Circus has the power to bring people together, no matter their culture, language or background.
How it all began…
The travelling circus brought dazzling performance art to people where they were, uniting rich and poor, old and young, under the canvas of the big top. Its power to break down social barriers gave two Belfast pioneers a brainwave.
It was 1985 and the Troubles were raging across a city divided by walls and mindsets. Donal McKendry and the late Mike Moloney had been trying to engage young people in theatre workshops. “The kids weren’t that interested in being ‘blades of grass’ because in the evening they were out rioting, ripping off lead roofs, throwing petrol bombs,” Donal remembered. They realised that for these kids, drama didn’t have enough challenge. They needed something that was physical, and that provided the kind of adrenaline rush they had become hooked on. And it worked.
THE VERY BEGINNING - 1985 +
Donal McKendry and Mike Moloney started teaching circus skills to young people in Belfast, as part of an Arts Council Northern Ireland Community Arts programme. Belfast Community Circus School was born. The first Saturday circus workshops were held at Ormeau Park Recreation Centre and kids were bussed in from some of the most troubled parts of the city to learn juggling, stilt walking and acrobatics. Before long, children from opposite sides of the divide had learned to work together, cooperate and form close friendships. Guest tutors include John Lee teaching in the Crescent Arts Centre.
Word spread fast and soon social workers were asking for workshops for children in care homes. "There were so many kids coming in from care homes, around 1988 we set up Circus 1 to 3 in St Pat’s Training School (a care home for boys) because they were people who didn’t have their own family," Mike remembered. "They were adopted into this other family, and they achieved and were given recognition and encouragement."
SOCIAL CIRCUS REVOLUTION +
It was the beginning of a ‘social circus’ revolution which would eventually span the globe. Similar initiatives were springing up across the United States, Latin America, Europe, Africa, Asia and Australia as people discovered the power of circus as a tool for personal development and social inclusion. As pioneers of social circus, Mike Moloney and Donal McKendry were soon in demand in war-torn Bosnia. It was 1997 when a call came in from Sarajevo. "There was a person working in Sarajevo who wanted a circus group and they approached Cirque du Soleil. They said, we can’t do it but if you want somebody to help you, Belfast Community Circus will help. They are a frontier circus," they recalled. "Food was important to the kids, water was important for them, just the struggle to live was important. But they loved seeing us coming."
The Sarajevo project took place on the late Will Chamberlain’s watch. In post since 1996, he had already spearheaded social circus work in Manchester where inner city rioting had taken a toll. "I was struck by how advanced the work here was, the extent to which projects had developed and taken on their own life: Circus 1 to 3 and projects that had been going on in the Shankill. That was taking community circus to new levels as far as I was aware."
2004 - FESTIVAL OF FOOLS - UNITING A DIVIDED CITY +
In 2004, Will had the inspired idea of putting on an annual circus and street theatre festival in Belfast to bring the divided city together. "We wanted to make it a place of celebration after so many years when the city centre was unsafe territory, and to declare that normality was here," he recalled. The Festival of Fools brought in top street acts from across Europe and beyond. *"You had crowds of people across all age ranges, all social class backgrounds, every religious viewpoint, different ethnic minorities – not just one slice of arts-goers or one section of society, it was everybody. And literally, the streets did echo to the sounds of people’s laughter." *That’s no small thing in a divided city.
2004 - 2018 INTERNATIONAL EXCELLENCE +
Under Will’s stewardship, Belfast exported its unique brand of social circus all over the world, travelling to Peru, Australia, the US, Canada, Denmark and Italy. Today, it has an unrivalled international reputation and is one of the most respected community circuses on the global social circus scene.
This commitment to international social circus, excellent pedagogy and trainer development remains central to the work of Circusful.
Other Highlights include summer school programmes, work with Ulster Museum and a partnership with Cirque du Soleil.
Over the years there were trips and exchanges with circus schools based in Finland, Colorado and Prague and the Land of Giants was brought to life in Belfast.
