American Youth Circus Organization

Only a few days after the performance marking the completion of my circus workshop, one of my students asked me how he could get a diabolo, and whether he had enough money to acquire several, “to start my own circus.” At twelve years old, and after barely two months of practice, he knew he wanted to share his circus experience with others, just as I had shared mine with him.

I was eight years old when I first saw the spark of circus joy shining in the eyes of my schoolmates, in Jackie Davis’ first Hilltop Circus at the Pine Hill Waldorf School in Wilton, New Hampshire. As a child I was enchanted by the circus, and by the idea that one day I could be a part of it as well. I saw the older students coming together to create something larger than themselves, presenting it in a way that was nothing less than magical, and it was clear even to my child’s eyes that the cooperative spirit of circus had transformed them.

The circus is, inherently, a community, and one that demands the dedication of its members, but because it is so exacting it leads the performers to form the tight bonds of trust and camaraderie that are so apparent to the audience. These group bonds, in addition to the glamour of performance, were what drew me to the circus; I saw that the passion which had been ignited in the performers joined them together.

It is undeniable that human beings need groups. We need to feel accepted, to shield ourselves from loneliness, and to validate ourselves and our ideas through comparison and discussion with others. Groups also help us to define who we are; “individuals craft their self-concept from all the groups with which they identify and in which they hold membership… [they] join small groups such as teams or sororities to resolve two conflicting needs: the need to differentiate oneself from others and the need to blend into, and identify with, groups.”[1] Circus is the perfect balance of these two needs: it gives children skills that, outside the group, are extremely unique, while also providing companions with whom to associate and with which to form tight friendships based in trust and mutual passion.

As I grew older and worked more closely with the circus I began to notice the effects the group-mentality had on myself and my peers; we grew into a tight-knit family which provided the opportunity for the shy to learn from the exuberant and the undisciplined to be tamed by the rational. A large part of this was simply because we spent so much time together, but more important was the fact that during that time we were training together; learning to climb on each other safely, helping each other to balance on the tightwire or the rolling globe, teaching and being taught. Our relationships were nurtured by these interactions, as well as the idea of creating a show – a common goal which attracted each of us and which required the unique talents of each member of the troupe in order to be successful. Experiencing these results first-hand has led me to my desire to share the opportunities that the circus provides to others, which I have been doing in conjunction with Jackie Davis for several years.

My recent class, however, was my first attempt to teach on my own, and while I did not expect the results to exactly parallel my own experiences, I did encounter some surprises. From the beginning I knew it would be a challenge to compel my students to overcome their personal issues (there were a few kids whose relationships with each other were tense, and one who was referred to by nearly all as a bully) to be able to learn respect for each member of the group, and this prediction was quite accurate. However, these are the areas for which learning circus is the most advantageous, and despite initial protests about “cooties,” pushing and pinching, we were able to build human pyramids with each of the kids supporting, and being supported by, the others. What I had not expected was that the atmosphere and the nature of the training space would have such an impact on the group.

I learned circus arts in a theater at school, where we were mostly confined to the stage, and where the generally accepted attitude, as in most school theaters, was one of playful work. My circus class, however, took place in a large multi-purpose room through which people often had to pass on their way to other parts of the building, and at an inner-city Boys and Girls Club, where the general attitude, as far as I could tell, was one of uncontrolled and exuberant fun. This is all well and good, but not being used to direction and supervision the kids were far less inclined to listen to me, and much more easily distracted by the people wandering through the area. The spacious room also made for a more unreserved ambiance; instead of being confined to the stage, making discipline a necessity, they were able to run across the room to chase someone who had teased them or stolen a juggling ball. All between the ages of ten and twelve years old, they were just growing into themselves and the adult world, and attendance varied; some days I would have ten children in my class, other days no more than four, and absences harmed the group dynamic. Despite these difficulties, however, by the end of eight weeks of bi-weekly classes we were able to scrape together a show. Of course, it was nothing like the mystical beauty of Cirque du Soleil, or the amazing stunts of the Ringling Brothers’ shows, but for these kids, being able to show their parents and friends what they had learned was far more valuable, and to those of us watching, their obvious pride in themselves and their new-found talents made the show even more impressive than those of the professional touring troupes.

The circus arts mirror so many of the essential elements of childhood and social development, it is surprising that it is not more widely used in middle school education. Beginning with the basics of tumbling, which teach spatial awareness and improve children’s sense of self at the stage of their lives when their bodies are constantly changing and they must learn to adapt to the new-found world of adolescence, circus arts foster not only healthy relationships between children, but the health of the children’s relationship with themselves. This is also encouraged in working with balance, where children must learn to be comfortable in their own bodies, but also must rely on others to support them and help them until they reach the point where they can finally, for example, ride the unicycle by themselves. Through clowning, children are able to experiment with different personalities and personas, as well as being able to test social limits in an arena where the laughter of others is a reward and an encouragement instead of a hurtful rebuke. Clowning also provides an outlet for those children who have a tendency to act out in order to get attention; as a clown not only are they engrossing their audience, it is in an entirely positive way and is enjoyable for audience and performer alike. Aerials also provide an outlet for the “problem child”; adolescents are constantly pushing limits and taking risks as they try to discover their place in the world, and the thrill of flying through the air on a trapeze is much safer for the adventuresome child than the thrills of drugs, alcohol, and fast cars. Even juggling, while it might at first seem to be a solitary activity, is a conduit for social development. At first, children must master perseverance to be willing to spend the time it takes to master juggling three balls, and where the more extroverted might gravitate to other activities. This individual practice is the perfect foundation for the growth of a more withdrawn child. Once they have mastered the basics, jugglers soon realize that working with others would allow them to accomplish even more, and through the creation of passing acts, and group juggling acts introverts can be drawn into the light.

Although I did not have enough time with my students to ensure that they had felt the effects of these elements, even giving them the opportunity to prove to themselves that they can do something they never thought possible is an important start. If anyone had taken these kids to see a professional circus, or even a professional sporting event, it is unlikely that any of them would have come away inspired or encouraged. They would be impressed and entertained certainly, but performance only provides temporary amusement and awe, whereas even one hour of training could change their lives.

For my fellow performers, it has been my experience that while being in a show is rewarding in the moment; under the lights and with the applause ringing in your ears, teaching brings even greater rewards – the smile of the child who just realized that they are capable of anything, and the development of their self-esteem. These rewards are more than ephemeral applause; they are evidence of the wonderful gift of circus which has just been passed to a new generation. In light of this, I encourage all educators to explore circus as a social development tool, but I also implore the talented artists of the circus world to share the magic and wonder of the circus with the world’s youth. It is one thing to perform a daring act, juggling and passing lit torches with a partner in a dazzling display of dexterity, but it becomes something much more grand if instead you teach children to juggle, watch them move from learning to juggle balls, to clubs, to being able to pass clubs with other children, to passing torches, until they can at last go out into the world and “pass the torch” themselves. In doing this you are not just passing on the skills of a juggler, or an acrobat, or a clown, you are teaching a child how to live as a social being, and giving them the courage to develop into the person they want to be.

Jennifer Agans, at the time of writing this article, is a high-school senior and long-time circus arts performer.

[1] Horowitz, Irwin A. & Kenneth S. Bordens, “Social Psychology” (p. 405)

PASSING TORCHES