April 3 2021 is Social Circus Day, and the entire month of April also happens to be the month dedicated to Autism acceptance and awareness! What a great time to celebrate the end of another awesome semester full of great gains with our social circus students, too!
In our morning class we worked with our friends from the Autism Society on skills such as using our imaginations and playing pretend, how to share and socialize with friends, and how to jump, climb, toss, tumble and balance safely. We also learned how to perform magic tricks and clowning routines!
In our afternoon class we worked on an ongoing project through Cirkaskina with Cirque Hors Piste called “Youth at the Heart of Culture.” Through a series of creative projects, our students were encouraged to find commonalities, discuss differences, and practice creating using culture as a theme.
This project closed with a gathering that mixed both virtual and in-person workshops, which included over 15 social circus groups from across Canada and beyond. We had so much fun joining our friends from the Wonderbolt Circus at the SPACE to participate in this gathering together!
When a second outbreak of Covid-19 put a hold on in-person classes, our students continued to practice their circus skills at home by following personalized video tutorials and visual guides prepared for them by our amazing instructors. The results were a fabulous culmination of skills and creativity that pushed the boundaries of what our friends and their families believed to even be possible. This talent show was first premiered as an exclusive watch party for the students in our social circus program, and then made a national debut during Cirque Hors Piste’s Spectacle de Ciraskina édition 2021 on March 26th 2021. You can view the full show here!
In honour of the global Social Circus Day, we invite you to enjoy this collective collaboration that features daring feats of strength, and magnificent moments of magic! And be sure to watch to the very end to catch an exclusive, special appearance by the one and only, FenyxFyre!
Huge thanks to the Autism Society Newfoundland and Labrador, ArtsNL, the City of St. John’s, Eastern Health, Thrive, Cirque Hors Piste, Christopher Campbell, and to all our amazing volunteers for making this semester simply spectacular!
