India 2019 – Kudle Beach Bootcamp

On a fateful day in India, January the 12th of 2019, the sun blasted down upon the dry, dusty earth, heating the steel train tracks and the speeding compartments above to a boil – an appropriate temperature to get simmering the eager ingredients of the Indian PWB tour which had only just been thrown in the pot together. Those delectable ingredients are: Dan our fearless leader and double diabolo monkey, Erika the high-flying acrobatic chicken with a side of salad, Matt the dog-whispering devil stick shaman, Gina the indomitable clown and tooting trumpeter, Chaka the Chief and triple staff extraordinaire, Iain the dexterous juggling primate and our favorite Ma’ away from home, Ashlee the hero-princess of poi and bringer of infinite smiles, and myself, Logan, resident giant juggling bird of paradise and hoarder of all ice creams. So with all the zeal of a newly formed group of adventurers we hastened toward our first home in India, Kudle Beach in the village of Gokarna. What a fantastic home it was! Our passion for the discovery of the local culture and cuisine was noticeable immediately and equal only to the determination to develop friendships and share our myriad circus skills with one another.

We worked hard every day to become as mentally and physically fit as required in order to tackle the strenuous work ahead of us. The mornings brought yoga classes, group games, flexibility and strength training sessions. Afternoons floated by, filled with rehearsals under the tropical sun and a dutiful efficiency. Evenings rewarded our efforts with the exploration of tasty delicacies, westerly ocean sunsets, and the pursuit of our diverse whimsies. Adjusting quickly to the climate and setting, we found our individual routines, whether they be an early morning swim, well-timed juggle breaks, or an epic shower after a long day’s work! Focus fell naturally on the development of the group dynamic; intentions were set to develop workshop skills and the upcoming debut of our first show.

Amid the increasing strain of show development, two unsung heroes reared their faces to assist us on our tireless journey. The first is known as Dave Ford, present entertainer, improv player and past PWB veteran from years ago. With his appearance came a plethora of perfectly timed acting, improvisation, character, and show development workshops. His engaging presence and committed enthusiasm in assisting our cause was palpable, tipping the scales of success in our favour as we watched our skills and capacity for expression grow exponentially. The second hero that crossed our path is called Shubhra Gupta, also know as our wonderful new friend and ultimate guide to all things India. Her presence helped immensely with our easing into the foreign culture in innumerable ways. The universe around us then came together in one of those serendipitous and rare ways, bringing the revelation that she could gift the fruits of her career – costume design – to our cause, that we might further suspend the disbelief of the already infinitely imaginative children that awaited the spectacle of our upcoming circus.

And so with the injection of such wonderful help, our fiercely determined adventurers played, explored and worked until they found theirselves losing their humanity and becoming the wild creatures of their skillfully crafted jungle story. This fantastic parable would have our heroes adventure deep into the savage jungle with the help of its many strange inhabitants to seek a circusy treasure guarded by a terrible monster. With its unexpected defeat would come the jubilant celebration of all things good and playful! Finally the last day of bootcamp came and with it the busking and frantic flyering about town to advertise the beach-born opening of our terrific jungle tale. Despite the sand, wind, and a last minute injury leading to the subsequent, temporary loss of our infamous flying chicken, we boldly took the stage. With courage and a proclivity toward improvisation, we enraptured the imaginations of hundreds of lucky on-looking adventurers and brought them on our journey with us into the unknown jungle. We were destined inevitably to breach the veil of triumph in a cacophony of applause as the sun fell softly into the ocean like feather at the close of our final scene…and so the adventure had finally, truly begun.

❤

Logan “Kaa!” Goethe

PWB Kenya 2016 – A Newbie’s Perspective by Joe Dickinson

Mambo, jina langu Joe! (Hi, my name’s Joe!) I am currently on tour with the fabulous human beings of the Performers Without Borders tour in Kenya. Right now we have been in Nairobi for just under a month and have worked with two different projects while we’ve been here. I am very fortunate to be surrounded by veterans of previous tours; all four other members of our team have taken part in PWB projects in the past, which makes me the newbie! The whole tour so far has been an amazing experience and I’d like to share my angle on it, particularly with those of you who may be considering applying for and undertaking your very first tour.

Me, just before heading to the airport!

So, what did I expect? Despite trying to keep my expectations to a minimum, I was full of ideas of what life on tour might be like, how living with the team would be and the kind of work we would be doing with the children at the various projects along the way. It will not surprise you to learn that I’ve been off the mark once or twice and I’d like to share the small amount of tour wisdom that I have accumulated up to now.

I shall begin, as one should, at the beginning. I applied for this tour back in the summer of 2015, having been pointed in this direction by my performing partner. After a simple application process and a very friendly Skype interview I was informed that I’d been accepted as a member of the team. I was elated and nervous and began, slowly, to prepare for the trip.

After a few Skype conversations with the team over the following months things slowly came together. Flights booked, vaccinations up to date, fund-raising done [see video here!]. Before I knew it the new year had rolled around and I was on a plane to Mombasa, the main port city of the Kenyan coast. The others on the team had booked their flights into Nairobi (on the other side of the country) so I had a couple of days at the accommodation in Diani, where we had our bootcamp, to myself before the others arrived.

