Belfast Belfast Community Circus School
Belfast Community Circus School Photos
About Belfast Community Circus School
It’s hard to miss a building like this. The vibrant façade was painted by artist Diana Ennis and the gymnastic sculpture was the work of Thomas Finnegan.
In 1985 Donal McKendry and Mike Moloney founded the Belfast Circus School. During those early years Belfast was marred by constant violence. Young people had little to look forward to in those days and so Mc kendry and Moloney believed that some forms of drama would concentrate children’s attention from the negative aspects of their violent surroundings. They introduced stilt walking, juggling and various physical activities to encourage them. Most important of all was ‘exporting’ these children from their ghettos and walled-in communities in order to let them experience a whole new world where laughter was the aim of the game rather than violence.
The circus movement got their first break at real success in 1988 when they progressed into a professional troupe by performing at the Dublin Millennium Festival.
After many years of operating out of the Crescent Arts Centre and church halls the time to relocate permanently was dawning on the group. Space was required for their collection of unicycles, aerial riggings, crash mats, trampettes and various bits of props.
In 1998 Kathryn Montgomery literally drove her car into an old, dilapidated banana warehouse just to light up their soon to be premises. A year later Michael Mc Gimpsey officially opened Ireland’s only purpose built Circus School in Gordon Street.
Fast forward to the present and this circus school has won all sorts of awards for their great endeavour to help children and adults enjoy the arts both nationally and on the international circuit.
Nobody should be under any doubt as to their credentials either. Enjoying the craic may be at the heart of the matter here but this is a school like any other: to educate. They have professionally dedicated tutors on hand and even a curriculum per se. One of their main programs called Outreach aims to inspire young people, to build-up confidence, enable better team-working and develop social skills.
It’s not all child’s play though since workshops for adults are frequently held here. A few of the skills and techniques one could expect to learn here are: diabolo, juggling, plate spinning and for those a little more daring: tight wire, stilt walking and acrobatics.
Just as when McKendry and Moloney first established the Circus School anyone is more than welcome to become part of this energetic and enthusiastic movement. The circus experience is about opening your mind and exercising a few muscles you never thought you had.
Finally, here’s a taste of acrobatics, an activity you can expect to see on any given day in the Belfast Circus.
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