Why Circus? - published in Tumbleweeds Family Newspaper

Why Circus?

Clowning, trapeze, juggling and stilt-walking
build strong bodies and spirits

By Amy Christian

One weekend in October, five teachers, artists and administrators from Wise Fool New Mexico hopped in the car and headed to Boulder for a national conference of circus educators.

You might imagine a bunch of crazy-looking clowns hanging out and throwing pies at each other all day, but the reality was a two-day conference jam-packed with workshops ranging from “peace through pyramids” to “grant writing” and “burnout prevention” to “aerial rigging basics.” With 70 attendees from 38 youth circus organizations, there was a lot to take in and share!

Between sessions, administrators stood in the hallways swapping fundraising secrets and community relations advice, while teachers played around in the studio space of the Boulder Circus Center, the site of this year’s conference, stretching, juggling, swapping spotting techniques and practicing acrobatics with their peers from across the country.

New Mexicans may be surprised to hear that circus— as an educational tool and community builder—is now a rising tide across the United States and around the world. The group responsible for the conference, the American Youth Circus Organization (AYCO), is part of this tide. Founded 10 years ago “to promote the participation of youth in circus arts,” AYCO offers an alternating schedule of annual circus festivals (where youth from across North America come together to perform, train and attend workshops), and educators conferences (where coaches, teachers and administrators come to share, learn, expand and dialogue).

So why circus? What exactly does circus have to offer our youth? The short answer is, so much! In fact, Reg Bolton, a revered circus innovator and teacher, has written an entire thesis, “Why Circus Works,” which looks at the many ways circus arts offer youth positive experiences in “essential aspects of child development: self-individuation, risk, trust, dream/aspiration, work and fun!”

Circus is a world of “all possibility,” an innovative and creative way to impart life skills, encourage respect for oneself and others and teach responsible risk-taking. In today’s hyper-insured and litigious society, our discouragement of risk-taking often hinders children in developing a healthy sense of assessment and responsibility. If you cannot experience an appropriate level of risk as a youth, you cannot learn to determine what is safe, possible or unreasonable, test your strengths, or push your boundaries; you cannot prove yourself. Worse, those who avoid appropriate risk in childhood may later turn to inappropriate and often self-destructive means of self-individuation.

Youth participating in circus arts are constantly challenged to take physical, emotional and social risks in a safe and supportive environment where they can expand their boundaries and challenge themselves to do the impossible.

Here are just a few highlights from Wise Fool’s experience of circus training benefiting local youth:

Photo by Lex Python

Stilt-walking is a great example of constructive risk combined with aspiration (what kid doesn’t want to be taller than their parents?), trust and fun! In learning to stilt-walk, youth must rely on their peers to hold their hands, and use selfassessment skills to determine when they are ready to balance on their own. Ultimately, they must engage their self-confidence to release the supporting hands. If they let go before they are ready, they fall, get back up, focus and work harder on their balance before trying again. The look of sheer joy in a youth’s eyes during a first solo walk moves me every time, even after seeing hundreds of kids do it.

Circus arts are noncompetitive. They build community. Individuals compete only with themselves and their level of achievement. You cannot build a human pyramid unless everyone works together. From the base to the tip, everybody has a unique and crucial role in making it work. Each youth becomes aware of their own importance in the bigger scheme and the real meaning of trust and trustworthiness.

Building strength and confidence in one’s self and others while reaching a common goal benefits everyone. In the end it is not “beating” another team that is the reward, but the incredible sense of self-accomplishment and acknowledgement from “performing” for peers, family, friends or audiences. One parent told us her child avoided performing in the culmination of any project, camp or school show, but she shone bright on stage in the circus and showed no anxiety or fear leading up to it. Another child in circus camp had consistently hurt kids in other programs and had been expelled from other camps; he needed attention and physical contact, and more than anything to prove himself. Circus encouraged him to do “risky things” and get attention not for acting out, but for working hard to perfect the trick and best himself. Meeting the challenge of joining in the show’s acrobatic pyramid and of having others see and acknowledge him for it was a significant turning point both for him and his family.

Photo by Lex Python

At Wise Fool we believe that circus taps into each person’s ability to meet their dreams, aspirations and fears head on: to do what seems impossible!

Whether that is to juggle seven balls, dangle from the ceiling or graduate from college, the empowerment that comes from achieving one’s goals and being acknowledged for it builds strong, healthy individuals who understand that believing in ourselves and supporting each other moves us beyond our imagined limitations and in the process builds a more compassionate and united community.

Photo by Kate Russell	Photo by Amy Christian

Amy Christian is a founder and Artistic Director of Wise Fool New Mexico. To learn more about Wise Fool’s summer camps, afterschool programs, adult classes, workshops, and performances visitwww.wisefoolnewmexico.org, or call 505-992-2588.

To learn more about AYCO, go to www.americanyouthcircus.org