come back for kids

Alex is coming back to Dharam sala, around the 13th of october, for circus class for the kids. Looking for evolution in their skills.

out of india ...circus continues.

After two months of classes of circus arts, it is time to return to Europe. upon leaving the children, it is my sincere wish that they continue to practice their disciplines my absence.
The children took on difficult tasks and mostly applied themselves tremendously well to their practice, working at developing skills of balance, and dexterity, strength and dexterity.
I have the word of the children themselves, Jamyang and the others at Tong Len that they are continuing to practice now.
I intend to return to the mountains, check on the kids, teach more, bring new equipment and hopefully inspire some more teachers to jump into the project and come to bring new knowledge and tequniqes!

I would like too give thanks to Jamyang and all the staff of Tong Len for all they have done in the slum and all they have done to help me in my work, to thank Alex and the other teachers who have already given their time and energy to help and to believe in the children, also the hostal managers for their time and patience and big smiles of encouragement. And lastly, to thank all of the children they have brought rays of sunshine into my life!

i'll be back!

christopher bull

thanks day

thanks day was today!
back stage antics were fun for all and the kids surpassed themselves on stage, getting great write ups from three major national newspapers and putting good feeling throughout the room in the hearts of parents, sponsors, teachers and staff alike!
the children have been highly credtited both for their dancing as well as circus skills!!!

preparing for thanks day

well, the theme of the week has been very much "preparing for thanks day" -the first problems were at the start of the week where my health took a real turn for the worse and as a result, i could not even make it up the steps near the guest house where i stay, let alone the long haul down the mountain in a bumpy old jeep for classes.
then, when i did make it down there, the children were often occupied by their preperations for thanks day.... at first i was a little put out by an unusual lack of enthusiasm to circus, until that is, one day, i was lucky enough to get a sneak preview of their imitation bollywood dance and i was happy to see that they had incorporated pretty much everything they had picked up in Alex's great classes and even more to boot!
the last day of preperations meant a visit from a bombay friend and clown, Martin D'Souza (aka Flubber ther clown) and he was more than ready to give some heartfelt words of encouragement to the youngsters, explaining what is clown, magic and circus, how we can present it and where it can lead us.. from the back of the room, my smile also broadened as i heard him speak and i was happy to get a second positive description of clowning, -such a funny old art!

is anybody out there

hello everyone, i am getting so many positive and encouraging emails from so many of you and want to write to thank you, i am however also keen to write this wee missive to encourage any and all of you to become official folowers and coment about the project, i know many of you are reading this and it would be lovely to connect on the blog!

thnks again!

chris

circus life continues as normal.

photos curtesy of Tristan Wheelock - www.TristanWheelock.com

so back to normal after the show, time to tape up damaged props, check the ropes and matresses are in good condition and everything is safe to continue our groundwork to make the fantasy of circus come alive in our minds and so, we can transmit the sense of wonder, spreading delicious moments of laughter reflecting life and showing what is possible!

calm after the show

the day after the show (yesterday 18th june)
i am back to teaching groups of ten kids at a time, mainly because the children have other extra curricular activities to prepare for their "thanks day" on the 2nd july, but also makes the classes somewhat more managable for myself as i can spread my attention more effectively.
as a treat for all of us, the day after the show, i dropped my usual almost millitary approach to training and gave a gentle yoga class before allowing all the children to practice whatever discipline they chose!