Cause Index

actionarte

The ActionArte Foundation S.A. is a nonprofit organization (149-997 NPO) anchored in Hanover Park, Cape Flats. It’s objective is to explore circus as a launch pad for physical and playful activities that can provide a safe place for kids outside of the realities of daily life. A space for the kids to express themselves and to build social relations (across communities) in the area. But ActionArte is also a facilitator program, aiming at creating skillful social circus instructors and professional performers. In this sense ActionArte is a twofold process - a set of workshops for children supported by Lansport Community Centre in Hanover Park and a learning site of empowerment and employment for a group of already trained and talented performers dedicated to inspire and encourage personal and social development through circus arts.

It is worth mentioning that ActionArte was born out of a desire to do circus with a multi-spectrum approach, with a particular focus on how circus arts and creations can represent present stories within and across social dynamics.

Since January 2014, ActionArte has been a reality in the sense that Hanne la Cour and Marlin Ross along with six other young 'performers' from Cape Town's suburbs, has created: The Core Group. The Core group meets every day to train and develop common ideas and ambitions that besides physical training includes a larger and deeper philosophy about a person not having anything - but still left with his body. They have workshops twice a week with kids and youngsters in Hanover Park that they create two yearly free performances for the community, along with a lot more...

In general ActionArte works contextually, meaning that we work and create towards specific audience, themes, events, culture etc.
We work a lot with a narrative structure meaning that we have a story or a massage through the performance.
We often try to give an insight into ActionArte's way of working with circus as a creative method/tool for social change.
Although we are young, we have already had many performances and collaborations, both local here in South Africa and international in Europe.
Our experience go from street performances, art, wine and music festivals to big cooperates and big stage performances.
Just to mention a few, Infecting the city (SA), Cape Town Carnival (SA) Africa Burn (SA) Ramsfest (SA), Sanlam (SA) as part of the many colaborations with trash Cabaret, VolksWagen (SA), King of Swaziland, Valladolid International Festival Of Street theater and Art (Spain), Circus school of Carampa, (Spain), AFUK The Danish Circus School (DK), The First African Circus Festival (Ethiopia).

We have just come back from a month of exchanges of methods, workshops and Shows around Europe to create hopefully new doors and bring creative inspiration back to our work here in Africa. That was followed quickly with the trip to Ethiopia, representing South Africa at the First African Circus Festival, where we preformed and exchanged workshops to create an African Circus Alliance.

Our goal is to be recognized by educational, art, culture and social development bodies; to create strong, positive, self thinking, creative citizens that can and will make the better future of South Africa and the world.

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