Practising 'Rola bola' technique with circus trainer Sarah at Noble Park English Language School.

West Side Circus Inc.

www.westsidecircus.org.au

The Jumpjet Circus Project engaged refugee and newly arrived young people in circus and the performing arts. Jumpjet also aimed to assist with settlement issues and connecting young people to their local communities. The project happened across Melbourne, with workshops being delivered in the two main English Language Schools in Noble Park and Braybrook and at the North Melbourne Community Centre.

The group ran 71 workshops with nearly 100 young people aged 11–21 and put on three small shows for family, teachers and friends. They also re-established a dynamic young troupe of Sudanese young people called the Afrabats.

New shows were developed, including The Afrabats, who performed a new work to showcase the newly acquired skills they learned with beat box MC Elf Tranzporter, and Hip Hop choreographers and dance teachers Joh Fairley and Arna Singleton.

Another show was part of the Brimbank Festival, in partnership with the West Sunshine Community Centre. It re-engaged the many young people from newly arrived communities that had been a part of projects in schools and school halls over the past few years in Brimbank.

Want to find out more?

Contact Carol Espinoza, Project Manager, carol@westsidecircus.org.au, phone (03) 9482 2088