Circus Skills for 11-16 years disabled Children
Painted Clown
What is it?
A series of Circus skills workshops for 11-16 years disabled Children in a partnership between Albert & Friends Instant Circus, Hammersmith & Fulham Action on Disability (HAFAD) and Shape.
Why should we do it? Three reasons
- Our funding from Hammersmith & Fulham Council requested that our next project involved disabled children and young people.
- I was interested in Circus as an art form that had yet to consider issues of disability. Circus is about strength, precision, balance and control so how would disabled people with limited strength/precision/balance and control do Circus? How would Circus adjust in techniques and attitudes to include disabled Circus practitioners?
- An extremely limited budget which meant that I had to create a partnership, using the resources of all three organisations, to successfully deliver this project.
What was the result?
A successful series of weekly participatory Circus skills workshops delivered by Albert & Friends with disabled children and young people from HAFAD. The workshops continued beyond the original Shape funded project and the young people had the opportunity to participate in Albert & Friends Circus for Success project and the 2008 London International Youth Circus.
As a result of the insight you displayed in using A&FIC (Albert & Friends Instant Circus) for this project, a permanent workshop has been set up at HAFAD (Hammersmith & Fulham Action on Disability). This workshop is very successful and the HAFAD management, as well as other groups of young people with disabilities, have realised the inclusive nature of learning circus skills and many young people are enjoying participating in an activity they probably never thought possible.
Petrea Owens – Albert & Friends Instant Circus