The view from our accommodation in Diani.

I should mention that this tour is my first time outside of Europe and a big step out of my comfort zone. Having those two days without the team around me to overcome the worst of the culture shock and settle in were very helpful for me but it was, nevertheless, a joy to see the others when they arrived. They’d actually made it to the accommodation the night before but the watchman at the site had put them in another block!

Surrounded by the team and thrown headfirst into the task of teambuilding and making a show, our two weeks at bootcamp flew by. Having the weird and wonderful characters of the team around me during this period of adjustment was such a pleasure and, despite getting sunstroke (remember to hydrate!) and the emotional upheaval of missing home, we really bonded as a group and put together the first version of our show, known as ‘Sleepy Fly’.

The team before our first show, Lillian is behind the camera for this one!

The team here in Kenya are a fantastic bunch, we have a great mix of skills and personalities. In no particular order we have:

Coco – Juggler, clown and theatre nerd. He’s been involved with social circus projects like The Serious Road Trip [website] and was part of the PWB India 2014 team. My roommate, training and club-passing buddy throughout the tour so far, off to climb Kilimanjaro in his week off. Nutter, nice guy.

Katie – Former student of Circomedia in Bristol, dancer, clown and undercover juggler. Katie has worked at summer camps teaching circus for the last few years and went to Sierra Leone as part of a PWB team. She has loads of energy for the kids and silliness amongst the team. Diamond.

Lillian – Graduate of Naropa University in Colorado. A well-travelled and caring soul, bringing a wealth of knowledge of theatrical teaching and practice to the team as well as being an idea factory in the show-making process. Loves to clown and paint with the kids. A free spirit.

Abi – Performer with Chaplin’s Circus in the UK. Abi is our tour coordinator and came here to run a project by herself last year (respect!). With a lot to organise and keep track of I am consistently amazed at the amount of energy she has left for the kids. Powerhouse.

Having these guys around me has been amazing, united by the common desire to make this project work we have really formed as a team and our differences have made us diverse and flexible. After a month of sharing a flat and the pressures of living and working in Nairobi together, we are strong. PWB attracts some wonderful people and it’s a real pleasure to be travelling and working with some of them!

The day-to-day operation of the tour is all go. We teach and/or perform 6 days a week on the projects and manage to find time to refine the show, train our individual skills and keep up with the necessities in between! Boot camp on the coast was intensely hot throughout, a very pleasant change from the British winter. Diani beach is one of the most beautiful in the world and working on the show whilst sipping from a fresh coconut was a rare pleasure!

After our time there (and a nine hour bus ride on rough roads) we came to Nairobi to begin our work in earnest. Nairobi is Kenya’s capital, home to country’s biggest slum (Kibera), awkwardly juxtaposed with the huge villas of the nation’s wealthy and powerful. A city of real contrast and unbelievable volumes of traffic.

During our two-week period of working with acrobats of The Sarakasi Trust [website] in their training and outreach projects we spent a whole lot of time on the matatus (privately owned buses, brightly decorated, playing loud music) averaging four hours a day getting in and out of town. I got used to this pretty quickly, sharing the weirdness of the experience with others certainly helps! Living and working with the same group of people every day in a new and chaotic environment has certainly not been without its challenges but it’s a credit to focus and drive of the team that all the little sticking points are quickly resolved or accommodated for the greater good of the project. It’s a great dynamic to work with.

A view over Kibera.

Of course, all of this is about working with the kids! Over the last two weeks we have been working with our partner, The Koinonia Project [website], at one of their children’s homes called the Kivuli Centre. This is an open community centre with a pharmacy and library that also houses 35-40 rescued boys, who were formerly street kids or the children of single parents who couldn’t cope.

The boys sleep in two dorms, depending on their age and are fed and looked after by a house ‘mama’ as well as receiving lessons in drumming and acrobatics from local trainers. The boys come from a tough place and connecting with them and keeping them engaged was pretty tricky to begin with. They were prone to fight and squabble and this takes a lot of energy out of the teachers.

Working with the boys at the Kivuli Centre.

We have very quickly got them onside and we’ve been priveleged to see some startling progress from them. Skills with the props are coming on fast; the boys are hungry to learn and pretty adept at it! They’ve been engaging really well with the theatre and clown workshops run by the team as well and their cheeky, slapstick sense of humour is really starting to emerge.

Seeing the progress of kids in this way has been a very fulfilling experience and it’s heartening after a few weeks of one-off visits to possible new locations and partners. All this is part of laying the groundwork for future tours in the country but it’s hard to leave a group of smiling faces knowing you may not see them again.

A one-off visit to a children’s project in Kibera.

So, would I recommend going on tour with PWB? The short answer is “Heck, yes!”  if you have a skill or two to share and the time to do it.  I had considered applying for tours in previous years and always managed to make excuses about my commitments at home in the UK or my ability to contribute to a project like this.

I couldn’t have been more wrong; with the support of the team I’ve found that I have a lot to share and a lot to learn from the teachers and children I’m working alongside. Performing arts have a real power to open people up and make space for community and fun, even in deprived places. Perhaps, especially in deprived places. The work is emotionally demanding but you might just find yourself surrounded by the perfect people  both to make a real change in the world with, and to help you grow, yourself!