In 2015, the School claimed a World Record and had a Big Birthday Bash for their 30th birthday!
2021 - BCCS BECOMES CIRCUSFUL +
Following widespread consulations with the Circus community, we rebranded to Circusful on the 30th November 2021. For us, this was about building on what’s gone before, learning from the hard work and brilliant vision that got us to where we were and celebrating all that had happeened and will continue to be achieved.
Under the leadership of CEO Jenna Hall, Circusful continued to grow and develop (even with a global pandemic!) - we run our first ever aerial intensive in 2020, many of more of which have happened since. New connections and collorations have been built with Belfast Childrens Festival, Sailortown Festival, Compagnie XY and Ulster University and many, many more.
Alongside existing funded work, we delivered a 2 year social circus programme with the help of new funder RTE Toy Show - working in organisations across the country such as Harberton North and South, Clonmore, Glenravel and District Community and Residents Assoication, Fleming Fulton, Action Deaf Youth and beyond - bringing the wonder and colour of Circus to those who may not have had to chance to experience Circus!
During this time Circusful has continued to increase it's capacity as a space for local and international artists to explore and develop new pieces of work whether that be through residencies or a mentoring space.
2025 - 40 YEARS OF CIRCUS +
We are delighted to be celebrating 40 years of the wonder and colour of Circus! Circus has touched the lives of so many, get ready to join us for a year long celebration of the past, present and future of Circus! Whether you are just getting involved or looking to reconnect, 2025 is about the joy that Circus has brought to us all, let's party!
Remembering
Whilst our work has the power to fill streets, hearts and minds with the wonder and colour of circus, there have been some incredibly sad times too. Dear members of our circus family have left us too soon - and whilst we miss them all terribly, there are a few people in particular we want to pay tribute to
Mike Moloney
In 2013 we said goodbye to Mike, one of the two founders of the School, an inspiration to many and a true advocate for circus. For almost 30 years, Mike supported artists to develop, established and developed the first circus family in Northern Ireland. We have held onto Mike’s understanding of the power of circus, his sense of fun and imagination in our new mission, brand and values.
Mike’s understanding of the power of circus was clear from an early age. He combined this with his experience of being a theatre/street performer and teacher and supported BCCS to achieve international recognition as a ‘frontier circus.’
Outside of circus, Mike was the first Executive Director of the Prison Arts Foundation (PAF) in Northern Ireland.
Will Chamberlain
Will moved to Belfast in 1996, taking up the position of Development Officer for the Belfast Community Circus School. He became Director of the Circus School in 2000. In 2017, Will sadly passed away.
Will’s commitment to Social Circus and the role he played in developing the international network, CARAVAN helped to lift BCCS onto a new level both locally and internationally. His skill, passion and preparedness to fight for what he believed in were second to none and his legacy lives on through the home he found for the school in the Cathedral Quarter of Belfast - then, Ireland’s only dedicated circus training and performance venue. He went onto organise the world’s first full-time teacher training programme for community circus teachers. Will’s early work is central to our growing outreach programme our continued involvement in CARAVAN.
As the founder of Festival of Fools, Will’s hard work has brought joy to literally thousands of people on the streets of Belfast each year – through the largest festival of its kind on the island of Ireland.
Serving as a board member of the Arts Council of Northern Ireland from 2003 to 2005, Will influenced more than just circus and street theatre. Roisin McDonough, Chief Executive of the Arts Council, paid tribute, saying: “Will was an influential figure in the Belfast arts scene. Thanks to his determined championing of circus and street theatre, these art forms are practically unrecognizable from what they were when he first arrived here some twenty years ago…Will leaves behind an important legacy, of having influenced the shape and raised the profile and recognition of circus arts across the island of Ireland, the UK and Europe.”
