Taking Part, bryn aber: summer 2017
During the 2017 summer holidays NoFit State Circus worked with United Welsh Housing to deliver Taking pART, a series of weekly circus workshops alongside art and environmental sessions in the Caerphilly Communities First area of Bryn Aber.
Open access workshops were set up in the heart of the community, which gave kids and their families the opportunity to engage in a range of exciting circus skills and activities. They were trained by NoFit State’s professional tutors and quickly grew in confidence as they mastered new skills. They played and learned as they worked together, gaining a strong sense of camaraderie alongside newfound friends.
The art and environmental sessions were developed with the local community, making sure they were as useful as possible as well as fun and engaging. Recycled art projects were organised to change trash into treasure and community gardening activities planted bulbs and seeds in under-utilised areas. A particular success was the development of a large street mural, that was designed and painted with great enthusiasm by the local residents. It was accompanied by giant recycled cross-stitch panels also completed by local residents. Together, this totally transformed the local parking area.
The project culminated with a vibrant street party that brought together the community once more to celebrate its huge success. The fete included food made by the residents, circus performances, workshops, arts activities, and tours of the gardening and mural works. It marked the end of a successful summer in Bryn Aber and also represented the opening up of communication and engagement within the local community. It celebrated the excitement that circus can bring and its ability to be utilised with a range of workshops to give a community their voice and the confidence needed to make the positive changes they most want to see.
Taking pART was a partnership with United Welsh that wouldn’t have been possible without support from Arts Council Wales, Big Lottery Awards for All and the Arts & Business Cymru CultureStep fund.
Support the future opportunities for the local communities the chance to engage with circus arts: