial event the National Youth Circus Day went off very well, and while the media reception was mixed in quantity, the quality of reporting witnessed by this author was high. The number of youth companies, groups and schools was also a little small but they worked tremendously to make sure the day went well.

Both points bode well for the 2008 National Youth Circus Day set to occur on Thursday September 18th. Start planning now for your involvement and help in the promotion of youth circus, ACAPTA and the great benefits we all gain from our involvement in both.
Send in more feedback on the NYCD to circusday@acapta.net, let your local media know what circus does for you.

Paul Woodhead
NYCD co-ordinator, on behalf of the organising committee.

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A WORD FROM ICAN- Indigenous Circus Arts Network

ICAN was formed earlier on this year at the WA Circus Festival and continues to grow and develop as an indigenous youth circus network. If I can, You can. ICAN is a unique national network recently created by an amazingly multi-talented, diverse group of indigenous youth. They are driven by a passion to advance contempory indigenous culture through circus arts within their communities. In March in Karridale, Western Australia, young people and their trainers from Broome, Broken Hill, Brewarrina, Kurranda, Alice Springs, Brisbane and Fremantle gathered with other members of the new circus community, from Australia and around the world, for a 7 day circus training project and 3 day circus festival, with the intention of creating an organisation to support their dreams.

Two Aunty’s of the kids, also attended. Nanna Audrey, an Arrante Elder from Alice supported their trainer Sarah and five young people, Gaylen, Tahlia, Clayton, Jesse and Edgar to attend.

Clayton: “It was fun doing circus cos it’s good for you. It makes me strong and healthy.”
Gaylen: “I went on the flying trapeze it was scary, the next time it was deadly. Then we did the show. When we were clapping they started clapping with us, I felt great.”
Jessie: “It was fun we went to the beach we did a show on the plane, we saw Ayres Rock.”
Edgar: “ Flying trapeze, juggling and I had heaps of fun.”
Tahlia: “I think circus fest was amazing and fun I will always remember going on flying trapeze and everyone who was there with us cos they were nice. From the older kids I learnt even though circus is hard work it’s always fun and I always wanna have more fun.”

Aunty Sharon, a Noongar woman, has had five years experience in mentoring young people in the Fremantle based circus group Swerve. “With Michael, Jomen and Tanicka, I’ve watched their skills develop over the years. But Karridale was the first time I’ve ever experienced anything like that. Camping was my training, getting in and out of that tent. The kids learnt a lot more. They bettered their skills; they interacted well with everyone there. I think when you see them enjoying the circus, it makes you feel really good inside, cos you know its doing good in the long term. There’s no peer pressure, outside influence, it’s all a good, safe environment.

While they were down there they formed a group called the Indigenous Circus Arts Network, (ICAN), which we all hope will be able over the years to become stronger and better for all concerned.”

The ICAN network used this week to formalise their organisation's goals and structures to support young indigenous circus participants, performers and trainers to fulfil their potential.

Circus is being incorporated into health, well being and education programs across Australia because of its many benefits such as team work, safe risk taking, goal setting, physical strengthening and a developing a sense of identity.

Celebrations built around circus performances enhance community well being and cultural identity.“Dreams can come true”, says Latesha, 17 and Mikayla, 16. “This is the first meeting of its kind and we’ve come a long way from being participants in circus classes, to being circus trainers. Now a new network has developed to help not only us come together and share our skills and resources but its there to help others who have a strong passion for circus and would like to start one.”

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”In the past 2 weeks the training was very helpful to me because of my situation in Broome where we don’t have any trainers, I am starting a circus group and its very intense,” Mirrin, 17, from Broome says. “We train with no support. At the festival I gained a lot of experience from some of the best trainers in the world in a vast range of circus arts that I can’t access at home. The new network ICAN will help me realise what is possible. Through this network I can link with other Indigenous trainers and their mentors to support me to have a different perspective on how indigenous circus works in different places and I feel like we are making history. This is unique group in the world, we are representing Aboriginal culture, while learning to master hard core tumbling like back flips and saults.”

