~ Peruvian Tour a Success! ~ Dreamtime concludes its 2nd tour, leaving thousands of smiles in its wake...
Dearest friends of the Dreamtime Circus,
In the Chinchan desert, in flood ravaged Andean villages, in the smoggy slums of Lima, in the streets of Cajamarca, and in remote jungle villages...a circus came to town! Thank you for helping to make this happen, we couldn't have done it without the support of people like you. Here's a snapshot of our accomplishments during our three-month tour of Peru:
29 free shows
8,000 people attended those shows
55 free workshops
2,300 workshop participants
26 schools, orphanages, and community organizations
23 volunteers joined the tour
Of course, we could have reached more people by doing bigger shows. However, Dreamtime aims to strike a balance between doing larger shows in cities and reaching out to more remote villages where the communities would otherwise never have the opportunity to see any circus show in their hometown, let alone a free one!
In fact, we concluded the tour in the Amazonian jungle. There, we would load our circus folk and gear into rickety wooden boats that would slowly traverse through narrow jungle canals, piranhas literally leaping out of the water, crocodiles lurking beneath us. All of this to reach remote villages inhabited by indigenous Shipibo tribes. There may have only been 20 kids and a total of 50 people in the entire village, but for a circus to arrive in a place this remote was so unique, so special, we felt it was well worth it. The children in these villages, with no television or even electricity, had never seen anything like us, yet they eagerly jumped into our games and circus workshops. And every community loved our free show, graciously thanked us for coming, and sometimes offered us handmade gifts in gratitude. These moments of sharing and cross-cultural appreciation were so precious, so unique, and will always be remembered by both the villagers and the circus volunteers that made the journey.
We have a blog on our website where we've posted stories and photos from the road. We'll continue to update this page as tour participants continue to write about their experiences in Peru. Check it out, and if you like, subscribe at the bottom of the page so you'll be alerted whenever we update it. Here's the link:
We've also sorted through 15,000 photos from the tour and posted the best of them on our flickr page. Eventually, I'd like to post a "Top 100" photo set of the tour, so if there are any photos that you find particularly striking, let me know by responding to this email. Here's the link:
The laughter and smiles of thousands of children living in extremely difficult conditions are made possible by the support of people like you. You can support our future tours by making a tax-deductible donation at www.DreamtimeCircus.org/support.html.
As a child, I used to climb on pretty much everything. Trees, fences, large rocks, random sculpture - anything that made it appear that there might be just the slightest chance I could get my feet off of the ground, even if just to hang there & swing back & forth. Of course, my favorite things to climb on were the things that I wasn’t really supposed to – because most of the things that were usually the best to climb on were, of course, sculptures.
But the child grew, went on about life, and the climbing, well, it just wasn’t “appropriate” in most cases anymore – I wasn’t “acting my age”, even though at times I would see something, and while walking by it in my mind be figuring out the best way to get the highest, or swing from one part of it to the other…
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Looking at it standing still, it can easily be imagined set on a piece of granite in front of a building, bolted down, immobile. The lines on it are gorgeous – simple, subtle, minimal. It is, without question, a beautiful sculpture in and of itself. Truth be told, it would be a vast improvement on some of the “Art” that you do see in front of buildings, and if it were used that way, it would torment everyone wearing a suit that still had even the slightest bit of adventurous child in their heart.
Okay, the audio isn't all prettied up yet, but I wanted to get this up while I had a few minutes - more is coming very soon, but my battery is running low on the laptop. Chris & the Dreamtime Crew are doing absolutely beautiful, amazing things in this world, and truly making a difference, so I can't have this just sitting around waiting for me to slap on a little tinsel and unnecessary things to pretty it up - it should be available to all of you, here, for all of you to listen to,
For all of you to be inspired by...
Images are from their trip to India - looking forward to updates from Peru! You can also find an older conversation with Chris & Kfire on Cultureflux, just search for "Dreamtime".
Much love to all of you, ~ kSea
"In the schools and streets of Lima, orphanages in Cuzco, and jungle villages accessible only by boat, a circus is coming to town! That’s right, the Dreamtime Circus sets sail on its 2nd international tour, this time bringing the magic of the circus to Peru where Dreamtime volunteers will put on free shows and circus workshops for communities throughout the country. Dreamtime will be collaborating with several nonprofit organizations, schools, and orphanages who have greeted news of the tour with enthusiasm and are eager to host the circus in their community.
The tour will focus on reaching underserved communities throughout Peru. By providing free shows and workshops, Dreamtime aims to create events that bring communities together, support the work of local organizations, and empower youth to achieve things they once considered impossible. The tour will also promote positive themes of hope, self-empowerment, and respect for the Earth and all its creatures..."
Here, for your listening & viewing pleasure, is the conversation with Mike Gaines, who with is wonderful wife Shannon are the amazing people behind Vau de Vire Society - and though the closest classification of what they do hovers somewhere near "Circus", it is far, far more than that. Mike comes up with an interesting description later in the conversation, so listen closely for that...
It’s a typical day here on the Festival Circus.An ominous cloud of thick white smoke hovers over the tent.Our generator has gone amok again. We’ve been struggling with a faltering power system for 9 days.The Romanian mechanic, the Mongolian acrobat and the American Aerialist are running around it like the old Clown Fire Drill.I don’t even leave my caravan.A quick investigation from the window and I’m assured that it’s business as usual here on the grounds.Last week the truck engine exploded, the week before the bunk wagons crashed…I’m learning that catastrophe is as common as teatime.
It’s England.It’s Hot.We’re on a two week stand in the middle of a field somewhere north of London.The shows, which were catered to a rambunctious audience of 5000 Beaver Scouts, finished on Sunday.Now it is Monday and we are waiting for our next jump to Oxford University where we will perform during their commemorative Spring Ball.
Festival Circus is an off-shoot from Zippo’s Circus both owned by Martin Burton.A commercial, touring circus on the one hand, it has also become a hosting stage for the Academy of Circus Arts course (ACA).Festival Circus provides an authentic environment for an ‘apprenticeship’ style tuition.ACA, founded in 1993, accepts ten to fifteen students each year.The students follow the Festival circus tour, living in bunk wagons, training in the big top, learning from the performers and getting hands on, practical experience. When and if their acts become ready, ACA students have the opportunity to perform in the Festival Circus show. Martin Burton’s purpose in starting the school was to give aspiring artists the opportunity to learn the complete skill set to survive circus life.In that regard and in many others, the school has been a resounding success. There are several things about the Academy of Circus Arts that are completely unique.The audition process is more liberal than most professional circus programs in that it accepts students of any age over 18.Students perform weekly in opening and finale numbers starting from day one. Use-full skills in rigging, erecting the tent, rope splicing, costuming, and apparatus construction are all part of the course focus.By the end of the course, all the students will have produced an act for hire and more than 85% of the graduates will be contracted for the following season.To my knowledge, it is the only travelling circus school for adults in the world.
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