Cape Town - Putting a spin on empowerment, South African circus Zip Zap is re-imagining circus arts as an educational tool to inspire young people.
Through their outreach and youth programmes that are offered free of charge, physical skills such as coordination, balance, and life skills such as teamwork, resilience and dedication are taught in hopes of bringing about unity.
By using circus arts as a practical medium, CEO and Co-founder of Zip Zap Circus Laurence Esteve said that they wanted to reinvent the circus scene seeing that circuses were not always represented in a respectable manner.
“Over the past 30 years, we have seen and heard how the general public react to the word circus. Many associate circuses with clowns and big tops, not always in a respectable manner. We had to formalise our idea into a legal structure, and that’s when we started to imagine who would need the circus.
“All our programmes have always been started by a request, from a child, a parent, a field partner. The Youth Programmes are more like a sport or an art club. Children and young people join the club because they feel attracted to the activities. The same applies to Zip Zap. Families watch a show, and children want to do that. The four Youth Programmes range from Beginners to Professionals, just like any other extra mural activity.
“Our Outreach Programmes are for specific groups of young people in partnership with a field operator who has identified a specific issue to be resolved. We then collaborate with the partner to conceptualise a programme to help solve the issue, such as the Ubuntu programme. We run circus workshops at the clinic for kids living with HIV, bringing in a fun element to the children to bring them back,” said Esteve.
With some of the programme outcomes that look at promoting clear communication, improving social well-being, and discipline, Programmes Manager, Vanessa Fortune, said that Zip Zap has indeed re-Imagined a Circus in that it offers children a safe space to have fun, grow and explore in a unique, fit-for-purpose facility, which may ordinarily have excluded them, as circus activities and fun games are the vehicles to promote social cohesion by encouraging learning through play.
“Participants are exposed to the novelty of the circus and are able to explore technically and creatively. Initially, they are exposed to all circus disciplines (juggling, diabolo, aerial scarf and hoop/lyra, trapeze, trampolining and mini-trampolining, acrobatics), which provides opportunities to identify personal preferences. As they progress through programmes, they are able to specialise in disciplines and hone skills in these areas.
“Through circus arts, we encourage participants to persevere and push themselves beyond personal limitations in pursuing their goals. Activities are geared to growing aspects of teamwork, trust and care – case in point, teaching participants to build human pyramids requires working together. Children learn the value of diversity and begin to appreciate the importance of individuality. Engaging with others provides opportunities for children to learn from others, share with others and respect others – these are at the very core of cultivating and maintaining strong, positive relationships,” said Fortune.
All Zip Zap programmes are offered free of charge to participants, with financial and material support coming from individuals, organisations, corporations, and foundations.
For more information on participation, visit www.zip-zap.co.za