Welcome to Assirk Assaghir's Blog!

Whether you are a member of Assirk Assaghir, a previous donor, or simply interested in finding out more about our current programs, our blog is a perfect way to keep up to date with what's going on in the Nablus Circus School. For more information about any of our posts, or if you would like to get in contact with the Assirk Assaghir team, don't hesitate to email us at info@assirkassaghir.ps or call our office at +972 92330877. Enjoy!

Assirk Assaghir vs. The Nablus Circus School

Many of you may be wondering: What is the difference between Assirk Assaghir and the Nablus Circus School?

Assirk Assaghir (The Small Circus in Arabic) was the name that a group of motivated youth chose for themselves in 2004 when they were teaching themselves circus arts and performing clowning shows for children in the Nablus area. During this time, they also began sharing their skills with a small group of children from Askar refugee camp, but it wasn't until they received funding to open a center in the middle of Nablus and began regular circus classes for a larger number of children that they added the name Nablus Circus School.

Fundraiser

In November of 2009, a fundraiser was held for the circus in the state of Iowa in the US. The event included a silent auction for Nabulsi products, a slide show of the circus' work, a short presentation by two members of Assirk Assaghir, and of course, Arabic food for all. The night was a success and the funds raised were used for up-keep of the school and transportation stipends for needy students, especially those from the refugee camps in the Nablus area. To all who attended and showed support for Assirk Assaghir, we say Shukran - Thank You.

If you are interested in supporting or continuing to support the circus' programs in Nablus, please contact us at info@assirkassaghir.ps

News

In February, a group of 4 artists traveled from Sweden to Nablus to perform a clowning show for refugee children. The group are theater and clowning students and members of Clowns Without Borders Sweden. They performed their already-prepared show in UN schools in Askar, Balata and Al-Ein refugee camps, Nablus and a village called Al-Yanoon that has been plagued by harassment form nearby Israeli settlers. Over the course of three weeks, they performed daily shows for more than 7,000 children total in the Nablus district.

Girls Training

Previously, the circus has encountered problems with female students dropping out of the program once they reach their early teen years as a result of the conservative culture in Nablus, making it unacceptable for teen boys and girls to practice sports together. In order to keep the girls involved, Assirk Assaghir began all-female classes taught by a female instructor.
In January, during the students' mid-semester vacation from school, two female circus artists from Sweden came to the Nablus Circus School to train this new group of teen girls. They gave daily trainings and worked with the girls toward a show that they performed in a neighborhood center for an audience of children and women. The show included acrobatic numbers, Chinese plates, juggling, poi, drumming and human pyramids. This 2-week program inspired the girl students to continue with circus training and gave them a chance to be on stage for the first time, boosting their confidence and sparking their creativity. Assirk Assaghir has continued classes for this group and hopes to repeat this program in the summer.

Hospital Clown Project News

In January of 2010, a group of Swedish clowns from Assirk Assaghir's partner organization, Clowns Without Borders, gave a 2-week workshop for teenage students in hospital clowning. This initiative is part of a program to train students to be clowns for children in hospitals in Nablus, especially those children suffering from chronic diseases who spend much of their time in the hospital.

20 students ranging in age from 16 to 25 participated in these workshops which included 'introduction to clowning' activities, discussions of where the clown fits in the hospital setting and practical visits to the hospitals. The students progressed during these two weeks in finding their clown character and in working with their surroundings and understanding their audience.

Also during this period, the Swedish trainers visited the main governmental hospital in Nablus numerous times as clowns to spend time with the children. They also performed shows in a center in Askar refugee camp and multiple centers for disabled children in Nablus and Ramallah such as the Red Crescent Society. Students from the workshop participated in many of the shows and held their own show in the Nablus Circus School at the conclusion of the two weeks.

This project will continue into 2010 with more training visits to hospitals and eventually trained clowns that make regular visits to hospitals and centers for disabled children.

News

A group of four circus artists and clowns from Clowns Without Borders Ireland performed 4 shows in Nablus in January, 2010 for more than 400 children. They performed for children and adults in neighborhood centers in Nablus and Askar refugee camp. Their show included music, juggling, acrobatics and many clown skits that required audience participation. This is the second tour the group has done in Nablus in the past 2 years.