Circus Comes to Kirikiriroa!
Bright colours, hula hoops, juggling balls and laughter. These are some of the things you may have noticed pop up in Hamilton CBD of late.
A summer activation of circus on the often empty green lawns of Garden Place has seen kids and adults alike give these activities a go and has transformed the area into a lively, creative play zone.
Circus in the Centre began running at the end of January this year and people have come from near and far (some even as far as Auckland!) to enjoy this free and family friendly activity. Those that usually do not come into the CBD had come in especially to enjoy this novel and free event and the feedback has come in loud and clear – “more of this!”
Circus has a special power to encourage participation, create ease, joy and encourage connection. Everyone is welcome and whether you’re more of the ringmaster, acrobat, juggler or clown, there’s a place in the circus where all our talents can be highlighted. There have been kids learning to juggle three balls in 15 minutes, adults creating entirely new hula hoop tricks, and parents in awe of the sudden focus their children had to learn something new.
On Tuesdays, we’ve also been hosting Circus in the CBD, an in-person activation of the Creativity Every Day programme. This one, in contrast, is aimed at the adults. Without the crowds of weekend tamariki joyfully playing in the circus, this requires a curious confidence in our resident office workers, and for those who bravely cross past the colourful bunting, new skills are learnt, good laughter is had and passersby can’t help but smile (or giggle!) at their fellow co-workers giving hula hooping or juggling a go.
Some have asked in bemusement “so what’s this about?!” The simple answer is:
That it’s just for fun!
It’s for the office worker or contractor who is on their lunch break to try out something new and play. A skill that kids are excellent at, but as we get older, we seem to get shy and uncomfortable, and fear doing things in front of others that might embarrass us. We get it. Being a beginner can bring up all sorts of feelings and be embarrassing.
But on the other side of it is laughs, connections with people and place. It’s also incredibly good for your mind to snap out of busy meeting mode and into something that challenges your hand-eye coordination and brings you into your body– even if just for five minutes. And you know what? You may even be able to juggle by the end of it!
There’s still a chance to join in on learning circus skills as Circus in the Centre will continue to run each Saturday until April 5th! And if you’re looking for something you and your colleagues can do together as part of workplace wellbeing, why not sign up to Creativity Every Day as a team, and try out a different type of programme that’s centred around creativity!
Written by: Evelyn Coulson, Creative Waikato team member