From June 6th to June 11th the second stage of the “Basic Training in Social Circus” was held in the Parque La Libertad by Mariano Lopez and Antonio Benitez, trainers with more than 10 years of experience in the “Circus World” program of Cirque du Soleil.
“With this process, we seek to equip participants with the necessities to conduct workshops for artistic training under the pedagogy of social circus skills, whose play and inclusion are central resources to promote better relations of coexistence in communities,” said Carballo, coordinator of the School of Dance, Theatre and Circus of the Parque La Libertad.
The course lasted for six days and was attended by 26 national and foreign participants from Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador, Panama and Puerto Rico, who in a total of 40 hours deepened their understanding of circus art as a tool for the inclusion of individuals and communities in vulnerable conditions.
International guests were selected by a study conducted between Parque La Libertad and Cirque du Soleil, which identified groups of circus and art from Central America and the Caribbean that had the keystones of inclusion and social responsibility among its projects. In the case of local participants, these were selected to be part of the group by trainers who developed the park since 2010; giving priority to those who took the previous course.
“As artists, we often focus on processes and individual achievement and forget about the social role that nature has art. Trainings like this are crucial because they give us tools to share with others and bring about a transformation in the other,” said Karol Barboza, a member of the Costa Rican group Fantazztico Circus.
The initiative was developed from its first stage, thanks to the collaboration agreement between the Ministry of Culture and Youth (MCJ), Parque La Libertad and Cirque du Soleil through its project “Circus World,” and as Carballo stated,
About Circus World
Circus World is a program created by the Cirque du Soleil since 1995 which works in more than 80 communities around the world. Through artistic expression, circus techniques and educational social intervention they seek to encourage and promote new skills and tools for the development of young people at risk.
Source: Parque La Libertad