‘Circademics’ get serious about circus
Roll up, roll up. It long been a reactionary habit amongst some people to ridicule this kind of thing. I think it can be really powerful in the right circumstances. This story tells us:
“Running away to join the circus” used to be a romantic way of escaping the family and leaving behind conventional society.
Now circus skills are being used not as a way of running away, but as a way of preventing marginalised young people from dropping out.
And there is a branch of academic study to examine the social impact of circuses, known as “circademics”.
The idea of “social circus” is being used to help youngsters in many different countries. A map from the Cirque du Soleil group shows how such schemes are springing up all over the world.