2022
thank you everyone who tuned in to our 2022 short circus film - inner worlds
Thank you for all of your comments and feedback!
2021
bounce:
october 2021, prairie drive park
Ethiopian dance and circus show, created by socirc participant & youth ambassador abe atlabachew in partnership with rachel and socirc and sosena and sebseb belu
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This was the launch of a brand new show created by Ethiopian newcomer, Abebe Atlabachew, as his first show in Canada, with support and produced in partnership with Rachel David and SoCirC and Sosena Assefa and Seseb Belu, generously funded by Ontario Arts Council and Toronto Arts Councils' Arts in the Parks program.Bounce show is a collective of Ethiopian artists sharing theatrical stories, interlaced with traditional styles of circus and dance, both full of bright colour and culture. Circus in Ethiopia is always paired with dance and culture. Bounce brings this celebration of the beauty, warmth and richness of Ethiopian culture through dance and circus to Toronto.
As newcomers to Toronto, artists tell the often unknown stories of migration and the journey of seeking refuge. All 7 artists share from the complex feelings and moments from their own collective stories as newcomers, and collected stories of peers including the various struggles in the journey of migration, and at borders. Themes such as imbalance/abuse of power, unjust systems, corruption, juggling/balancing different cultures , barriers upon arrival are explored.
Contemporary dance and circus (including free standing ladder, bounce juggling and cigar boxes) will be used to create imagery representing the journey of migration, interlaced with the high energy and colour of traditional circus and traditional Ethiopian dance, representing the culture from home that is missed, despite the reasons for having to leave.
As newcomers to Toronto, artists tell the often unknown stories of migration and the journey of seeking refuge. All 7 artists share from the complex feelings and moments from their own collective stories as newcomers, and collected stories of peers including the various struggles in the journey of migration, and at borders. Themes such as imbalance/abuse of power, unjust systems, corruption, juggling/balancing different cultures , barriers upon arrival are explored.
Contemporary dance and circus (including free standing ladder, bounce juggling and cigar boxes) will be used to create imagery representing the journey of migration, interlaced with the high energy and colour of traditional circus and traditional Ethiopian dance, representing the culture from home that is missed, despite the reasons for having to leave.
- Creator, Director & Circus Artist: Abebe Atlabachew
- Production Coordinator: Rachel David
- Costumes, Dance Coordination : Sosena Assefa
- Dramaturge: Faduma Mohamed
- Dancers:
- Sebel Mebrate
- Yakob Alemayew
- Tesfaye Mulugeta
- Densalay Gebru
- Fekrete Awas
- Bochera Mulugeta
- Kalkildan Demisse
anti- racism in circus : with anaya & oliver
Anti-Racism & The Circus Industry with Facilitators Anaya Lambert and Olivier Adrien on Zoom
Presented by SoCirC
Join us online on September 29th at 1 p.m EST for a 2 hr workshop on Circus through an Anti-Racism lens and in the context of Covid 19. In this workshop we will talk about the history and origins of Circus and the way in which it is both informed by and relates to systems of oppression, and what this means for the future of circus. This workshop is tailored to the circus industry.
Themes that will be explored include:
Conscious/Unconscious bias.
Ableism in circus re: Focus on finished product.
Providing Anti Racism context. Why race? Why the circus?
Affirmative action? Equity?
Circus history: Circus origins. BIPOC in circus. White supremacy and the 'showcasing' of property.
Cultural Competency: The disproportionate impacts of Covid on racialized communities.
How to make Circus more accessible to systematically marginalized communities as a tool for self regulation etc.
Facilitator bios:
Anaya Lambert is a first generation Black Guyanese-Canadian and Queer woman of color who is passionate about food sovereignty, Indigenous self determination, trauma informed practices and using play as a tool to liberate and explore new ways of being.
Anaya is an educator, spiritual activist, Theater of the Oppressed 'Joker' and avid birder. You can find her designing curriculum and custom building anti-oppression workshops and forum theater (improve) to support organizations and community members across Turtle Island in developing equitable policies, engaging in transformative dialogue and 'de-mechanizing' from harmful social conditioning.
