Every year we run a week-long circus camp for kids. Sometimes it’s in the easter or tattie holidays, but most often it’s in the summer. This year, thanks to funding from the UK Shared Prosperity Fund, we were able to offer subsidised places in our course for kids and we were also able to run an evening course for adults, also with subsidised places.
During the kids circus camp all of the young people get to try a little bit of everything, from spinning plates to trapeze, from juggling to aerial hoop. The focus of the week is to get to know each other, learn some incredible skills, to be creative and, of course, to have fun! We play a bunch of games to encourage confidence and creativity and work on performance skills. During the course of the week the young people are encouraged to choose some of their favourite apparatus and put together a routine. This can be a solo, duo or trio – whatever they want! They all make one aerial and one ground act. We help where needed, but are always amazed by the incredible ideas these young people have and all of the energy and enthusiasm they put into what they make. We also collectively choreograph a group routine which opens the show! This year the theme of the show was “Wild Circus” so we had monkeys, tigers and dragonflies all gracing the stage.
The evening course for adults was also a creative course, focusing on creating an aerial routine. We were so grateful to get funding for this as we often find that adults don’t spend the money on themselves, largely because they can’t afford it, to do these kinds of courses and the results of taking part are so beneficial. We had a range of students at varying levels, from advanced to complete beginners, and we are so proud of how so many of them pushed themselves out of their comfort zone by taking part, by creating something uniquely theirs, and by performing it in front of a live audience.
The courses always culminate in a live performance usually at the village hall where we teach. But this year, thanks to the funding we received and in celebration of becoming a charity, we decided to take the show to Forres Town Hall. On the 17th August we performed to an audience of 100, made up of friends and family, a successful show. We can’t wait to come back next year!
Video by Jason Sinclair
Photos by Mark Richards