Latesha, who is doing a circus traineeship in her home town says, “The meetings this week were strong and we learnt things fast and just the process of the meeting and the group's new structure was well set out in the four days after training. After 10 days of training it was hard and exhausting but I gained more knowledge in my specialities of juggling, tumbling and hula hoops. The exhausting part was the timeframes throughout our ten days. We only had one day off, which felt like we jammed so much into it going to the beach, caves and shopping.

All of our days were long during training. From 9 in the morning doing the warm ups and staying up to midnight watching cabarets. Each hour there was another activity like flying trapeze, clowning, magic, dance and aerials such as tissue, rope and cloud swing.

After training we’d go to the beach come back and had dinner which was healthy balanced diet but everyone needed much more meat. At Hamelin Bay we went to see the stingrays they were as big as hula hoops, it was freaky watching them swim in the sea and not knowing where they are going to be next.

Most nights there were cabarets where performers could try out their acts. Richard and Josh performed music and Michael and Richard performed break dancing. “

It was great to be in the performances said Jomen, 17. “We did two group performances in the kids cabaret nights with other kids from Cairns and WA. It’s great to be in front of people with your friends especially my cousin Michael.

Some of us also went to Alice last year and performed at the Beanie Festival. We had to put our group show together in between training. It was good to do the training with the younger kids from Alice with Richard from Blackrobats in Kurranda leading us- we had a lot of fun. It was a little hard, I thought the show wasn’t gonna happen; we had to learn to listen and work together to make the show come together.

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The audience clapped and cheered so they must have enjoyed it. I felt good that we done it. I wanted to get it over and done with but it’s good to show them that we are all equal. When we did our performance it would be good if we could train together more to make sure we know what we are doing. It s good to have created ICAN so we can continue our training together and make it better, by getting other indigenous people different skills like we have.”

Richard, with the rap around smile, who pulled the show together made it fun and great for the kids he says, “It was great to work with the youth and share skills with everyone there. We are looking forward to more sharing and teaching and training in places all over Australia. We have strong leadership”.

This ICAN project just keeps gaining momentum. Groups like Oxfam, Cirque du Monde and Rio Tinto want to support it and see the young people pull this off.

Rod, Midge, Katherine Montgomery, Josh a Tasmanian man who has run his own business as a circus trainer, Leno from Cirque, as well as all the non-indigenous trainers from each region had opportunities to discuss how best to nurture these young people in their roles in this fledgling organisation.

All of the organisations funding this have a strong commitment to knowing that its not going to take just money and a token honouring of the young people but deep committed relationships which are backed by clear communication, honesty and respect for the young people’s leadership qualities, whilst still ensuring these young people are taking responsibility for gaining the skills they need to do the job of running the organisation professionally.

Leno said “For me I feel like I was staying with family, the youth were very accessible, open and a pleasure to share with. A wonderful opportunity to find out what happens in community circus here I am very grateful to have received so much and I hope this went both ways. Thanks to each and every fantastic unique person I met in the 5 days of meetings and the festival at Karridale.”

Michael, (a veteran performer of Swerve at only 16), saw the performance as opportunities for him to self reflect. “When I saw the younger Alice kids tumbling and participating in events that were opening them up, them looking at us seeing how they could be when they are older, I thought it’s wicked. I saw myself in them and this made me realise that now I’ve determined my future through circus”.

If you are an indigenous person interested in circus in your area or a trainer teaching circus in indigenous communities we would like to invite you contact us to be put in touch with this inspiring network go to
http://www.myspace.com/ican_2007 or Email ACAPTA

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Flipside Circus Performance Troupe and Spaghetti Circus Performance Troupe attending Trix Circus’s youth show on National Youth Circus Day

In Brisbane there was a forum at the Brisbane Powerhouse where young circus performers spoke about how circus has changed their lives. Flipside teamed up with Spaghetti Circus to attend Trix Circus’s show “Uplifted” at the Gold Coast Arts Centre. Flipside’s Director Deb Wilks spoke from a circus parent’s perspective on how Circus has changed her son Tim’s life for the better. Her story below is one that I am sure many parents of keen circus kids who don’t always fit in anywhere else will relate to.