Our First Kenya Tour

Our story so far- inspired by words in Swahili. Written by Abi, Tour Co-ordinator

‘Safari’ : ‘Journey’

This tour was a long time in the making.  It is the first time PWB has taken a team to Kenya. I made a trip here last year as a solo teacher, visiting projects and planning the tour.  I’m super-excited to be bringing four talented teachers along with me this time!

Fresh off the plane; Lillian, Katie, Joe, Abi and Coco

‘Twende!’ : Lets Go!

Arriving in sunny, sticky Mombasa on the eastern coast of Kenya, the whole team had so much drive to learn and create together; interluded only by team ‘mango eating’, and team ‘let’s swim in the sea’ time. Our manifesto included grow, share, express and PLAY! We created our show and shared skills in theatre, improv, club manipulation and acrobalance.

Diani Beach, 30 metres from our cottage

In our spare time we went snorkling, ate coconuts and fresh fish and played in our huge garden alongside all of the monkeys including the beautiful black and white colobus monkeys and mango-stealing baboons.

Workshops in Kibera- Africa’s second biggest slum

‘Mambo’: Hello!

We headed to Nairobi, where our first project takes place. Getting on the bus, not just any bus, the the famous Nairobi ‘matatus’; graf’ed up, pumping out reggae, afrobeat and sometimes – to our surprise – country and western! What an introduction!

Coco teaching at the Sarakasi youth circus

‘Sarakasi’ : Circus

Sarakasi is a centre for performing arts in Kenya and our first partner in Nairobi. They teach acrobatics and dance internally and send teachers to outreach projects. The performers here perfect their skills in acrobatics, juggling and take acro and pyramids to dizzying new heights!

Playtime at the Sarakasi Dome

‘Kidumbuisha’ : Lets Play

We started teaching alongside the Sarakasi teachers on their outreach projects such as in a garden of Bahat Boys centre, a drop in centre for street boys, in a centre in the Kibera slum and 150 very exited kids in Kayole. it allowed us to build on our Swahili, and learn new games and songs too.

The kids show off their pyramids overlooked by their teacher Samjee; Outreach in Kayole

‘Gerazani’ : Prison

One of our most memorable workshops was in Kamiti Maximum security prizon, after we went through all of the security and seriousness we were greeted by a group of bright eyed gents who picked up juggling so quickly!  Afterwards they showed us some of the pyramids they had learnt from Washika the acrobatics trainer from Sarakasi. We heard afterwards that some of them made their own juggling balls out of rags and sand. A truly wonderful and memorable experience

Games with the inmates at Kamiti maximum security prizon

‘Kugawana’: Sharing

I really believe that in sharing we are stronger, at Sarakasi we did one of their acrobatic workshops, and in turn we invited them to join us in the surreal world of improvisation, mime and theatre. We also held a discussion on working with children, doing games and role-plays with the outreach teachers at Sarakasi

Discussions on teaching at Sarakasi dome.

‘Karibu’: Welcome

Our second week was partnering with the Smiles for Change Project (formerly Sarakasi Hospital Project), bringing performing arts to disadvantaged children in Hospital and rehabilitation centres. We did a wonderful workshop to Kirigitti girls rehabilitation centre alongside Mulkasa a musician and Lilian a social worker, we taught them hula hoops, acrobalance and self defence. We also did our new and improved show at Kenyatta National Hopsital, I will never forget looking out onto 84 little smiling faces, who for a few moments forgot their pain and worries and laughed! [We are sorry but we cannot show photos of this project]

Our biggest workshop as a team so far; 150 smiling faces! In Kayole

‘Asante Sana’ : Thankyou very much

I would like to say thank you so much to everyone that has supported this project to bring smiles to the children of Kenya, for supporting Performers Without Borders and our wonderful teachers and volunteers.

Thanks for Reading. Lots of Love, Abi and the Kenya 2016 team.

 

PWB Nicaragua – Final Blog

By Rob Thorburn

Many parts of Central America are like a paradise on earth and Nicaragua is certainly no exception. From lazy hammock sunsets over the Pacific ocean and jungle treks to gently smoking volcano craters or beautiful rivers punctuated by waterfalls and gorges all the way to sipping piña coladas on the boulevard while being serenaded by mariachis or tasting hand-made organic chocolate made by the person standing right in front of you. Between the members of PWB Nica we’ve managed all of the above and more on top of 9 days of boot camp, 60 days of teaching and 30 shows in less than three months. We’ve seen the country from the far north to the far south, and from the Pacific west coast to the Caribbean islands off the east. We didn’t quite make it into the rainforest, but we have spent time in the 3 biggest cities, many smaller towns and villages, with a few trips into the middle of nowhere for good measure. Of course it’s not all paradise, and we’ve seen some of the darker side of life too – it’s one of the things that is unmissable on a PWB tour as it brings you in close contact with those who are pushed to the edges of society, even in a land that is fertile, beautiful, friendly and open. There’s a incredibly high poverty rate and many children live on the streets, either earning money through begging, crime or prostitution or escaping the realities of life in a bottle of glue. Even for those with homes, a lot of them have very little to look forward to in life beyond menial jobs, crowded living quarters and poor sanitation. It’s heartbreakingly sad, and all we can hope is that we bring a little seed of joy into the lives of those we work with.

