Bully — it sounds good: how does the circus for troubled Teens
MOSCOW, 5 APR — RIA Novosti, Anna Mikhailova. The world’s only circus for hooligans — as they call themselves. “Upsala-circus” was formed from the children and youth in Saint-Petersburg in 2000 as a private initiative of Berlin student Astrid Shorne and Russian Director Larisa Afanasyeva. The RIA Novosti correspondent visited behind the scenes during the Moscow tour and learned how the bullies turn into artists.
“We are doing a circus, come with us”
“Upsala-circus” — from the international interjection “oops.” The phrase “something went wrong” is familiar to most pupils, got here from correctional schools and crisis centers. In this team believe in any life situation should be viewed as a chance to bring about change, says Director and longtime Director of the circus Larisa Afanasyeva.
“We understood that it is not going to prepare professional artists, an important value of every human being, every teenager. We wanted to create an environment where the child would be really interesting, happy, cool, free, where he could relax and hide from the not always comfortable adult world,” she explains.
Initially, participants were recruited on the street.
Starring in the play “the Effect of a ping-pong ball” was the first who responded to the invitation to become a bully not a street, and the circus, says the Director.
“Kolya met near Gostiny Dvor in St. Petersburg — he was hanging out at the subway station. We went and got balls for juggling, unicycle unicycles and said, “We are doing a circus, come with us.” He agreed, and over the past 17 years continues this amazing journey,” says Afanasiev.
Another veteran, Peter Rybkin, was in the troupe at the age of 15. The speech of his mother led.
“I do not know. We saw a play I liked, my mom was away somewhere for five minutes, and when we returned home, declared: “You took.” I wondered: “Where?” It turned out they were just set, I was invited to try. At first I didn’t but a week and a half still came,” says Peter. And within minutes learned how to juggle three balls. “I sucked,” he says.
“I’ve always been shustrenko, so mom and I decided that I was there the place and doing all sorts of other… “creative” — says the artist. — The circus for all I is replaced”.