Tim’s Story
Often when you hear parents talk about their children when they are little it’s about how well potty training is going, how they are talking, reading or reciting poetry. As they grow older it’s about their OP and what they want to achieve when they leave school. And later in life its how well their career is going, how many degrees they’ve got and perhaps what a ‘high flyer’ they are.

Well I have a high flier for a son – no he doesn’t have any degrees, he hasn’t yet attended any university but he is a high flyer in the true sense of the word. He is a trapeze artist – you know one of those people who fly through the air with strength, poise and grace that most of us will never achieve and probably never understand. However we watch with awe and fascination as these ‘high flyers’ entertain and inspire us to greater things!

I can still remember my first ‘interview’ with a teacher about my 7 year old son Tim. He was a distraction in class, needed to focus more, talk less and sit still. I remember leaving the interview feeling very inadequate as a mum. I was also raising Kate & Dan and who were doing okay at school (most of the time). I’d never been summoned to an interview outside of the normal parent teacher times before.

We’ll I just had to get used to it. Over the next 9 years I was a regular visitor to the primary school and then the high school as Tim challenged and I must admit at times provoked some teachers to their wits end.

There was the time he led a delegation of students up to the office to protest at the way their teacher was treating a particular child. There was the time he was suspended from attending the school camp - how was he supposed to know there was vodka in the lemonade bottle he was given (but guess who was holding it when they were busted) and another suspension, there were the daily reports to the year master, weekly phone calls from the year master and many, many discussions with teachers.

It was funny – nearly all of our meetings with teachers started with “Tim’s a great kid but……., or Tim’s one of my favourites but……..

BUT things changed for Tim when he found Flipside Circus. It was a chance finding as Flipside was still a very small organic organisation operating out of the Judith Wright Centre in The Valley (Brisbane). We took him to his first circus class. He was with a group of kids ( Romy, Georgia, Hannah, Ted, Emma, ) and was taught clowning with a bowler hat and suitcase. Then he learned to juggle. Then he began to teach himself back flips at home & then front flips. Before long Tim was invited to join the Flipside Performance Troupe and this is where his life truly changed. He was among a group of young people and their parents who appreciated his quirky sense of humour, they laughed when he showed off his latest trick and accepted him for who he was. In fact Flipside seemed to encourage that risk taking, showing off, and challenging behaviour that drove other people nuts!

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Through circus classes Tim became aware of how he could control and change his body. At an age when many young men struggle with the physical changes taking place Tim was focusing on his upper and lower body strength. He set up a chin up bar at home and practiced his chin ups. Then he’d turn up the other way and hang upside down and do sit ups! Over and over and over again!
The house became littered with juggling clubs, unicycle, rolla bola and many other circus props.

He couldn’t walk past a broom, rake or ladder without trying to balance it on his chin (he still does this).

Then he discovered the trapeze! Tim had been training in static trapeze and did his first performance for Flipside when he was twelve on the Goodwill Bridge to the music from Grease. He loved it! At last an appreciative audience who clapped at the tricks he’d been practising and were amazed that such a young boy had muscles!

Through Flipside we were introduced to Rodleigh & Jenny Stevens who had set up a circus training centre on the Gold Coast – Trix Circus. Soon adult professionals had discovered Rodleigh’s high quality training and were making the trek to the Gold Coast regularly to take advantage of his experience and knowledge. Tim began a swinging trapeze lesson on a Saturday mornings. He was in awe of Rodleigh & also Mark Winmill and never questioned anything Rodleigh asked him to do. We were amazed as we watched our baby son become adept at flying through the air, letting go, falling backwards, swinging around the bar and doing it all so well. It appeared he had found his calling!

Tim Wilks performing Swinging Trapeze in “Now I’m 10!”