From our perspective the tour has exceeded expectations across the board – in each place the children and young people astounded us with their appetite for learning new skills and with their friendly attitude and openness towards a group of somewhat eccentric performers who descended on them with a very British sense of punctuality and structure. Fortunately there were two quick realisations on our part which made everything run smoothly. Firstly, we adjusted our Britishness to a more Latino outlook – as flexible and open as possible, and letting the tour happen to us rather than pushing to make it work exactly the way we had planned. Secondly, as we spent more time in each place we came to realise that eccentricity is not just for circus performers; the organisations we were working with were headed by individuals who are incredibly passionate, fun, intelligent, driven, absolutely in love with music, theatre and circus, and just a little bit crazy to top it off – exactly what we were looking for!

Our mission was slightly different in the three places we focused upon. In Granada at La Escuela de Comedia y el Mimo we were working with children and young people who already have a knowledge of circus, and we were looking to give them new skills, as well as helping the school with some new ideas for how they can work as an organisation. Although we wish we’d had more time with them, it was still a great success – the young people in the core and learning groups showed a progression that was astonishing in the short time we had with them, and the organising team were very open to ideas of how to develop their festival and their funding strategy. We wish them the very best of luck for both in the future, and can’t wait to come for another edition of El Berrinche Ambiental.

El Barrilete in Léon was an entirely different prospect –  it’s a youth project working with around 120 children from 3-18, with one lonely unicyclist among their number. Although they have some cultural activities, their main focus is as a homework and vocational skills centre; taking kids off the streets and away from child-labour situations. They took to circus incredibly quickly, and by the time we left were already incorporating it into their regular performance group – they now have stiltwalkers, acrobats, hula-hoopers and jugglers to present alongside their beautiful traditional dances, comedy sketches and giant puppets!

In San Marcos, it seemed as if all of the things that could go well for a PWB project turned up at the same time in the same place – including hugely enthusiastic partners from Asociacion Los Quinchos as well as focused and dedicated kids, eager to soak up as much as we could give them in the time we had. The climate there was a little friendlier too, and we all revelled in the semi-rural beauty of the Barrio we lived in – after a month of Léon’s hot and bustling streets, a 2km walk to a 14 acre finca where you can pluck ripe mangos from the trees certainly puts you in a good mood to teach! Once again, the speed at which the young people learned was incredible, and the skill on display during the final show was mind-blowing after just 3 short weeks. In the time since we left, we’ve been really happy to hear that they are regularly having circus practise, and have plans to put on several shows with their new-found talents.

A PWB project isn’t just about the work we do with our main partners – on this tour we performed in many schools and projects in and around the areas we visited, and made hundreds of connections all over the country and across Central and South America. One of our big goals was to find out more about the national social circus scene, and to try to help it to develop and connect up in whatever way we could. This aim is more long-term than the instant fun we can offer through shows and workshops, but it’s also one of the best ways we can share the PWB vision and get as many kids from every walk of life involved in something we love. We’ve made some great steps both on- and off-project, connecting up various different organisations, donating and fixing equipment in project locations as well as to a few other groups, and generally making as much noise as we can about how great circus, theatre and music can be for kids. In total we taught around 200 children and performed for closer to 4,500 – a good target to aim to beat for future PWB tours!

We’ve made a lot of friends in the last 3 months, and to tell the truth it’s proving very hard to leave this wonderful country. It’s just the beginning of what we hope to be a long and fruitful adventure for Performers Without Borders in Nicaragua, but it feels like the end of an era – already most of the team is back in the UK, and I have just one last visit to make to all of the projects before leaving the country. As Tour Co-ordinator, I’d like to say a final huge thank you to all our supporters far and near, to all the members of the team, to the PWB founders for beginning the whole thing, to all the organisations we’ve worked with over the past three months, and most of all to the children and young people we’ve met and shared with – you make it all worthwhile.

Follow PWB Nicaragua:

PWB Twitter: @peauubee

PWB Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/PerformersWithoutBorders

Its Absolutely Darjeeling

As we rise from the heat and chaos of the north Indian lowlands our three-hour jeep ride gives us 2300m increase in altitude. As the landscape around us is morphed and contorted by forces continental in size, likewise the faces of the locals widen into more oriental and Tibetan smiles.

 

Darjeeling town, perched atop a ridge and clinging in a tumbling way down the steeper parts, has a very colonial feel. But compared to the grandiose imposing architecture of Kolkata here it is in a much quainter and polite way. You would be forgiven for mistaking many of the buildings for 1950s railway tea houses albeit crossed with a slightly rustic alpine chalet. This old fashioned England feel exists alongside the now familiar and unmistakably Indian staples such as open sewers (now turned into wretch-inducing mini waterfalls in places thanks to the Himalayan incline) wandering street dogs and various malformed beggars that nicely counterbalance the upper-class ageing English ladies enjoying their 200 rupee-a-cup Specialist 2013 1^st flush Darjeeling tea. (Average price of a cup of chai on the street is 5 rupees for comparison)

Our first visit to the Edith Wilkins Street Children Foundation centre was very inspiring, a very well organised affair And although the nature of this project is a little more serious than others (some of the children here are having problems at home while others may have been rescued from child trafficking operations) we have never had a more giggly audience for our debut show, and Indeed in our first workshops I was impressed at how much more attentive and excited these kids are to learn what we have to teach.