Olivier Adrien (he/they) is a first generation Black Haitian- Canadian and a proud queer person of colour.Olivier is a social worker and has worked primarily in black communities through research projects designed to quantify disparity in race relations regarding education, police interactions, equitable access to systems, and colonial trauma.
Over time he has created workshops promoting anti-oppression focusing on intersectionality and “calling-in” norms as opposed to “calling-out” conditioned behaviour. Olivier is a lifelong “gaymer”, writer, artist and activist.
Thank you to the Ontario Trillium Foundation the generous support.
Image Description: A poster with two photos of Anaya and Olivier. Anaya Lambert is a Black woman with a bald head and big earrings. Olivier is Haitian and gender non-conforming with a smile and sunglasses. Text on the poster: "Anti-Racism & The Circus Industry on Zoom. With Anaya Lambert and Olivier Adrien. Presented by SoCirC. September 29, 2021. 1-3pm EST. With thanks to the Ontario Trillium Foundation.
Presented by SoCirC
Join us online on September 29th at 1 p.m EST for a 2 hr workshop on Circus through an Anti-Racism lens and in the context of Covid 19. In this workshop we will talk about the history and origins of Circus and the way in which it is both informed by and relates to systems of oppression, and what this means for the future of circus. This workshop is tailored to the circus industry.
Themes that will be explored include:
Conscious/Unconscious bias.
Ableism in circus re: Focus on finished product.
Providing Anti Racism context. Why race? Why the circus?
Affirmative action? Equity?
Circus history: Circus origins. BIPOC in circus. White supremacy and the 'showcasing' of property.
Cultural Competency: The disproportionate impacts of Covid on racialized communities.
How to make Circus more accessible to systematically marginalized communities as a tool for self regulation etc.
Facilitator bios:
Anaya Lambert is a first generation Black Guyanese-Canadian and Queer woman of color who is passionate about food sovereignty, Indigenous self determination, trauma informed practices and using play as a tool to liberate and explore new ways of being.
Anaya is an educator, spiritual activist, Theater of the Oppressed 'Joker' and avid birder. You can find her designing curriculum and custom building anti-oppression workshops and forum theater (improve) to support organizations and community members across Turtle Island in developing equitable policies, engaging in transformative dialogue and 'de-mechanizing' from harmful social conditioning.
Olivier Adrien (he/they) is a first generation Black Haitian- Canadian and a proud queer person of colour.Olivier is a social worker and has worked primarily in black communities through research projects designed to quantify disparity in race relations regarding education, police interactions, equitable access to systems, and colonial trauma.
Over time he has created workshops promoting anti-oppression focusing on intersectionality and “calling-in” norms as opposed to “calling-out” conditioned behaviour. Olivier is a lifelong “gaymer”, writer, artist and activist.
Thank you to the Ontario Trillium Foundation the generous support.
Image Description: A poster with two photos of Anaya and Olivier. Anaya Lambert is a Black woman with a bald head and big earrings. Olivier is Haitian and gender non-conforming with a smile and sunglasses. Text on the poster: "Anti-Racism & The Circus Industry on Zoom. With Anaya Lambert and Olivier Adrien. Presented by SoCirC. September 29, 2021. 1-3pm EST. With thanks to the Ontario Trillium Foundation.
2020 virtual trivia fundraiser
Thanks to all who joined us for a fun night of virtual pandemic Trivia! Was a fun way to spend the first night of code red in Toronto, and we appreciate you supporting socirc and having fun with us!
Congratulations to the winners!
Congratulations to the winners!
our 2018 carnival: fundraiser/anniversary party
Thanks to our amazing youth show "The Carnival of Life", the spectacular performances through the evening by 6 amazing professional circus artists, all of our on, and off sight volunteers, our SoCirC team , our auction/food and drink donations, everyone who came out to support & have fun, Astrid and Jason for the footage, and those who couldn't make it but supported!