Things at school weren’t going so well though. It seemed the years of negativity at school had finally worn Tim out. He became depressed and very unsure of himself. We began to attend counselling classes to try to understand why Tim was feeling so bad about himself.

It was weird on the one hand at school Tim was a distraction and nuisance & yet on the other he was a natural performer with strength, grace and enormous amounts of focus and self discipline.

During this difficult time I truly don’t know what would have happened without his circus life. It gave him an escape – a place where he could just be himself and enjoy that, and it soon became evident that was where he should be.
Two weeks before finishing grade 10 Tim walked out of the school gates for the last time! Within weeks his attitude began to change and Tim’s zest for life returned. Through the TAFE system Tim began a Certificate III in Entertainment and Rodleigh put him on as a trainee.

My husband Ian & I have reflected on Tim’s life as he has reached his 18th birthday and can truly say we are so very proud of him. We call him man-boy because he developed his body before his brain but he has accomplished a lot for such a young man.

Without circus I truly fear where Tim may have landed. But best of all I can say my baby son is a real ‘high flyer’.

Deb Wilks
Flipside Circus
Director

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UNCHARTED

Major Cross Cultural Performance Project 2007
Vulcana Women’s Circus, Multi-Link Community Services Inc., Speak Out and BEMAC worked in partnership to co-ordinate the workshop and performance project, Uncharted, bringing together culturally diverse artists, arts groups and communities to create a spectacular production at the end of 2007. This collaborative project is a unique fusion of arts organisations and community services to support migrant and refugee communities from non-English speaking backgrounds in developing existing artistic skills in the context of a new theatre production, and the opportunity to develop new skills in the dynamic artforms of circus, capoeira, puppetry, and music.

As arts organisations, Vulcana Women’s Circus, BEMAC and Speak Out will partner to provide an exciting range of workshops for young people (16+) who are supported by MultiLink to participate in the project. Professional and emerging troupes from Brisbane’s migrant communities and Vulcana’s emerging performers will also have access to this project, working together with artsworkers, director and workshop participants to create a spectacular piece of physical and musical theatre.

What’s it all about : BY DANIEL LAWRENCE
A collaboration that Vulcana Women’s Circus has been working on this year involving Sudanese Children from the Logan Community in Brisbane.
Note: This article was written prior to the performances that took place at the Judith Wright Centre – December 6-8, 2007

Vulcana Women’s Circus has addressed the need for physical activity and cultural development for many years. Once a year, Vulcana Women’s Circus produces a large community performance, developed along with community members. Through workshops arranged by Vulcana and Multilink, (Logan's community service) along with skilled performers, participants develop skills in circus and performing arts.

Uncharted is project that aims to create a spectacular performance by the end of the year with two performances at the Logan Entertainment Centre and one at the Judith Wright Centre. They will feature a mainly African cast bringing with them a distinct cultural input that will form the central theme for Uncharted.

One of the headline features is the martial art Capoeira, the well-known Brazilian “fight dance” created by enslaved Africans in the 19th century. In short, Capoeira is built largely around acrobatic kicks and cartwheels, and is performed to the beat of the music played buy the Rhoda (the group of people encircling the combatants). The instruments are played in a row called the bateria. Music plays a large role in capoeira and the chief instrument used is the berimbau, which resembles an archer's bow using a steel string and a gourd for resonance. It is played by striking the string with a stick, and a stone regulates the pitch. Capoeira instruments and rules can be researched at www.abadacapoeira.com.au. Other acts to look out for will include stilt walking, acrobatics and percussion.

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SpeakOut has been selected by the Vulcana Woman’s Circus to document the workshop series and rehearsals by film, photographing and the written word. The information will be displayed at the final production to illustrate the process to the audience.

How does your day start? With an Uncharted workshop, it starts with the almost mad exuberance of free expression and an almost child like playfulness. Participants are learning skills necessary for the final performance, during workshops held on Saturdays at the Logan Central Community Centre. It was at these workshops that SpeakOut, an organisation that trains creative youth in multimedia, observed the goings on.

