Youth Circus

What’s Youth?

We think that Circus is for everyone, but this project is a youth based project. So by ‘youth’ we mean people between the ages of 12 and 19, however, we are not exclusively fixed at his age group. We like to mix the ages up a bit in circus. So in the Five Ring Circus 12-19 year olds learn circus with those who are either young at heart and committed to learning circus or younger circus kids who are already skilled and have been invited to take part. Some circus clubs have slightly different age ranges – this will be listed on their page.

What’s in a Circus Club?

Aerial Circus: This is where you hang from and do acrobatics or dance moves in the air on either: a piece of material called silks (where you basically tie yourself up in knots), a thin looking swing with ropes called a trapeze (where you find yourself hanging from all sorts of unexpected places: knees, elbows, armpits, back, and toes), or from a big metal circle called an aerial hoop (which you can contort yourself to fit into)! Aerial is great for getting yourself strong and flexible. You can work solo or in pairs, work up a routine and well give you a chance to be seen.

Object Manipulation: This basically means moving things in space. Not like satellites on rockets, but Juggling balls, rings or clubs, hats; Spinning things like plates, diabolos, flower or devil sticks, hula hoop and yes toothbrushes as well! Staff twirling, club spinning and poi are also other things which are manipulated and if you can spin a football on your finger already this is probably for you! The challenge is a big as you want it to be  - you choose the object and get it moving?

Equilibristics: Now that is a tongue twister! Basically this means balancing things where you either balance yourself or balance something else. Rola Bola: A plank of wood balanced on a section of tube – you balancing on top!  Stilts: you get up onto big bits of wood, strap yourself in and change your world view – a bit like the seat on the top of a double decker bus. Unicycle: a really green form of transport – it saves the planet because it only has one wheel! Start by falling off a lot then once you can stay on you can work up to loads of tricks. Walking Globe: you get on a big hard ball and walk it underneath you. Tight Wire: where you walk on a wire which is as thick as your finger – we start low! Or balance something on you: feathers, chairs, sticks, balls, hats, newspaper, life, you name it.

Acrobatics: a bit like gymnastics – but circus-based and non competitive. There are  2 types of acrobatics, static and dynamic. Both will see you learn to control your body in space in relation to the ground. Static: which is where  you find a still place, like a head stand, hand stand or acrobalance where you get into pairs or groups and make pyramids and still shapes. Dynamic: which is where you are moving… tumbling like cartwheels, round-offs and forward rolls to begin with and other looser things like free-running and parkour too.

Performance: This is where you are part of the show. On stage, off stage, on the street, in the park, Circus can be anywhere combining all the circus elements or concentrating on one. Create an act, write a song or learn how to share your skills with each other and invent tricks of your own and teach the leaders something cool.

So now you know all of that, come on get stuck in to Circus.. Roll-up Roll-up. Join in the Five Ring Circus!