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Chapter 14 - Social Circus

The Rise of an ‘Inclusive’ Movement for Collective Creativity

from Part III - Circus

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  22 June 2021

Gillian Arrighi
Affiliation:
University of Newcastle, New South Wales
Jim Davis
Affiliation:
University of Warwick
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Summary

Popularised in the late twentieth century, by the second decade of the new millennium well over 350 social circus programmes around the world had begun to offer classes in the circus arts free of charge, with the expressed aim of bringing about some form of social transformation. Typically boasting an ‘inclusive’ approach, goals range from fighting social stigma, alienation, and stereotypes, to bridging cultural communities, to building self-esteem, community capacity, and breaking cycles of poverty. This chapter explores the social and cultural conditions that have led to the rise of this movement and the kinds of impacts that are being observed among programme participants. It further offers an introduction to the pedagogical approaches typical of social circus programmes as well as the institutional structures they tend to adopt.Particular focus is placed on programmes operating in the Americas, placing these within the context of the global social circus movement.By offering a sketch of how social circus programmes function, the chapter demonstrates the ways in which social circus practices embody particular social values and promote particular forms of kinaesthetic sociality.

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Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2021

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References

Further Reading

Bessone, Ilaria. ‘Social Circus As an Organised Cultural Encounter Embodied Knowledge, Trust and Creativity at Play.’ Journal of Intercultural Studies 38 (2017): 651–6.Google Scholar
Bolton, Reginald. ‘Why Circus Works: How the Values and Structures of Circus Make It a Significant Developmental Experience for Young People.’ PhD diss., Murdoch University, Perth, 2004.Google Scholar
Lafortune, Michel, and Bouchard, Annie. Community Workers Guide: When Circus Lessons Become Life Lessons. Montréal: Cirque du Soleil, 2010.Google Scholar
Lavers, Katie. ‘The Resilient Body in Social Circus: Father Jesus Silva, Boris Cyrulnik and Peter A. Levine.’ In The Routledge Circus Studies Reader, edited by Tait, Peta and Lavers, Katie, 508–27. Abingdon: Routledge, 2016.Google Scholar
Rivard, Jacinthe, Bourgeault, Guy, and Mercier, Céline. ‘Cirque du Monde in Mexico City: Breathing New Life into Action for Young People in Difficult Situations.International Social Science Journal 61 (2010): 181–94.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Spiegel, Jennifer Beth, and Choukroun, Benjamin Ortiz, eds. The Art of Collectivity: Social Circus and the Cultural Politics of a Post-neoliberal Vision. Montréal: McGill-Queen’s University Press, 2019.CrossRefGoogle Scholar

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