The workshop series through the eyes of SpeakOut trainees

11-08-07: BY JASMIN ZADEY
When I first went to the Logan Central Community Centre I didn’t really know what to expect. The day started off with a few warm ups that I reluctantly participated in. Not being a very physical person myself, I had great difficulties keeping up with everyone. Though unlike me, the Uncharted crew were very keen to start practice.
Firstly, we all formed a circle and introduced ourselves to one another. The facilitators thought it would be best that we gave an action to go with our names and everyone followed suit after one another. My action was very simple, but a lot of the other participants were much more flexible and agile than me.

After about 15 minutes of warm ups, the Capoeira instructor, Claudio, began to teach participants the stance and moves of this self-defense art. Once they got the hang of it, music with the berimbau and other instruments were played.

At first I wondered why music was being played. But I later found out that Capoeira is rarely preformed without music. The beat is used to inspire more intense level of interaction amongst the players. It is also used to calm the participants down when the game becomes too heated.

All the participants enjoyed this workshop a lot. Even the younger children came in to join the Roda, one of them even ‘fighting’ the older ones!

11-08-07: BY JADE TOMPSON
Being an onlooker at the Uncharted workshops, you notice how everyone really enjoys and gets stuck into each activity that comes their way.
Whether it is high ropes, acrobatics or stilt walking – every participant no matter what age gets in and has a go.

At first, everyone is a bit shaky learning new tricks and moves, such as in the human caterpillar and high ropes. But with persistence and trial and error they took to it like ducks to water.

Even walking around the room in stilts for minutes at a time, every boy and girl had a go.
Though there were a few “little accidents” along the way, with the help of the teachers and friends the fallen were ready to get straight back up to give it another shot. Soon everyone was walking confidently from one end of the room to the other.

Outside the younger participants can be seen playing, drawing, laughing and running around. Whether it be acrobatics, spinning multiple hula-hoops at one time around their waists or simply making up tricks on the spot, it’s easy to believe that they are naturally talented.

Judging by the smiles and laughter that can be seen and heard throughout the room it is obvious that the most enjoyed part of the workshop is Capoeira. Forming a large circle, everyone is clapping and moving to the rhythm of the music and the beat of drums. Two people pair off and make their way inside the circle to perform the Brazilian Martial Art known as Capoeira. Cart wheeling and kicking over one another’s heads, everyone has a great time.

Looking at them all encouraging each other from the sideline, you can tell that by coming to the Uncharted workshops the participants have not only learnt some new skills, but have also made great new friends within the newly formed African community.

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18-08-07: BY TIANAY COLEMAN
The main thing I observed on Saturday was enthusiasm. Everyone there seemed to be happy and enjoying themselves 100%. One of the high points from Saturday was when the older participants were performing their routine in a circle, one of the younger girls came in from outside watched what the others were doing and in about three minutes had picked up the routine the others had been practicing for most of the morning and then jumped in the circle and performed it. It was amazing to see the process of her just stand there and learn it by just observing with no practice and then perform it almost flawlessly with no fear...amazing.
Everyone joined in, there was no hesitation. Everyone wanted to participate and no one second-guessed the instructors. It was amazing how fast the participants picked up the routines and how the instructors gave an example of what they were about to learn and straight away they would start trying to do it without further instructions…Courageous.

All the participants were welcoming to the SpeakOut trainees and allowed us to get on with our jobs there, they just went on with their business. For beginners this group showed amazing talent.

In summary the workshops were fun for everyone. It didn’t matter how old they were, how long they had been participating in the workshops or even if they were standing around filming, everybody had fun.

18-08-07: BY JACOB SETTGAST
Whilst attending the Uncharted workshops any onlooker will witness the enthusiasm in every person, their eagerness to get up and try everything is contagious. The children are equally eager to do anything physical or energetic or get down and do some art. It is interesting too see all the participants get involved in every activity whether it be Capoeria, a martial art form developed as a dance too hide its true intent. At one point there is a human wall built up of many participants consisting of a base with a second layer of people standing on their thighs and holding each other for support then letting go and raising their hands. Everyone is learning fast by watching and paying close attention to all activities and building up personal fitness as well as teamwork skills, they also make friends to last them a lifetime. Overall a great day was had by all, and we will all look forward to watching them perform in the upcoming weeks.

