Teachers & Parents
Explore these resources to learn about circus arts education. Your questions and comments are welcome! Please contact Jackie.
What Is Youth Circus?
Youth circus is defined as “circus created and performed by youth, as opposed to an entertainment devised for youth” (Dr. Doyle Ott, 2005).
In academic circles, developmental circus arts (DCA) refers to “the theory and practice of using circus arts to cultivate positive youth outcomes across multiple domains,” particularly the physical, social & emotional, and cognitive domains (J.L. Davis, EdM, 2012).
How Popular Is Youth Circus?
Youth circus programs are booming in the US. In 2011, AYCO released its first census of youth circus activity, which showed that 92% of responding programs had been founded within the previous three decades. A new survey is about to go out to collect more information about the growth of the youth circus sector!
While it is challenging to get hold of the hard statistics, you can get a sense of the global scale of youth circus activity on our Youth & Social Circus Worldwide page.
Isn't Circus Just "Clowning Around?"
Because circus is fun, its benefits can be overlooked. But circus offers huge educational, developmental, and therapeutic benefits! Here are just a few examples:
- As seen in this TedX talk, circus is being used as a therapeutic tool for children with autism and their families.
- Students who are reluctant to participate in physical education or team sports are reported as willing to participate in circus activities.
- There are plenty of benefits to clowning around, too – seriously! Medical clowns use therapeutic humor to significantly reduce stress and anxiety in pediatric patients – as well as in their parents.
Is There Any Evidence About the Benefits of Youth Circus?
YES! But peer-reviewed evidence specifically focused on circus is slow incoming. Researchers are finally beginning to notice that circus helps kids!
- In a study measuring physical literacy in children, 4th and 5th grade students in a PE circus group showed significant improvements in motor competence, confidence, and movement terminology comprehension compared with students in regular PE. The “gender gap” in motor competence was smaller in the circus group, indicating more equitable opportunity for motor competency development in boys and in girls.
- A 2017 study of eight social circus programs showed that these programs have as good or better impact on social and emotional learning among youth participants than other youth programs.
- World renowned neuroscientist, Dr. Adele Diamond, calls for rigorous research into youth circus and all arts and physical activities. She believes these activities are crucial for all aspects of a child’s development, including his or her academic success.
The following research does not reference circus skills, however, the motor skills performed by the subjects included various bimanual, bilateral, eye-hand, and balancing tasks – the same motor skills used in circus.
- Adolescents in this 2008 study on “coordinative exercise” scored significantly higher on a test for concentration and attention. While the terms “circus” or “juggling” were not used, the activities performed were bimanual ball skills and balancing.
- In this 2016 study, working memory in 9-to- 10 year old children improved after performing “motor exercises” including “fine and gross motor body coordination through playful balance, bilateral coordination, hand–eye coordination, and leg–arm coordination exercises.”
- Likewise, working memory improved significantly in children with ADHD who, in this 2015 study, were assigned to “ball handling, balance, and manual dexterity” activities.
What Skills Are Taught in Youth Circus?
Circus skills that are frequently taught in youth circus programs include, but are not limited to:
Toss Juggling:
Scarves, balls, rings, clubs.
Gyroscopic Juggling:
Diabolo, juggling (flower) sticks, plate spinning, club
and staff twirling.
Aerial Arts:
Trapeze (static, swinging, flying, single point), silks, rope, lyra.
Tumbling/Acro/Pyramids:
Tumbling (rolls, handsprings, tucks), Partner Acrobatics (a.k.a. acrobalance, hand-to-hand): Human pyramids, flexibility.
Clown & Character:
Clowning (traditional, theatrical), mime, eccentric
character.
Equilibristics:
Tightrope, rola bola, unicycle, stilts, rolling globe.
Flow Arts:
Hula hoop, poi, fire spinning. (Many circus folk prefer the term
“Object Manipulation” or “Spinning”).
