Because of our name, some people wonder whether we work outside of Belfast. The truth is that the Belfast Community Circus will and has provided workshops throughout Northern Ireland and beyond.

At present we operate some 50% of Outreach projects outside of Belfast and provide performers for events throughout Ireland. Outreach projects have taken place in Monaghan, Drogheda, Portadown, Randallstown, and Downpatrick …...the list goes on.

In fact, Belfast Community Circus has been involved in setting up projects in Sarajevo just after the war, has performed in the United States, trained youth workers to take circus skills to Zambia, and trained in Denmark and Australia. So if you’re wondering if we’ll come to you, the answer is probably yes.

Are you looking for:

· Activities to improve young people’s self esteem

· An exciting physical challenge for young people

· Something exciting to enhance your community festival with homegrown young talent

· Skills with learning outcomes for young people

· More structured play

· A safe environment for young people to develop self-confidence and encourage independence


Are you trying to:

· Promote enjoyable, friendly and social atmosphere within your community and between young people and the local community and to unite the community

· To capture the interest of the young people

· To develop unique skills and life skills

· Give young people more exposure to the arts

· Help improve young people’s learning abilities

· To develop comradeship and teamwork within your group

· Promote good community relations


Belfast Community Circus has a team of highly trained and experienced tutors who love teaching circus skills to others. Our team of tutors teach a great variety of circus skills to all levels. The tutoring team promotes a creative and artistic environment through facilitating games, circus skills and performances.


FAQ’s

What is a circus outreach workshop?

A typical workshop session would normally last for 2 hours and would consist of 20 minutes of warm up games, 90 minutes of teaching circus skills, and a 10-minute break. During this time participants would learn from a range of skills including:

· Diabolo
· Juggling (balls and scarves)
· Stilt walking
· Unicycle
· Plate spinning
· Tight wire
· Devil stick
· Acrobatics

What sort of project would suit your group?

One-Off Taster Session
If you’re really not sure whether circus will go down well with your group, you can get us to come in for a one-off taster session before committing to a more extensive program.

Ten-Week Circus Program
If you’re looking for a challenging diversion for your group for a term and you want something, which will bring benefits to the young people at the same time as being great fun, then perhaps a ten-week project might be suitable.

This would involve the circus coming to you for a 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’re thinking of getting your group involved in a community event or festival, then you could either have a longer-term project (perhaps twenty weeks) or an intensive block of workshops over a holiday period.

At the end of this time the participants will be able to stilt walk, juggle, diabolo, etc. and play an important part in a parade or spectacular. This kind of project can also incorporate elements of costume making and volunteering for adults in your community.

Long-Term Youth Circus Project
If you are really looking to make a long-term impact in the community, we have a range of exciting opportunities for you. We can aim to help you establish your own permanent circus group; we can stage spectacular community performances linking a number of groups in your area and using circus, dance, music, lighting and special effects to create a show which can make a real difference to participants and audience alike.

Circus Play Workshop
If the majority of your group is 4 to 8 years of age, we offer special Circus Play Workshops. The aim of Circus Play workshops is to use circus as a tool to stimulate a range of play types. During this session we use a variety of circus equipment such as juggling scarves and balls, flower sticks, and spinning plates. We also introduce simple balancing moves and pyramids.

A typical Circus Play workshop session usually lasts for 90 minutes and would consist of 35 minutes of games, 45 minutes of play and exploration with circus equipment, and a 10-minute break in the middle of the session.

How do I arrange a project?

The Belfast Community Circus has its own dedicated Outreach Officer to help you decide which kind of project will best suit your group and community. It doesn’t matter if you don’t know anything about circus and haven’t had any projects like this before; The Belfast Community Circus has years of experience of talking people through the process.

If you are looking into setting up a circus workshop for your group, it is best to start the process well in advance. Our summer workshops are fully booked as early as the first week in March. Even if you are not sure about the funding, you can still provisionally book a workshop.

How can my group afford it?

Whilst we cannot promise to find the money for all projects, we do have a wealth of knowledge and contacts in the funding field. We can advise you on whom to approach and help you with some of the problems that come from filling in grant applications. We will offer you support to achieve the right result for your community.


To discuss your requirements contact
click here to email lauren
Or telephone 028 90236007