25-08-07:
On arriving at the Vulcana workshops the smell of sweat and hard work leaves you with a tingling nose. Stepping inside the workshop hall you are greeted with the smiling faces of an enthusiastic crowd eager to show the skills they’ve learnt and teamwork that they have achieved.

Funky music fills the workshops hall and echoes off the walls. The performers make the music their own by dancing in the non-contact dance/fight called Capoeira. Singing, dancing and clapping along, the smiles of the performers brighten with every beat of the music.

As the day progresses the participants bring out more circus equipment. They start out practising on stilts. At first the performers step nervously up to the stilts but less than thirty minutes later they are prancing around the hall looking down at everyone with achievement and confidence. The training looks easy as everyone stand on top of each other’s shoulders to build a human like pyramid. They build the pyramid not only on their physical strength but on the teamwork they have formed to hold the pyramid together. Showing no sign of fear and defying gravity the performers twist themselves around the high ropes and other circus equipment. At the end of the workshop the performers are still smiling. They quietly discuss their improvements, becoming more anxious for the big day.

This workshop and performance project will culminate in a production season at the Judith Wright Centre in early December 2007. In addition to the inner city performances, there will be a final performance of the new work at the Logan Entertainment Centre on 14 Dec.
• The season was a huge success and the show was vibrant, dynamic and energetic! Well done Vulcana!

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UPLIFTED- TRIX CIRCUS, GOLD COAST

Trix Circus, run by Master Trainer Rodleigh Stevens recently put on a successful season at the Gold Coast Arts Centre of “Uplifted”

Written and directed by Hayley Linthwaite it featuring 19 young circus performers aged 10-25.

Uplifted was a contemporary circus production seamlessly integrating circus, physical theatre, new media technologies, dance, animation and opera. It depicted a dreamlike journey of an everlasting avian romance when two cranes mate for life.

Rodleigh says: “To put on this kind of contemporary circus show in a high profile venue, Uplifted was a very good growing experience for Trix Circus and all of the performers involved” Over the short season of four shows over 980 people attended.
Lyra Act from Trix Circus’s show “Uplifted” Triple Trapeze Act from Trix Circus’s show “Uplifted

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FLIPSIDE CIRCUS TURNS 10!!

Yes, Brisbane's much loved kids circus Flipside had a milestone birthday this year! We celebrated with our major Production “Now I’m 10!” at the Brisbane Powerhouse in New Farm.

Aerial Cube act From “Now I’m 10!”

Now I’m 10! directed by Scott Maidment, was a gala occasion featuring a bucket load of cheesy music….(cue ‘Wake Me Up Before You Go Go’…!) combined with the dynamic skill and infectious energy of the Flipside Circus Performance troupe. The show also featured Flipsides super star Trainers as guest performers; Mark Winmill, Kristy Seymour, Brooke Dawson and Davey Sampford to name a few, as well as Flipside “graduates” Hannah Cryle, Ted Hully, Tim Wilks and Julian Roberts -who have moved on to NICA, Circo Arts (NZ) and Trix Circus- showing off their professional skills.To add icing to our already tasty birthday show Flipside also had the pleasure of having local actor/comedian Neridah Waters (Brides of Frank) as our Birthday Girl hosting the show. We had an amazingly successful season and had the pleasure of having our whole circus involved (all 300 of them!) with pre-show entertainment provided by our general class students aged 4-18 years.

We are now embarking on our very first tour next year to the Adelaide Fringe Festival, Performing in the Umbrella Revolution with Strut ‘n’ Fret Production house.
See the Events Calendar for more details!