Nora Greer
Nora Greer was instrumental in the establishment of the then called ‘Belfast Community Circus School’ together with her late husband Mike Moloney and their friend Donal McKendry. According to Anne McReynolds – Mike called Nora ‘The Invisible Grand-dame of Circus’.
Describing this journey in her own words, Nora wrote: ‘My husband, Mike Moloney, was one of the founders of the Belfast Community Circus School in 1985. Mike was originally from Toowoomba, Australia and had trained as a drama teacher. He came to Ireland in 1981, and within a couple of years, started doing workshops teaching unicycling, juggling, stilt walking, rola-bola, and acro-balance. Mike met Donal McKendry, who was also a performer, and they began, along with myself, running a regular Saturday workshop in the Ormeau Recreation Centre in 1985. This was the beginning of the Belfast Community Circus School, which went on to grow and grow. They now have a purpose-built school with classes running daily. During the 1980s, the circus was not seen as something you did or learned, but something that you visited and went to watch. There was nowhere in Ireland to train as a circus performer, and it was Mike’s vision that pioneered this and changed people’s perspectives of the circus as a possible career.”
Unfettered by language or education or social barriers, circus reaches beyond to create a widely inclusive artform for all, where audiences are taken on a journey of skill, daring, romance and courage. These qualities and the shared vision of Nora, Mike and Donal inspired the evolution of social circus, with Belfast becoming lead pioneers for same on a global stage.
Charismatic and compelling, visionaries and pioneers. They both had a powerful impact and their legacy will live on.
Read more here:
Late Mike Moloney - Prison Arts Foundation
Obituary: Will Chamberlain (1963-2017) | Arts Council of Northern Ireland (artscouncil-ni.org)
Social Circus (outreach)
Strategies and Impact
Our goals:
To improve young people’s resilience, health, self-esteem and ability to focus
To build their confidence to improve relationships within and between communities
Our challenges:
The existence in Belfast of more than 90 walls, barriers or interfaces which attest to continuing tensions and fears
Anxiety and division triggered by Brexit and the introduction of a customs border, wherever it may lie
A recent upsurge in paramilitary activity
Suicide rates of 18.5 per 100,000 in N Ireland compared with 9.2 in England.
The highest rates of obesity, heart disease, diabetes and physical inactivity in the UK
Chronic lack of confidence, problems with focus and listening, lack of trust in authority, and suspicion of those from other areas among vulnerable young people
Our methods and values:
Our participants’ needs are paramount
We boost confidence through the process of ‘Try, fail, grow’
We are flexible. When needs change, we adapt our programmes
Bespoke strategies
We tailor our social circus work to the needs of our partners and participants. Our expert tutor teams are flexible and will adapt the direction of a programme in response to changing needs.
One example of our bespoke strategies and flexibility is our work at Belfast Met where our cohort includes three wheelchair users. Our lead tutor worked with the group, the Met staff and the individuals to better understand their needs. As a result, all three wheelchair users have learned to walk on a tightwire.
Another example is our provision of home to project transport for young members of VOYPIC (Voice of Young People in Care). This is not something we normally offer, but when our team saw the need, they were quick to respond.
Our outcomes:
Young people’s resilience, esteem and ability to focus improve through our social programmes. They demonstrate:
An improved ability to focus and listen. This is clear from their behaviour when in a group, their attentiveness when things are explained and their patience in turn-taking.
Increased resilience, which means accepting that failure is part of successful learning. Other adults in their lives report that the ability to cope with failure is transferring to new places of learning/development.
Enhanced self-esteem. They develop the confidence to take part in public performances and play an active role in the creative process.
Enthusiasm for physical activity. Circus provides an enjoyable way into both cardiovascular and strength-building activity.
Teacher confidence and fulfilment. This is clear from the sheer number of tutors putting themselves forward for social circus work following completion of the training course.
By developing young people’s physical health, confidence, and ability to make good choices, circus helps them to bounce back and define their own future. In these communities, that is hugely important.
Our partners: Please see ‘Funders and Partners’ section