Download Community Circus Newsletter Issue #3, February 2008 Hello It looks

Community Circus Newsletter
Issue #3, February 2008
Hello
It looks like the monthly newsletter has developed into a bi-monthly product right from the
start, well … that’s life.
The summer and with it the busy Festival season is nearly over now, with some beauties still to
come. Here are some reports from the Northland Network. If you had a nice time at your
favourite festival, please send us your story.
Fun and laughter, Thomas
We hope you will use this monthly newsletter to take an active
stance & participate. Through
processThomas
we bring Community
Fun andthis
laughter,
Circus to another level – to a great Circus Community!
Breaking News
We are delighted to welcome a new circus teacher to Northland.
Rob Bloor – stage name “FireNix” and originally from England will be Dargaville based, with a
northland focus - right from the beginning. He has worked as a circus skills workshop teacher
in various locations around the world for the last 5 years and gained experience in working with
‘all ages & abilities”. We welcome him with much appreciation for the experience and skills he
brings, which will benefit us all.
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International Developments
2010 International Year of the circus – declared in Geneva Switzerland
Throughout the year, a variety of events will be taking place in Geneva - all around the circus theme:
movies, conferences, exhibitions of art and photography & books. Most important, though: about 180
circus companies, street theatre & circus theatre are invited to come to Geneva.
Festival “ Junger Circus Europa” – “ Young Circus Europe”
Organized like every other year from circus cabuwazi in Berlin, it brought together over 150 kids
from 22 circuses and 12 different countries.
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The 10 day festival in October 2007 was packed with performances, workshops, meetings and
exchanges of various kinds. For the first time this year there was a competition among the acts,
which was judged mainly on originality, choreography and artistic criteria.
Please go to the Kumarani website, http://www.circuskumarani.co.nz/new/ for more Network
information
Upcoming International festivals:
1 - 4 May 2008
South Africa juggling festival www.juggle.co.za/convention.htm
June 2008
1st International Acrobatics Convention Croatia 2008 www.akrobatiek.net
14 June 2008
World juggling day www.juggle.org
14 - 20 July 2008
61st IJA — Lexington, Kentucky/USA www.juggle.org
2 - 10 Aug 2008
31st European Juggling Convention Germany / Karlsruhe www.ejc2008.de
2. What is going on in NZ?
Community Circus Feature of the month
Bream Bay Community Circus Update1/2008 by Achmed Abman (BBC Circus teacher)
A very warm welcome to everybody!
Greetings to all the new people involved with community circus in New Zealand, and a big thanks to
all my friends for their contribution in their community to make our projects works, the networking
and support they have given in 2007.
The third Northland Circus Festival at the Kai Iwi Lakes end of January was a great example that
community circus is well alive in Northland. It was wonderful to see so many talents and potential in
our area and for the first time some young “Circus Fantasticos” from Bream Bay amongst them.
Four children from BBC-Circus and two adults participated at workshops and shows during this
festival. The improvement gained and confidence in performing is very beneficial for our young
group.
Our troupe was formed after the successful Waipu Community Circus Day in May last year. We
started with almost twenty children and a few supporting adults. The courtesy of Circus Kumarani
helped us with a full range of equipment.
Six months later numbers of students dropped down to ten children and three parents. This core
group picked up the basic skills – like three-ball-cascade, spinning plate, simple acrobatics and their
first diabolo tricks. In November we had our first street market fund raising event, selling cakes,
homemade juggling balls, and also have done some busking to raise funds for our group. A few
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weeks later I performed a fire show together with two young performers of our group for the Waipu
Volunteer Fire Brigade who donated a generous sum towards BBC-Circus. We kept on practicing
towards the annual Christmas Parade on Christmas Eve in Waipu. Louis from Whangarei
Community Circus helped us to make that day a big success. A donation was given to us for
participating in the parade.
We also have been at the second Whangarei Buskers Festival performing a fire show,
choreographed by ourselves. Adam (9) and Tui (14) are the most outstandingly skilled students of
the group.
On the 8th of February this year we started our weekly class again with eight students. Within two
weeks six more children enrolled (aged 5-10 years). I initiated also a second class for High
School/College students, which meanwhile grew to five members (11-14 years).
