I Ran Away with the Circus
I never thought I would say these words, let alone be writing about them, but ‘I ran away with the circus!’ Before I get ahead of myself, allow me to explain my unique situation.
Hello there, my name is Chloe, from Michigan in the United States, and I have the remarkable opportunity to travel to Scotland for a study abroad trip. Study abroad? What does that have to do with any of this? Well, it’s not the traditional study abroad
experience; instead of focusing on classes, I am working as an intern over here in the United Kingdom. My internship placement is with Think Circus, a nonprofit organization that highlights the benefits of social circus to as many communities as possible in Scotland. I won’t go on too much since you must know a little bit about Think Circus since you have found their website and stumbled upon my blog. If not, though, there is a great blog post already on the website that answers a commonly asked question about Think Circus, called ‘The Elephant in the Room.’
Now there I have gone and done it, completely gone off the rails, but as you can tell, my enthusiasm for Think Circus grows every day as I am a part of the team. I get to experience firsthand the magic of a social circus.
Think Circus is what I expected, and not at the same time. I think what I expected Think Circus to be akin to was the Greatest Showman. Which I know is somewhat far from what an actual circus may look like but my love for that form of art began because of the Greatest Showman with its catchy tunes, amazing choreography, and of course Hugh Jackman and Zac Efron in shiny red jackets. I think the message of the Greatest Showman that everyone is unique and that uniqueness brings something spectacularly different to the table, is what made me appreciate the Circus so much. There has always been a certain stigma attached to circus performers, that they are different and for that reason they are outcasts. The Greatest Showman tried to not rewrite the narrative but embrace it and I think that’s what everyone loved about it. So while Think Circus is not exactly like the Greatest Showman, with the singing and dancing of famous actors, but there is laughter, smiles, hard work, people flying through the air, juggling, all things circus one could imagine, and their mission is the same. ‘Our mission is to create a supportive community where failure is celebrated, confidence grows, and the impossible becomes real,’ is Think Circus’ mission statement. Take it from my personal experience so far, I have always been told I am the ‘clumsiest person ever,’ but just in a little over a week, I have learned how to juggle with two balls. Now I know what you are thinking, ‘Two? I thought three was the minimum?” Well yes at least probably but I am well on my way to three soon! So as someone who could never wear white without my mother knowing what I had eaten at lunch that day, got told no one could ever walk next to me because I cannot walk in a straight line to save my life, and could never touch anything in the store in fear I may break it, take it from me, Think Circus is a place where anyone and everyone can ‘Come Alive.’
Maybe when I am interning here I will learn how to juggle, grow confidence in myself and possibly improve my cliche jokes/puns. So yes, it is very cool to see average people trying to do circus for the first time in their lives. But it is also really amazing once you fully understand what Think Circus is about and the benefits of a social circus. Not only is it a great workout for anyone and everyone, but there are more benefits than just getting your heart rate up for a bit.
For example, on my first day of my internship, when my supervisor, Kat, told me we were going to a forest to set up a circus workshop, I thought it was just something fun for the public. Forest Circus, the name of the workshop, works with little girls from Castleview Primary School, which is a school in a more deprived part of town. I got to observe how this is not only a fun experience for them, but it’s also relaxing and a real confidence boost. Forest Circus is a safe place for these little girls, where at the end they get to sit in a circle drinking their tea and eating biscuits, which creates a routine they might not normally experience. This is also the time they get to share their news, which is anything similar to new clothes, grades, or random things that are important to them at that age in life. One of the little girls started at the beginning of the year in Forest Circus, shy and with no friends. She ran off during the two hours because someone upset her, and 3 other girls ran after her, showing her she had people who cared about her. I got to see her smile when she was able to do all the tricks on the trapeze for the first time. Of course, I didn’t fully understand how amazing these small things were until Kat filled me in one day at a café.
My journey with Think Circus may have just started, but ‘running away with the circus’ does not seem like such a bad idea after all!