 Before we performed our show for them we were treated to one from the children themselves. This being the 3^rd year PWB has come they are already showing some considerable skill in various toys as demonstrated in a well thought out and choreographed performance showcasing diabolo, hula-hoop, ribbons and spinning plates. And ever since our show I have had no shortage of children eager to know when we will be bringing out the Yo-Yos (our new toy for this year).

Since arriving in Darjeeling we have all noticed a shift in the atmosphere and emotions of ourselves and our surroundings. Mountains Humble people; in the other cities we have visited the people are all you see, they become the focus of the population’s attention whereas here we are reminded of things much bigger than ourselves. This is the main reason I think for the peaceful and eclectic mix of faiths present here.  Although technically part of India this place is unmistakably Nepali; a blend of Hinduism and various forms of Buddhism coexisting alongside jeeps proclaiming that ‘Jesus saves’ as well as those extolling the owner’s following of clans such as ‘Chelsea’ and ‘Manchester United’.

The natural beauty of this place has had an impact on us all, with more team members showing interest in rising early and exploring meditation practice. This induced calm (aided by the slightly more English climate) manifests into a feeling of familiarity & homeliness among the group, we huddle around heaters for warmth with many of us influenced by the native textile trade and the sudden need for woolly warm clothing now thoroughly addicted to crochet and knitting as a more sedate creative outlet.

We are awed frequently by thunderstorms and rare glimpses of the Himalayan giants in the distance. Whether struggling up a 45 degree incline after just popping to the corner shop, or being awed by the scenery we are reminded of geologic forces of greater size and timescale than we can ever truly relate to. They remind us of our fleeting existence as a thin scattering of organic life on the surface of this ever changing ball of rock.

– Paul Sargent 

PWB Nicaragua 2013 – Escuela De Commedia y Mimo, Granada

By Jess Herman

Finishing the project more-or-less where we started in Granada at the school of Comedy and Mime (La Escuela De Commedia y Mimo) has an appropriate full circle feel to it. Returning to the festival site of El Berrinche to enjoy once again the Palapa play space and the ecologically built ‘Casa De Botellitas’ is the perfect end to this project. We have been in Granada for a week and half, doing what we do best – workshops, shows and playing!

We arrived in Semana Santa – the week leading up to Easter. This is the big summer holiday week in Nicaragua before the rainy season begins. Granada was a hubbub of activities, christianity and tourists. We performed a show in the Cafe Theatre of the school on three consecutive nights to raise funds for the school. The first two shows were PWB Cabarets and the last was an amalgamation of routines from us and from the young performers of the school as well as performers from a new project ran through the school in a town called Esteli. The boys from Los Quinchos were a great help by advertising the show on stilts, and not only joined Bags and Tilly for a routine, but also took part in the massive acrobatic finale to the show!

During the days of Semana Santa we were based in the school and had time to teach and play with these very talented groups of kids. Just to put things into perspective, 13 year old Brian can do back flips, juggle 5 balls and can pass 7 clubs on singles (juggler geeks out there you know how hard that is!)! It was a treat to have little structure for three days and to teach what the kids wanted to learn as opposed to having a syllabus. Skills these young performers chose to learn included poi and partner poi, slackline, hoop, club passing, 3 to 5 ball juggling, double staff, contact ball and acrobalance!

We had two days off during which some of us went to Laguna Apoyo – a volcanic lake not too far away. As seems to happen in my time off – we found a project called ‘The Peace Project’ where they work with local kids – the leader of the project just so happens to be an ex-student from the School of Comedy and Mime! So yes, Jake and I managed to fit in another show and workshop in our time off! Wouldn’t have it any other way. We did manage to kayak around the beautiful Lake with the wonderful Matt from PWB – his fresh white skin from the UK was totally over roasted, burnt red knees despite the factor 50! Ouch!

At the beginning of last week we started a new program with our days split into three. In the mornings and late afternoons we would teach the young professional performers from the school and boys from the new project in Esteli. These four boys came to Granada for the week to learn more circus to take back with them and pass on. They were introduced to circus only 7 months ago and already have an acro-clown routine and can pass seven clubs to name just 2 of their talents! It is amazing – I am learning to juggle clubs and I just cannot believe how quickly these guys progress! Or perhaps I am particularly slow – it did take me 7 years to conquer 3 ball juggling!

In the afternoons we would teach approximately 40 kids from the local neighbourhoods. These same kids come to the school of Comedy and Mime to eat lunch, do homework and play 5 days a week. This meant that they already had some circus skills for us to build on. At the end of the week the kids presented a skill that they had learnt with us and we had a small and very entertaining show by a group of hungry Spanish Clowns!

