Social Circus Initiative

What is Social Circus?

Social Circus refers to the use of circus arts as a medium for social justice and individual wellness and uplifts the role of art and culture as powerful agents for change. Social Circus practitioners support participants as creative change makers through the collective development of self-esteem, solidarity, and trust.
- American Circus Educators

We are supporting members of the BIPOC Circus Alliance and the Working Group on Race in Circus.

Mission: Dismantling the seen and unseen barriers that limit participation for People of Color in the circus arts.

The BIPOC Circus Alliance (BCA) is a collective of circus practitioners and performing artists dedicated to creating more supportive, inclusive, and representative circus communities by:

1) Advocating for equity and inclusion in training, teaching, and performance spaces

2) Partnering with circus organizations to implement policy changes designed to increase BIPOC representation and inclusion within customers/students and staff

3) Celebrating and amplifying BIPOC stories in circus

4) Creating community, support, and mutual positive encouragement for BIPOC circus practitioners and performers

Link: National Study Shows Positive Impact of Circus Programming on Youth At Risk

A deep sense of physical literacy helps build motivation, confidence, physical competence, life skills, and a lifelong appreciation for both the arts and sport, while the inherently cooperative nature of circus builds trust, fosters connections and encourages growth both personally and collectively as children and youth learn together.
- Social Circus Foundation

Link: Why Circus Works

Who are we?

We are a group of Oklahoma-based circus professionals with decades of experience teaching circus arts to thousands of kids. We know first-hand how life-changing circus arts can be. We founded Inspyral Circus to spread JOY and the barrier-dissolving information that you can learn to do almost anything if you are willing to, at first, be bad at it. We were uncoordinated kids who couldn’t hula hoop or even dream of juggling or walking on stilts. For all of us, circus changed our lives. For some of us, circus saved our lives. We finally have the right people, a practice space, and the infostructure to take this out of our neighborhood to communities that would really benefit from it. That’s why we need your help.

You can read more about the founders of Inspyral Circus and their stories HERE.

Proposal for Invest North takeover:

May Circus Show

with Circus Workshops following the show

1 Hour-long Circus Show
4 Performers, Stage Manager, Sound Technician, Sound Rental
Outdoor Aerial Rig
$4,014

Additional rentals needed to put on a show in a field:
Generator: $~200 (Abco)
Stage Rental: $1,200 (includes delivery -Abco)
Chairs: $1/apiece (Abco)

Hula hoop-making
+Hula hoop Workshop

Hula Hoop Making + Workshop Estimated: 100 kids? You tell us
Hoop-making supplies: $20/student
1 teacher per 25 students, $100 per teacher for 2 hour workshop

Circus Summer Camp

Circus Camp
30 Kids, Ages 8-16
Two Weeks, Monday - Friday, 9:00 AM - 1:00 PM
Lunch Provided each day
Circus Show on second Friday at 12:00 PM for guardians

Classes:
Clowning
Acrobatics 101
Movement Class
Improv Games
Stage Literacy
Juggling
Hula hoop-making
Hula hoop
Bubbleology
Balance Anything
Plate Spinning
Costume Creation
Musicality
Stilt-walking (1 & 1.5-foot stilts)

Lunch-time: Food/health lesson
Peanut-free environment, allergies accommodated.

Take Home Goodie Bag: Water bottle, juggling balls, stickers

Total Cost: $12,500

Additional thing we need:
Shuttles for kids each day
Extra shuttles for parents on show day at the studio.

Circus Workshops

Juggling Workshops
1 teacher per 25 students
Ages 8+
1 hour long class
Costs: Juggling Balls… would love to send juggling balls home with them. $1.50/ball
Teacher stipend

Hula Hoop Making & Beginner Workshop
Ages 8+
1 teacher per 25 students
2 hour long class
Costs: Hula Hoop-making Supplies $20/student
Teacher Stipend

Movement Workshop
Encompasses basic movement practice (we stretch and exercise, play some partner communication games, and discuss consent and teamwork) social emotional learning (self regulation) and other skills that I can immediately give to high school students. It can be aged down and I can make sure it adheres to some state standards if it needs to.
Teacher Stipend

Samba Workshop
Sharing the history, sounds, and movements of Brazilian Samba.
Ages 8+
25 Students
1 hour long class
No supplies
Teaching stipend

Broadway for Beginners
Teaches stage presence, cues, directions, and movement
Ages 5+
25 Students
No supplies
Teaching Stipend

Circus Experiences

Community Circus Shows
Community Festival Entertainment: Stilt-walkers, Jugglers, Face Painters, Bubble Artists, Balloon Installs, Balloon Artists at a community rate.