The big tent in a Saint Petersburg park is not just a circus, but a space for disabled and disadvantaged children, often shunned by Russian society, to express themselves.
The Upsala Circus “for delinquents” has also just won a top theater prize, despite hostility from some state authorities.
“All children and especially children at risk need something interesting, something ‘cool’ to give them energy and a desire to change their life,” Upsala founder and artistic director Larisa Afanasyeva said.
She started the circus almost two decades ago to offer vulnerable young people a chance to develop their talents, in a country with only basic provision for orphans or the disabled.
About 70 children who are from poor families, orphans or disabled come to the circus company’s tent in north Saint Petersburg to prepare shows of mostly acrobatics, about 45 each year.
A performance by children with Down Syndrome last month won a prize at the Golden Mask awards, which usually acknowledge the glitzy high-end of Moscow theater.
The company has come a long way since Afanasyeva set it up in 2000 along with a German student, Astrid Shorn.
Back then the two young women had nothing but their drive to help some of the most vulnerable in Russian society.
Upsala Circus had no proper rehearsal space, so the troupe got together in the parks and squares of Russia’s second city. Finally having a big top was a “dream come true,” making a huge difference for the young performers, Afanasyeva said.
Upsala had managed to buy the tent, which incorporates a main arena and a rehearsal space, five years ago thanks to private sponsors. The circus receives no state funds. The walls are decorated with humorous graffiti, with one slogan reading: “If you don’t behave yourself, we’ll send you to join the circus.”
Despite its success, Afanasyeva has the impression the project is “not moving forward,” largely because of hostility from some who run state services such as orphanages.
“It was easier when we were starting out in the early 2000s. Back then everything was more open. Now there are too many rules, too many things you can’t do,” she said.
“We teach the children to be free and that’s a scary prospect,” she added.
The authorities “just want the children to stay out of trouble, but we are talking about freedom and art,” she said.
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