Our focus for this term is predominantly fundraising for purchasing our own equipment. A street
market – coming up on Saturday 22. March in Waipu – will be a great opportunity to show our
performance and marketing skills. We are working presently towards a small stage show. I am in
touch with several local organizations/businesses to support our financial situation. The parent’s
support is great with some of them helping out during class, others by organizing stalls, working
together with schools and offering help where ever they can. Thanks to Tony from Whangarei
Community Circus we are in the lucky position to use their equipment.
During our sessions we work hard as the majority of our students are beginners.
That’s all from us at BBC-Circus! Looking forward to seeing you at the National Circus Festival in
Wellington – or just by dropping, we are training every Friday between 3 and 5.30pm at the
Coronation Hall in Waipu.
Keep on Juggling! Achmed
Upcoming Events
16th NZ Juggling and Circus Festival, Wellington 20-23 March
Will be held at the Brookfields Camp, Moore`s Valley in Wainuiomata, 30 minutes from downtown
Wellington. So what about an Easter weekend full of days & nights of juggling and circus,
workshops, shows and parties shared with national and international Circus enthusiasts just like
you…? Posters and flyers for the Festival are available from Leila. Email her at:
[email protected] I hope you can spread the word. More information is on the website in the
meantime, www.juggle.org.nz
2nd NZ Community Circus Convention 5–7 September 2008 in Dargaville, Northland
preparations have started – of course. There will be the same structure as last year with
1. Guest speaker & Forums
2. Interactive workshops
3. Show presentations
For more up dates on the program and how to register please contact our website!
+ do you have recommendations or suggestions ???
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Little Weed Festival, Katikati 11, 12, 13 April 2008
A weekend at Littleweed with live bands, circus, theatre and dance, Littleweed Orchard, Katikati, ...
www.littleweedfestival.org.nz
Community Circus Teacher Training Tauranga: starting 3 March; Auckland: starting 14 July
In 2008 Thomas will extend his training out of Northland, teaching how to start your local community circus
group and become an active part in our network.
Please register your interest; the course structure will be designed with student input.
Festival to Festival Tour Update
We got hold of a Bus, thanks to Anne from Katikati but… organizing Shows & Workshops was
difficult – most schools/community organizations/sponsors need at least 6 months planning ahead
so… we postponed and are getting ready now for 2009. We would appreciate coordinators &
Volunteer from your local area.
Special Feature: Giovanni Fusetti in New Zealand -- Workshops 2008
AUCKLAND, MARCH 15 + 16: Working On Your Own Clown. A coaching workshop for clowns
This workshop is specifically devised to give participants tools to work on their own material: both on their clown persona
and on their numbers.
Participants will bring their clown and one existing number, routine or project, solo or not, finished or unfinished. They will
present their clown and a short piece (max. 5 min), and this will be the basis for a coaching session that will focus on the
three different hats that the clown-creator needs to wear: the Performer, the Director and the Author.
$195 ($165 conc.) Deposit of $50 to be paid asap to secure your place.
AUCKLAND, MARCH 21 to 24 (Easter) : From the Neutral Mask to the Red Nose. The essence of physical
comedy.
The Neutral Mask teaches the actor about presence in space, and it’s the basis for all theatre masks. It allows us to
understand how each character development is based in a unbalance
from neutrality. After developing the awareness of the Neutral State,
the course will explore some of the infinite possibilities of creating
comic characters, based on variations from neutrality. The final step
will be the discovery of the Clown through the analysis of the
physical and emotional world of each actor, as revealed by her or his
natural body, with the help of the Neutral Mask. The use of the
smallest mask in the world, the Red Nose and the amplification and
articulation of very personal themes allow the actor to enter the
Clown State. This will lead to the discovery of a unique clown, with a
specific body, tempo, voice, costume, attitudes, emotions, and poetic
world.
$380 ($345 conc) Deposit of $100 to be paid asap to secure your
place.
WELLINGTON, MARCH 29+30: Commedia dell’Arte
This workshop is designed for professional theatre artists,
drama teachers or students wishing to develop their skills
in the style of Commedia.
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Commedia dell’Arte is the theatrical play of urgency and survival: a physical celebration of rhythm,
attitudes and improvisational madness.
The workshop proposes an introduction into the world of Commedia dell’Arte, and will touch upon
the following themes, in order to reach the level of play that the mask requires.
- The Body in the Space and the levels of playing.
- The play of urgencies: animal states, humans passions and the poetry of survival.
- The analysis of the mask as a moving structure in the space: forms, trajectories, dynamic
oppositions, mask and "contre"-mask.