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Last…… but Not Least a word from Mickey Skeleton - Melbourne
During ACAPTA’s Fabulous Risk conference , held in September 2006, I presented a paper (as a member of the Youth Panel which also featured Spencer from Flying Fruit Fly, Latesha – who sent us the article and images on ICAN and Lilikoi (founder of Opposable Thumbs) discussing the value of including circus in programs of physical education for youngsters, and how circus compared favourably to traditional Australian sporting alternatives such as football, basketball, tennis and cricket. This article will expand on some of those thoughts, and fill in some of the missing details and background from my argument. However first and foremost I should point out that, not having a passionate interest in any of the sporting activities mentioned above, I may be accused of failing to see what it is about them that attracts such devotion. To begin with then, I will simply state that I consider the fundamental difference between circus and sport to be; whereas circus encourages the opening up of attitudes, definitions and choices, sport actively functions in closing down these same categories, limiting its participants within restricted social roles, and at the same time discouraging analysis and examination of these roles.
Despite their differences, circus and sport do share several common features, the most ordinary of which is their basic physical nature. Also at the conference, Paul Bouissac from the University of Toronto explained that both activities use a shared language of physical actions that the audience instinctively recognise and appreciate. These actions, such as throwing, catching, dropping, running, leaping and falling etc. relate to what were once the basic conditions of survival for our evolutionary ancestors. The argument made by Bouissac was that we then recognise these actions on a purely unreflective level of our consciousness, and that watching them performed taps a communal physical language which creates a direct involvement of the audience within the spectacle of both circus and sport.
Which is all very well, but on top of this physical framework, there is also the thick and fatty layer of social meaning, and wrestling our way through this gelatinous muck we discover a few very serious (and very sticky) differences between circus and sport.
The most overwhelming is that the type of sports I am discussing are essentially simulations of combat. Australians, in their popular culture at least, appear to have a brutal thirst for the types of sport which pit one determined, ruthless and heroic team of (preferably) men, against another team of the same type. Several recent articles have discussed the political role of sport in Australian society, most notably identifying it as a war-like (or perhaps War Lite ©) activity which is in turn surrounded by the same mass hysteria whipped up through the rhetoric of mateship, glory, struggle and Aussy pride by war-time governments. From this observation conclusions are drawn about the manner in which sport operates as a cultural training ground that shapes and moulds us to be the good Australian citizens that we are.
I smell a conspiracy theory coming on, you say, rubbing your hands with feverish glee, lets see how the state REALLY operates! My apologies, but perhaps that’s a topic for an article in the not too distant future.
The important point is that these sports not only share a physical language with the evolutionary necessity of violence, and thus War, but can also be observed to share something of Wars social language as well.
As a cultural activity for the popular crowd, the ideas and definitions which are created by sport resonate throughout its audience. Some examples that could be given include the obvious prejudice towards forms of male physicality and aggression, hysterical (and blind) devotion to a team or ‘side’ engaged in a combative activity, as well as a worrying hatred of those who enforce the ‘rules’ (read morals) of any such combat. Making the connection between these examples and the way that Australia (and America) dismissed the UN in order to invade Iraq and “get” the terrorists, is a fairly simple leap.
Suffice to say that the Australian industry of sport, and its intricate connections with the mass media and the political climate of our country is a topic which a braver writer than I is called towards, holding his nose as he rummages through sweaty pint glasses of homophobia, misogyny, racism, and John Howard’s green and gold jogging suit. Not for me thanks.
The focus of this here article is on positive forms of education through circus. Of course any argument about our cultural and social roles, as shaped by various activities, must start with our time in the school yard. Throughout primary school and high school we are exposed to an enormous amount of information – one of these being a set of dominant physical conventions which are enshrined in our Phys Ed class. Typical competitive school sports (again) teach children to accept things such as male domination, aggressive behaviour, physical competition and humiliation, winning at all costs and varying standards of ability as the normal and natural order of things.