To finish our time in Granada and indeed on the project we had one last show at the Cafe Theatre of Comedy and Mime. It was a great show with contributions from PWB (acro-staff, The Hip Hop Hoop Off, contact ball, acro and slack rope) and the young performers from the Escuela (comedy, mime, poi, unicycling, magic, acro-clowning,) as well as a combined diabolo act – Jake from PWB and Francisco from the school. The act that totally and utterly stole the show was the finale by the young people! We are talking various three people high pyramids and other shapes – one person basing 5 people at once (a 6 person dragon – does that mean anything to you? Let your imagination run wild), jumps and backflips over and under other people doing rolls and tumbles and handstands! Remember these kids are aged from 8 to 16 – I have been having some small lessons in acrobatics from them!

This brings us to the present moment – it is the last day of the project – we are organizing the equipment to donate and packing up the PWB Nica Box. Tomorrow the strangest thing will happen to me – I will be a tourist. I am lucky as I will not be returning to the UK until June. My original idea was to go and see and travel and do and be in Columbia or other countries nearby(ish). Volunteering my last three months has been epic and profound on different levels. Obviously volunteering is a way to really connect with the society you visit and an opportunity to give and therefore receive. A chance to understand more deeply the culture and make human connections and friendships.

I have little desire to chill for the next two months (although those who know me know I am not very good at relaxing!). I have already organized a show and a workshop on my way south to Costa Rica on Tuesday! I have been looking into more volunteering but in reality I think practicing some circus on a beach will be good for me – for a short while at least! I will visit some of the other social circus activities in Central America and might look at working on farms too.
Volunteering abroad as opposed to traveling – that is a whole different blog!

PWB Nicaragua 2013 – it has been an epic experience. It is all too true that you get out what you put in. This trip has sparked a relationship between myself and Central America and it is powerful to know that I can gift circus wherever I go. I hope that PWB Nicaragua will long continue, as from where I sit and sweat, this has been a tremendously successful project that has completely encompassed what PWB is all about…Seeing children grow in confidence, develop not only circus skills but teamwork and creativity, watching them achieve things they didn’t think were possible and through this become empowered to try more new things. We have left them with the opportunity to further explore their potential through circus and have heard that children from both Leon and San Marcos have already performed or have performances coming up…I can’t wait to see what the next year brings, watch this space for Nicaragua 2014 news!

Follow PWB Nicaragua:

PWB Twitter: @peauubee

PWB Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/PerformersWithoutBorders

PWB Nicaragua 2013 – San Marcos – Los Quinchos, The End!

By Emily Ball

After spending the last few weeks teaching all the Quinchos were more or less ready to perform the first ever ‘Circo Los Quinchos’. The previous 2 days we had been preparing and working with all the children on their various acts, everything from a well rehearsed and impressive acrobalance act and human pyramids right down to the youngest boys practicing their plate spinning and hand held stilts skills. The Italian colored circus tent at the back of the Los Quinchos pizzeria was busy with kids arriving, last minute rehearsals and getting glitter onto their faces.

Starting about half an hour late – right on Nicaraguan time – the children were ready to perform to each other, the staff of Los Quinchos and some visitors from the US. After warming up the crowd, we kicked off with a hoop act by some of the girls…followed by so many more talented and amazing acts, about an hour and a half show in the end! It was incredible to see the kids perform after so little time learning circus, and there was some great and professional behavior – one of the boys who was on pizza cooking duty managed to perform two acts and still cook pizza in between! We had one student who had learnt to unicycle in approx. 6 hours of constant practicing and performed a great act even though he had hurt his foot the day before, and one of the boys who had fractured his wrist playing football performed his staff number with one hand! We also were treated to a dance number from some of the older boys ,and finished in fine style with a tumbling and pyramid number from all the girls.

After some emotional thank you’s, goodbyes, and presenting the children with the circus kit we are leaving with them, it was time to pack up and get ready to leave. A few of us managed to squeeze in a last trip to the boys’ home to say a last goodbye and eat a last mango or 3…and then we were on our way!

Although we were all sad to be leaving such lovely children, we were equally excited to be able to give two of the older boys the chance to come with us to Granada to the school there. Lazaro and Miguel showed an awe-inspiring enthusiasm for learning circus as well as an astounding knack for learning very quickly! Being two of Los Quichos’ educators already (for bread and hammock making) they were an obvious choice to give this opportunity, and they leapt at the offer of 3 more days of learning circus. So when the bus from the Escuela turned up to collect us, they were ready to go and helped us pile in our (seemingly never ending) bags and kit…and off we trundled towards Granada and the Escuela De Comedia y Mimo.

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PWB Nicaragua 2013 – San Marcos – By Steve Bags

We’ve been in San Marcos for about three weeks teaching circus to a group of kids from an organisation called Los Quinchos who work with street kids from Managua. Their skills are developing incredibly fast. We taught at the Boys’ farm today and I watched Jake show a kid a trick on a slackline called a seat drop. The kid then practiced it and an hour later he successfully performed it on his third attempt in front of all his friends. His enthusiasm for practicing the trick relentlessly and then the massive grin on his face when he performed it makes me think he feels the same way about circus as I do.
 