- The essential types of Traditional Commedia.
- Lazzi and "botta e risposta" (action and reaction) as the basis of improvisation in Commedia
dell’Arte.
$195 ($165 conc) Deposit of $50 to be paid by Feb 29.
Enrolment and information contact Greg Goodyer : [email protected] Mob: +64 0212674986
For further info on all workshops visit: www.giovannifusetti.com
Giovanni Fusetti was a student, pedagogical assistant and improvisation teacher at the Ecole
Jacques Lecoq in Paris, France. He co-founded and served as pedagogical director of KIKLOS
International School of Theatre Creation in Padua, Italy, and is now developing the school’s new
form: HELIKOS. Giovanni has taught and collaborated internationally with theatre companies,
schools and universities including Naropa University (Boulder, CO), LISPA: London International
School of Performing Arts (London), Dell’Arte School of Physical Theatre (Blue Lake, CA).
Giovanni’s 20 years of pedagogical research includes training in Theatre in Education, Augusto
Boal's Theatre of the Oppressed, Gestalt Therapy, Bioenergetics, Wutao and Process Work. His
pedagogy integrates physical theatre with different practices of physical and emotional awareness.
Community Circus groups in NZ—Contacts & basic information
Dargaville: Circus Kumarani
Started 2003
2 main teachers - 9 weekly classes => 80 participants
Monthly Focus with presentation => this month object manipulation (Diablo, hula hoop, devil sticks..)
Contact
Thomas Hinz
09 439 5152 Thomas@circuskumarani,co.nz
Claudia Guthrie
09 439 5152 [email protected]
Kaitaia:
Starting February 2008 (in progress) 2 main teachers
Contact
April Atkinson
09 439 7892 [email protected]
Mark Shanks
09 409 4009 [email protected]
Waipu: Bream Bay Community Circus
Started May 2007
1 main teacher – 1 weekly class
Contact
Achmed Abman
09 432 1773 [email protected]
Whangarei: Whangarei Community Circus
Started February 2007
3 main teachers – 4 weekly classes
Contact
Martin Herbertson
09 437 5224 [email protected]
Tony Smith
09 432 2200 [email protected]
Other community circus groups: Auckland, Napier, Wellington,
Christchurch etc. -- Please send your group details [email protected]
If you are aware of any other community circus groups please encourage them to contact
Claudia, Frances, or Thomas. [email protected]
3.
Resources
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Creative Spaces Resource Kit is now available for $30 from Arts Access. It covers how to start up,
plan your structure, plan your governance, fundraising and marketing, staff and volunteers, and
evaluating your creative space.
Contact Marketing Manager
Arts Access Aotearoa
Ph: +64 4 8024356 Fax: +64 4 8024357
Website: www.artsaccess.org.nz <http://www.artsaccess.org.nz/>
Artfool is now the proud owner of the former Weber Bros Circus … no not the whole circus… just
the tent… so if you need a special location for your event – you know where to go to.
www.artfool.co.nz
Past NZ Events & News
3rd Northland Circus Festival at the Kai Iwi Lakes 23rd to 27th January 2008
36 workshop teachers – 102 workshops – 3 shows and 190 participants & guests from all over NZ
Over half of the participants were at the festival last year also and we saw amazing improvement in
skills – well done! The addition of two days intensive training was also well received.
2nd Northland Buskers Festival 19th January 2008.in Whangarei
First time that two circus groups (Whangarei Community Circus & Circus Kumarani) organized a
festival together. Buskers participating came from a variety of community and professional
performing arts groups and they had a fantastic public participation = huge crowds - big applause +
lots of money in their hats … yeah And 6 stages – 25 busker/groups ~ 500+ visitors/audience
Circo Arts Summer school in Christchurch was the destination for 8 Northland Network members.
Amazed by the sheer size of the hall and the variety of equipment we really enjoyed the 5 days filled
with Acrobalance, Aerial, Trampoline, Russian beam, juggling of course and the daily “8 minutes of
hell” – thanks Olli!
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We hope you enjoyed this edition and that there was something interesting for you in it.
If you know another Community Circus Group to add to our overview or people/organizations
who are interested in CC, please send us their contact details and show them our websiteforum- newsletter.
We wish you all a wonderful start to this New Year!
Claudia Frances Salvatore Thomas
PS: Please send us your feedback, suggestions, articles, reports.
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