Circomedia hosts community circus cabaret

Bristol-based contemporary circus outfit Lavrak defines itself as ‘a female-led alternative circus company’ with an inclusive outlook, featuring a mix of dance, theatre, live music and circus in their performances.

Producer, performer and Lavrak co-director Amy Nicholls has worked with multiple organisations including Circus City, The Baltic Nordic Circus Network, Spin Out Festival, and Circomedia, and is dedicated to finding opportunities to make circus more accessible.

To that end, Lavrak has been running youth circus groups at St Paul’s Adventure Playground, and are now presenting ‘a futuristic circus cabaret’ featuring the debut performances of these new recruits, alongside some more experienced members of the company.

“We are really aware that circus is quite exclusive,” Nicholls says. “Alongside a few other circus companies in Bristol, we are really keen to change this, and offer circus activities to our community in this city.

“We received some funding from West of England Combined Authority to run free aerial circus sessions at St Pauls Adventure Playground once a week, leading up to a show at Circomedia where the children can perform what they have learnt to an audience of their families and the St Paul’s community.”

Over the four years Lavrak has been teaching circus outreach sessions, the demonstrable benefits to the young people engaged in them have been revelatory.

“We have discovered circus can be used as a tool to learn problem solving and risk taking, to overcome fears, to build confidence and generally (quite literally) to turn a frown upside down,” enthuses Nicholls.

The children and young people participating in the cabaret have been practising hard at their routines, as well as making their own costumes. Tickets to the event will be free, to maximise access.

Lavrak’s Next Generation Cabaret is at Circomedia on Friday, December 3, at 4.30pm. Tickets are free and available from https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/next-generation-cabaret-tickets-205632641767 or search 'Next Generation Cabaret’

Source: https://www.bristol247.com/culture/circus/circomedia-hosts-community-circus-cabaret

#peoplepowered #goodnews #bristol