Show in the Red Crescent Society

The Red Crescent Society (the Red Cross of the Middle East) in Nablus runs a school for handicap and deaf children. Assirk Assaghir performed a show for the students in May as a part of their clown training. The circus students were coached in how to perform for their audience and how to interact appropriately with them. The clowns did not speak in Arabic, as they often do, and instead used gestures and facial expressions in the performance. The performance was a success; after the show, none of the children wanted to go back to their classrooms, so they played music and the children danced with the performers. The teachers in the school appreciated a fun activity in which the students were encouraged to participate and given the chance to laugh out loud.

Hopital Clowning News

The public hospitals in Nablus have completed the transfer of the children's ward from Al-Watani to Rafedia hospital. The facilities are much better, although still in need of many improvements and more advanced equipment. A team of 3 clowns from Assirk Assaghir visited the new ward last week and spent a few hours playing with and cheering up the kids (and parents!). One woman said her daughter had been crying all morning and refused to take her medicine. After playing with the clowns she started laughing and forgot her pain. She later asked her mother to call the doctor because she was ready to take her medicine.

During the summer vacation, when many clown trainees are free, Assirk Assaghir will increase the frequency of visits like this to the hospitals.

Jamal Abdel Naser Show

For the occasion of the Political Prisoners Commemoration day in April, Assirk Assaghir performed for a crowd of more than 4,000 people in the Jamal Abdel Naser open-air theater. The festival was organized by the Medical Relief Society and included performances by Dabkah groups and local singers as well as speeches from the mayor of Nablus and other public figures.

Assirk Assaghir's performance included a trampoline act, acrobatics, juggling, dance, fire arts and, of course, clowning. Watch a montage of the show below:

Two Shows in the Child Culture Center in Nablus

The advanced teenage group performed 2 shows in the Child Culture Center in Nablus for school children in April. The shows included clown skits, juggling, acrobatics and diabolo. The shows were part of a program that organizes extracurricular activities for school children in Nablus. These shows gave the teenage circus students an opportunity to be on stage and especially to practice clowning and finding their own clown.