Physical Education is obviously a necessary part of any curriculum, but unfortunately the general vision of what it entails is rather limited. To teach children how to take responsibility for their own physical needs, - such as participating in a neighbourhood walk-to-school bus - and how to create in them an enjoyment of physical exercise is something which should have a much broader area of input. Circus is a entirely more positive and ‘open’ way for children to learn and experience alternative forms of physicality.
One of the most fundamental differences between sport games and circus is that circus is non-competitive. As a performance based activity its emphasis is on the shared enjoyment of entertaining with (and being entertained by), beauty, grace, humour, spectacle and risk. This means that kids can take pride in their activity, just for being able to do it, rather than relying on their success in defeating the other team.
This is another essential point – that circus encourages the practice of skill and dexterity for the value inherent in the activity itself – not for their tactical advantage only. No child is going to ask Why? They are learning how to tumble – which kid doesn’t want to be able to cartwheel?
Circus also encourages positive group relations within troupes or classes. Rather than one set of actions which everyone must practice, circus engenders teamwork within diversity simply by the sheer number of skills that can be taken up. A good performance has not only acrobats and aerialists, but also jugglers, contortionists, clowns, ringmasters and even freaks! By making the benefits of diversity obvious, and by encompassing such a wide skill range, circus breaks down stereotypes of the ideal physical form which so many kids struggle with.
This leads into another point about humour and performance – the shyest, fattest, nerdi-est kid in the back of the class could turn out to be the brightest and wittiest comedian or clown. Circus in schools can allow those children whose self-confidence or fitness stops them from success in one area, to find themselves in another. Encouraged in the right way, this can save us all from many years of angsty university comedians, and young teenage eye-makeup wearing emos. Tell the kids that they’re great right from the start and we all win.
A counter-argument which may be given for the merit of traditional sports is that they promote teamwork which uses co-operation and trust to achieve a goal. However this brings me to my final point, concerning the nature of the activities themselves.
The final and fundamental difference between these two forms is that sport is governed by a archaic and restrictive set of Rules (with a capital aRh), which are fundamental to the game. You cannot play sport without the Rules. This in turn cheapens the co-operation which is employed by those playing, for reasons which I don’t feel that I need to expand upon.
On the extreme other-hand Circus enshrines the valuable principle of creativity – thus where sport is ‘closed’ as a form of activity, Circus is ‘open’. In circus, there are no rules, only guidelines of safety. This freedom to create encourages kids to work together, to set their own goals, to imagine and to share, and these valuable things should not be turned away from lightly.
Within education, it is a constant struggle to hold and keep children’s interest long enough to in fact teach them something valuable about their lives as young humans. (I should know having been the resident trouble maker in primary school. Little wonder I’m now a bloody feral anarchist! ) By teaching Circus alongside sport in Australian schools, we can begin to resolve behavioural and social problems before they take hold. While it is somewhat arrogant to leap from primary education to questions of broader society, I think that the differences engendered by the two activities are clear enough to provide a compelling argument for an alternative type of physical education for children, and given the hold that Youth Circus has within the circus community right now, it seems that the iron is hot to strike forward with these new ideas.
cheers.
MICKEY SKELTON

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Upcoming Events:

WA Circus Festival:
When: Feb 1st-3rd.
Where: Karridale, Margaret River
This also includes pre-event workshops:
Festival Training Program- 24th-30th Jan
Lunar Circus Summer School 7th -18th Jan
Or more information and Registration forms go to: www.lunarcircus.com

FLIPSIDE CIRCUS and Strut n Fret present “XTREME POPERA”
When: 29th Feb-9th March 2008
Where: Adelaide Fringe Festival
Venue: Umbrella Revolutions, The Garden of Unearthly Delights

ACAPTA CIRCUS CONFERENCE
When: 1st-4th of March 2008
Where: The Garden of Unearthly Delights, Adelaide Fringe Festival
Check out Conferences for more information and session updates

That’s all for this edition of the ACAPTA Youth Newsletter. Please send any ideas or submissions you have for next years edition to kristy@flipsidecircus.org.au

If you have an article to submit don’t hesitate to contact me at: kristy@flipsidecircus.org.au