Kids don’t tend to need much persuasion to want to play with circus toys. There is something intrinsically fun about circus that is pretty much irresistible. That’s what makes social circus so enjoyable to teach and so rewarding to be involved in. Social circus pioneer Reg Bolton puts it like this:

“It is gratifying that an activity which is so strongly recognised as fun, should also present developmental, intellectual and physical challenges, encourage social behaviour more creative and co-operative than competitive, and which has as its end product, an act of donation – of generosity.”   Reg Bolton – ‘Why Circus Works’ PHD Thesis

It really does feel like these kids we’re working with are benefitting from doing circus. They have been putting together routines for their show which demonstrate creativity and talent. Jill Maglio and Carol McKinstry concluded in their paper “Occupational therapy and circus: Potential partners in enhancing the health and well-being of today’s youth” in the Australian Occupational Therapy Journal (2008) 55, 287–290 that circus has the following benefits:

1. Provides a fun, motivating and intrinsically reinforcing experience.

2. Increases positive risk taking both physically and emotionally, in a safe and supported environment.

3. Promotes physical health and body awareness through activity.

4. Enables participants to acquire a broadened skill base relating to circus as well as more generic ‘life skills’.

5. Increases self-confidence and self-efficacy.

6. Improves social connectedness, teamwork, and leadership skills within the group.

7. Provides opportunities for calming rhythmic activities, increased sensory feedback, a focus on balance, and coordination.

8. Creates a space in which participants feel a sense of belonging.

Performers Without Borders has a number of goals in mind when we’re doing these sorts of projects. Firstly we’re attempting to give vulnerable children the opportunity to explore their potential in a safe environment. We’re hoping they’re going to get many of the benefits that are outlined above thus improving how the children see themselves and their place in the community.

Also the project has to be sustainable. We’re not just going to teach them circus and then leave. We provide them with circus kit and try to create an environment where they will continue to develop their circus skills and hopefully teach them to others. Each year a team will come back, check on their progress and top-up their skills.

I’ll finish with a lovely quote which sums up the benefits of teaching kids circus from a book called “Circus for Everyone” (Mountainside Press, USA, 2001):

“By turning you upside down, we teach you to stand on your own two feet. By dropping objects we teach you to catch them. By having you walk all over someone, we teach you to take care of them. By having you clown around, we teach you to take yourself seriously.”

I would recommend doing this sort of project to anyone. It is immeasurably rewarding to be involved in and I know I will be talking about all the happy memories I have from working with these incredible children for years to come.

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PWB Nicaragua 2013 – San Marcos – Life With Los Quinchos

By Emily Ball

Our days here in San Marcos begin with various wake up calls – the morning sweeping of the yard, the first bus to Managua honking its way up the hill at 5.30a.m, or children popping their heads in to say hi on their way to school at 6.30 a.m – school here starts at 7 for some of our students. It’s early to bed and early to rise in countries like Nicaragua – and India – where the middle of the day is so hot it makes it hard to do anything, and PWB’s volunteers adapt to this lifestyle throughout the tour.

The PWB team roll out of their cocoon like hammocks or clamber down from their bunks and find their various ways to wake up properly – coffee, tea, breakfast, a stretch…Our ‘team mum’ reminds us we are leaving in half an hour for the first session of workshops, and we gather kit together and recap on the plan for the day before dividing up into 2 teams and walking opposite directions along 2km dusty dirt tracks to reach the girls and boys homes respectively. As we arrive we are greeted with smiles, hugs and ‘buenas dias, hola!’. Children make their way to the yard and join in our warm up games as they finish their morning chores of sweeping and cleaning and then workshops commence for the next 2 hours, with skills improving daily, and at quite an impressive rate. The kids have to get ready for school after our session – some have afternoon classes – so we finish and pack up, say ‘hasta manana’ (or Tom’s version, ‘pasta banana’, which some of the children have adapted with gusto) and make our way back to meet up with the other team of teachers. We regroup and exchange notes and experiences of how our morning sessions have gone, who’s learnt what and which progressions would be good for the next day.

We have some time to ourselves to train – 5 balls, hula hoop, the splits, whatever takes your fancy – relax and eat lunch and then its off to our afternoon sessions for the children who have been at school in the morning. We meet back in time to de-brief about the sessions, chat about the plan for the next day over dinner and relax (or write blogs or edit videos!) for the evening.

Weekends here are slightly different as the Quinchos who live in Granada come up and visit at the weekends, so we have some extra students and everyone gets to learn circus and play together at the boys’ home on a saturday. Last saturday we were lucky to be visited by Diego and 2 of his students from the Escuela de Commedia y Mimo in Granada, (we visited them at the start of the tour and we will also visit again at the end) who taught alongside us and then performed a show for all the Quinchos. It was received with many laughs and smiles, much clapping and even screaming from some of the girls who seemed to take a particular liking to Francisco who having attended the Escuela for 4 years is rapidly becoming a very multi talented 16yr old. Saturday evening is when the pizzeria is open, and we were asked to perform a couple of acts for the cliental- Francisco, Rob and myself were happy to help out, and I believe it is the only time I may ever perform to a remix of a Vengaboys song….

On sunday there was a further treat in store, as a small nicaraguan family circus had arrived in San Marcos and Zelinda decided to take all the Quinchos to it – and of course we came along too! The general verdict from the children was that the show was ‘Aburrido’ (boring), and that there were too many clowns. Indeed, half the acts were clown acts in rapid spanish which we understood in varying degrees depending on individuals grasp of the language! There were also some aerial acts, singing and dancing – but the children wanted to know where the juggling was and declared that our show was better – lucky us!

