Outreach Workshops Belfast School Centre for Circus Arts in Ireland

Transforming lives and communities through the power of circus arts and street theatre www.belfastcircus.org Belfast Outreach Workshops Belfast Circus School has Ireland’s finest team of trained and experienced tutors dedicated to teaching circus skills. We teach a great variety of circus skills to all levels to meet the needs of the receiving group. The tutor team promotes a creative and artistic environment through facilitating games, circus skills and performances. Belfast Circus School engages with a range of youth and community groups as well as corporate clients to provide circus learning and promote personal development. Primarily, our projects are short term ranging from 1 -10 sessions working with children and young people linked with youth/community groups. However, there are a number of long term initiatives which we have been running. These include initiatives with young people excluded from the formal education system, cross community groups and disadvantaged urban youth. Outreach workshops usually take place within your own community, but sometimes they are held at the Circus School in Belfast. Our name may suggest we provide workshops only in Belfast. The fact is, we can provide workshops anywhere in Ireland! Benefits of Circus Learning Include:

-sense of achievement -increased self confidence -improved teamwork -enhanced communication skills -encouraging creativity -development of life skills -positive experience of the arts -raised self-esteem -respect for others -good community relations -greater levels of co-ordination -more positive approach to physical activity and challenges What is an Outreach Workshop? A typical workshop session (Youth Circus & Adult Circus) would normally last for 2 hours and would consist of 15 minutes of warm up and team building games, 90 minutes of teaching circus skills, a 5 minute break, and a 10 minute cool down. During this time participants would learn from a range of skills including: - - (balls and scarves) -Stilt Walking -Unicycle - -Tight wire -Devil Stick - -Hat Manipulation Circus for all Ages We offer workshops to everybody irrespective of age

Itty Bitty Circus - Caters for children between the ages of 2 and 7 years old. Sessions normally last no more than 60 minutes. Itty Bitty workshops are divided into the following age brackets: 2 & 3 years old, 4 & 5 years old, and 6 & 7 years old. We do this because of the different levels of coordination and concentration children have at these ages. Youth Circus - Covers workshops for young people between the ages of 8 - 18 years old. The sessions are slightly longer, between 90 minutes and 2 hours each. Generally speaking, the age range for projects breaks into 8 - 12/13 and 13/14 - 18 to reflect the different stages of development of young people, but sometimes we are asked to work with 8 through to 18 at the same time to help bond groups across age ranges Adult Circus - 18 years + The minimum recommended length for these sessions is 2 hours. However, many organisations choose a longer period (half a day or even a whole day) in order to enable the Circus School to make a real impact in terms of ice-breaking, teamwork and team-building in a supportive fun environment. What Sort of Project Would Suit Your Group?

One-Off Taster Session If you want your group to get a ‘feel’ for the circus, you can get us to come in for a one-off taster session. This type of workshop can be a useful tool to gauge group interest in a longer term circus project. A one-off taster session is great for your group as a reward or a fun-filled team building day!

Ten-Week Circus Project If you’re looking for a challenging activity for your group and you want something which will bring long-lasting benefits at the same time as being great fun, then perhaps a ten-week project would be suitable. This would involve the circus coming to you (or you coming to the circus school) for a one and a half to two-hour workshop once a week over the length of the project. At the end of this time the group will be able to stage a low-key presentation for friends and family. Long Term or Intensive Circus Project Culminating in a Performance If you are thinking of getting your group involved in a community event or festival, then you could have either a longer term project (perhaps twenty weeks) or an intensive block of workshops over a holiday period. At the end of the project, participants will be able to stilt walk, juggle, diabolo etc, while playing an important part in a parade or spectacular. This project can incorporate elements of costume making and volunteering for adults in your community. You might even form your own youth circus! Paying for Projects: We try to keep the cost of workshops down by only charging tutor fees, travel and insurance. However, in the current financial climate a circus project could be difficult to afford. If your group does not have the resources to pay for a circus workshop or project, then we can assist you by pointing you in the direction of a range of funding bodies. In certain circumstances we can even raise funds for your project ourselves Background From humble beginnings in 1985, Belfast Circus School has grown into one of Northern Ireland’s leading arts and cultural organisations with an international reputation for delivering high quality participatory circus arts and performance. Twenty five years down the line Belfast Circus School delivers professional performances for hundreds of thousands of people each year; runs major street theatre events; and provides the opportunity for thousands of young people from across Northern Ireland to enjoy circus learning.

The ability of circus to provide an equal platform for people regardless of where they come from has long been evident in traditional circus with its international artists- a diversity reflected in the tutor team for the School where we have teachers from around the world providing the very best in circus training. Belfast Circus School Contact Zan: Phone: 02890 236007 Email: [email protected] Web: www.belfastcircus.org