Old friends, new friends - Ivan (AUS)

In Kathmandu, we the volunteers live in a community that is continuously shifting and changing. Familiar faces depart and new ones arrive in an unpredictable yet constant pattern. It makes a nice change when an old friend arrives. Last week we were joined by Shaun Plumtree, a fellow Australian circus performer who, like me, came here following the dream of working with a company like Sapana. Social circus - circus training that is used for personal empowerment, healing and community building - is something that we have both had a lot of experience in. It is a rare opportunity to do social circus work with a group with such skill and enthusiasm. The trainers here all agree that Sapana has the potential to grow into a world-renowned circus company. Shaun and I have been friends for six years, and have worked together in one way or another for most of that time. Arriving last Thursday, he has hit the ground running. In his first class with the Sapana group he showed Sheetal and Shital some new aerial silks moves, including a nice drop he'd invented. In the second, we made use of Shaun's knowledge of aerial hoop and rigging, so that now Pramilla and Sharmilla can add spinning and swinging to their hoop routines.

Shaun has also made plans to contribute to EBT's other projects, using his photography skills to help put together a jewellery catalogue, and his knowledge of integrated farming to help in some community development projects. Remarkably, he has managed to incorporate his three passions (circus, photography and permaculture) into his volunteer role at EBT in less that one week!

Eluned will be leaving us in two weeks, to continue her overland journey. She has been great to work with, and her circus and dance expertise has been an excellent addition to Sapana's training. It will be sad to see her go, but we will be wishing her all the best on her epic journey. For the next two weeks, we will make the most of having three professional circus trainers on board, as well as our ever-helpful volunteers. The next several classes are going to be action-packed.

Meanwhile, preparation continues. Days are filled in the office, planning lessons, projects and events, keeping regular contact with our people in the UK, researching, or escaping to go on missions around Kathmandu, to find, fix or make new equipment. Highlights include sitting on the back of a motorbike, holding a pair of stilts like jousting-poles as we looked for a metal-worker who could make us another pair.

Two weeks ago, Eluned and I visited a transitional centre near the monkey temple, to explore the possibility of doing social circus work with the children there. We came back a few days later with balloons, rice, poly-pipe, and coloured tape, to do an all day workshop with the kids there. After teaching the kids how to make cheap and effective hula-hoops and juggling balls, we taught them how to use them. We ended the day with dance and drama games, and everyone had a lot of fun. After the success of this pilot-project, we are planning to run fortnightly circus workshops there. We are considering the idea of bringing some of the Sapana performance troupe along to help. It will be valuable teaching experience for them, as most professional circus performers I know end up padding out their unpredictable incomes by working as circus teachers. Also, the Sapana group would be great role-models.

We had a surprise visit yesterday from Tristan, our key sponsor for the Dubai show.  After meeting with us, he came and visited the Sapana performers at the refuge, to deliver a rousing speech about the future of the group. He speaks excellent Nepali, unlike me, and even though I understood only a little of what was said, the effect it had was clearly visible. As he spoke, the faces around the table began to lift and shine with inspiration, and everyone left feeling really positive about the upcoming show. We took the opportunity to bring over some hula hoops that we'd made with our leftover materials. I look forward to being able to set the hula hoop girls some homework.

So, as always, opportunities seem to be flying through the air like raindrops in a monsoon. Exciting times ahead.

Namaste - Ivan (AUS)

Greetings from the latest of the volunteer circus trainers, Ivan and Eluned. Ivan here, I'll be looking after the Sapana Circus blog for the time being. Two weeks ago, I arrived in Kathmandu, all the way from Sunny Brisbane, after hearing about the opportunity to work with Sapana and being truly inspired by their story. I had little idea what I was getting myself in for, although I did know that with one week to learn the ropes before Zoe made her way back to the UK, I would really have to hit the ground running. I was pleased to discover that another volunteer trainer, with extensive experience in dance, aerials and social circus, was arriving that same weekend. It has been a hectic two weeks. As well as bothering Zoe with constant questions up until she left, we have been meeting the rest of the EBT team, learning how to find our way around nameless streets, haggling with the bus and taxi drivers, moving from the office into our temporary home up in the beautiful hills of Godawari, and creating a training schedule around the many performances and opportunities that are popping up, and all the while trying to make each circus class as productive, engaging and fun as possible.

Last Monday I asked the Sapana performers to show me some of the pyramids they've learned so far. They grumbled and made excuses for a while, and so I asked if perhaps they'd like to do some more handstand conditioning instead. Presto!

Once they'd warmed to the idea, we started trying some different shapes, and I showed them a few advanced acrobalance positions which they picked up almost instantly.  As a circus trainer, it's such a rare blessing to work with students that have so much talent and raw potential, and are at the same time so humble and friendly. We have a lot of work to do to get ready for the upcoming shows, but I feel confident that the Sapana crew will knock the audience's socks off.

On top of the performance in Dubai this coming October, Sapana will also be performing at the British Embassy on the 14th of September, with the help of Cambridge based group Rickshaw Theatre. There are several other smaller opportunities in the pipeline, so it looks like we're going to be really busy. Luckily, the next two months will see a number of incoming circus volunteers, two of whom are friends and fellow graduates of the National Institute of Circus Arts in Melbourne, Australia.