As for me, I have to say that going to see a circus with 70 children is one of the highlights of the trip so far for me, it was so much fun. In spite of their verdict of ‘boring’, they were laughing and clapping for the whole show and I think it would be impossible not to have fun when you are surrounded by so much of it! Other memories that will stay with me and make me smile are some of the shows we have done where we have been asked for our autographs afterwards, which is funny, touching, and a slightly weird phenomenon. Lastly, after performing a show in the school that many of the quinchos attend, I overheard one of the girls proudly telling a friend of hers that she was learning circus from us…and that’s just some of what makes me want to carry on being a part of these projects! I’m very excited to be telling the children tomorrow that they have the chance now to make their very own circus show, and can’t wait to see what Zelinda thinks of it – she said it has been a dream of hers for quite some time to have a ‘Quinchos’ circus, as she herself is originally from a circus family…well, I hope maybe we can help that dream come alive for her…watch this space!!

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PWB Nicaragua 2013 – Los Quinchos – San Marcos – Blog 1

By Moira Morrison

We arrived in San Marcos at noon on Tuesday the 5th of March.  It was a high energy PWB re-union after our mid project break – all fresh faced and still buzzing after witnessing the awesome skills of the young circus performers of El Barrilete.  What next?

First we were introduced to our new home, the Chechio Bum Bum Cultural Centre, and what a bonnie house it is!  Next we were introduced to a surprise co-resident of our casa nueva – Memo, a juggling and poi teacher based in San Francisco, who has been working with Los Quinchos for several years and couldn’t quite believe his luck when the PWB circus descended upon him!

The Los Quinchos project is the brainchild of Zelinda Roccia – a larger than life Italian superwoman.  Founded in 1991 the original idea was simple: to offer help and hospitality to the abandoned and mistreated street children of Managua.  On the streets children can be exposed to violence, abuse and sometimes torture.  Drugs, mainly inhaling glue, are also a problem.  Los Quinchos persuades children to leave their lives on the streets and helps re-integrate them into Nicaraguan society.  The motto: Nunca mas un niño en la calle! (Never again a child on the streets!)

Since sewing the seed, Zelinda and her amazing team of madres (mothers) and padres (fathers) have nurtured the growth of Los Quinchos and it is now an amazingly intricate network of homes and support.  The branches of the project stretch across the country and it operates without a penny of Nicaraguan government funding. Awe inspiring.

‘El Filtro’ (the Filter House) is the root venue; situated close to Managau’s Mercato Oriental the house offers children food, washing facilities and medical treatment.  The children are also encouraged to participate in sport and cultural activities and are signed up for school.

After some adaptation time in ‘El Filtro’ children come to ‘La Finca’ (the farm) and ‘Yahoska’ (the girls house) in San Marcos or to ‘La Casa al Lago’ (the house on the lake) in Granada, again they are enrolled in local schools.

Until this month Los Quinchos also ran a project at La Chureca, the horrific 7kmsq dump by the barrio of Acahaulinca on the edge of lake Nicaragua.  La Chureca was the largest open-air landfill in Central America – with 50% of its 1,000+ inhabitants said to be under 18.

Mercifully the clearing of the dump has just been completed.  It has been replaced by a recycling plant, offering employment, and 258 newly constructed cement houses provided by the Spanish Agency of International Cooperation for Development and the City of Managua.  

PWB are working at ‘La Finca’ and the ‘Yahoska’ until the end of March and what a joy it has been so far.  At the moment there are are around 30 boys aged 7-13 living at ‘La Finca’ and 24 girls aged 8-16 in the ‘Yahoska’.  The children have rolling responsibilities for cooking, cleaning and general maintenance of their homes. 

What Los Quinchos has done for these children is immeasurable – providing security and companionship as well as education, responsibility and opportunity.  Zelinda has built a micro community for her children in San Marcos.  As well as the two houses there is the Cultural Centre, Chechio Bumbum and the Barrio House which consists of La Biblioteca, a library with internet café, and La Osteria, an Italian restaurant with performance space.  When they are old enough the Quinchos are able to work in the pizzeria and in the office, earning money that is put into savings accounts for them. Older Quinchos members, educadores (educators), help with the running of the ‘Finca’ and ‘Yaoska’ and act as mentors for the younger and newer members.

Los Quinchos has done so much for these children but has also brought so much to the local community. Any strain that an extra 50+ children might have put on local education resources was instantly abated by the genius idea of building the Barrio house opposite the school – the library and restaurant are frequented by locals and Quinchos together.

Since arriving PWB have taught workshops and hosted open play sessions in both venues every day. We have also managed to squeeze in a show for Los Quinchos in La Osteria and 5 other local school performances. The children visit us constantly at the house, just to say ‘Ciao’, and it is emotional to see them growing in confidence and determination in just one week. Their positivity is awe inspiring and also humbling and it is a privilege to be part of their lives for this brief period. I am really excited to see how the project will pan out. Watch this space.

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For more information and for reference please check out:

http://pronica.org/projects/article.php?id=lachureca

 http://www.losquinchos.it/index.php?language=eng

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