Issue 146

Clowning Around

09th October 2006

The Visual Arts Society specialises in a wide range of activities, including a large selection of Circus related skills. They run various workshops throughout the year to teach activities such as; poi, diablo, unicycle, stilt walking, juggling, as well as having a large creative play aspect to the society.

The Society runs a wide range of events throughout the year and are always on the look out for new members to come and try out new activities; they regularly meet on Friday nights in the Arts Hall between 6-8pm.

One of the main projects that the Visual Arts Society has strong links with is Circus Eruption, which is the UK's first integrated circus. Swansea University students have been involved with Circus Eruption since 1991 and since then the project has gone from strength to strength and currently has nearly 35 volunteers who help out in a variety of ways, from teaching circus skills, to simply giving support to those young people who need it.

Currently they have a membership of 50 young people, aged between 11 and 19, of which 1/3 have been labelled as having a special need. This is what makes Circus Eruption such a unique charity, as they focus on the abilities of a young person and adapt their circus skills to the needs of the young person, helping to focus attention on the abilities and not the disabilities. This focus on integration helps to encourage inclusion, and awareness in the group and the wider community.

A further aspect to Circus Eruption is the idea of empowerment by allowing the young people to have a voice through democratically elected representatives of the group, thus giving them a voice and control as to where the project is focused. It is this open idea of inclusion that has helped to gain the charity so much support. Through the medium of circus they teach a selection of skills as well as playing games, dancing, learning drama puppetry, masks, face painting and costume. They work through circus skills as it is a greater leveller, irrespective of age or ability everyone begins at the same level. All of this is run by local volunteers who are all given full training, in not just circus skills but also child protection, support, administrative roles, encouragement and adapting activities to include everyone.

In the past Circus Eruption has won awards for its work with young people, like the Best Voluntary Group in Wales, which it won through the Wales Council for Voluntary Action (WCVA), in the same year it was also a runner up in the general UK awards. Every year the charity puts on a variety of show cases, the first being a Cabaret at Christmas, which shows just how much the project can achieve in a small space of time, as this years young people only started this month. Later on in the year, they run a theatre production which illustrates the achievements of the young people and they are part of the Swansea Carnival.

Even though Circus Eruption is a project in its own right, it does have links through the University as a partnership project, encouraging students to take part in volunteer work and it also continues one of the aims of the charity, which is for it to berun by young people for young people.

The best way to find out more or to volunteer with Circus Eruption is to contact the Discovery office, or alternatively you can contact Circus Eruption directly on Mondays; 01792 474004.

If you would like more information about the Visual Arts society then please e-mail them at visual_arts@hotmail.com.

Dawn Lewis