Network of International Circus Exchange: The Palestinian Circus School, Ramallah, Palestine

What we want to achieve

The Palestinian Circus wants to develop the creative potential of young people irrespective of their socio-economic and cultural background or physical ability. It seeks to engage young people, empowering them to challenge their perception of themselves, to become positive actors of change in their society. Children and youth will learn circus arts such as acrobatics, juggling, human pyramids, ropes, trapeze, balancing and clowning mixed with other artistic expressions as dance and theatre.

Through these arts we want to educate them in acquiring basic skills such as teamwork, equality, cooperation, physical support and most importantly trust. They will learn to make choices, create results, develop personal intuition, direct their knowledge and perception of their world and their culture and interact with others in a constructive environment.

Next to that the circus school wants to encourage the development of a new art form in Palestine, and nurture a new generation of artists of the future. An art form that is inherently dynamic, experimental, and aimed at challenging traditional perceptions of arts and artistic interaction. We will motivate and guide students to select their area of expertise (acrobatics, static trapeze, flying trapeze, trampoline, juggling, etc.…). We will offer them the support and training of professional artists and educators from abroad that will help students to excel in their chosen discipline.

In last instance, we want the circus to be an open space for creativity on all levels, enhancing a very strong level of participation of all people involved: students, trainers, volunteers and the community at large.

Beneficiaries

The circus school will target youth and children from 10 years up, but will also elaborate workshops and trainings for all ages.

The project intends to target the underprivileged such as those from the refugee camps and the villages. The project will also target children and youth from the city of Ramallah, Bethlehem and Abu Dis so as to encourage social interaction among the different regions. Note: Adolescent girls will be specifically targeted to participate in this program so to ensure a mixed gender atmosphere.

The Palestinian community at large will definitely benefit from what the circus will offer because they will obtain a group of young people able to express themselves in a healthy manner. It will enhance a creative and self confident generation able to balance their physical and mental abilities.

The future

The 10 Palestinian trainers and students will continue training on a weekly basis. On November the 17th the "Circus Behind the Wall" Show will be presented at The International Centre (Dar El Nadwa) in Bethlehem. The week after, part of our dream of working with the children and youth from the Palestinian refugee camps, will come through by realizing a workshop with children and youth followed by a show in El Ama'ri refugee camp.

Moreover we will realize several workshops and present several shows during Eid El-Adha.

After that we plan, and hope to be able, to tour the West Bank, Gaza and Jerusalem with "Circus Behind the Wall" show. We also hope to be able to present our show abroad. We received a first invitation from Italy.

At the beginning of next year the circus will open its doors for the first children from 10 years onwards. Trainings will take place in Bethlehem, Ramallah, Abu Dis and the village of Safa (a more detailed description you can find in the attached proposal).

Several of the international trainers who joined us throughout the August workshop plan to come back later to continue trainings. We are looking for other circus coaches from abroad to join in the circus school, for long term and short term trainings. During the summer of 2007 we plan to organise an intense training and develop our next show: “The dreamer kid”.

During the whole year, and especially during holiday periods, we would like to give workshops for kids in villages and refugee camps.

We dream of starting workshops in the future for the most deprived children we see roaming the streets these days in all major cities in Palestine, and for children with special needs.

In the summer of 2008 we want to plan the first international circus festival – lasting 5 days - in Palestine in all major cities.