Circus in the Context of Immigration
Will Borrell from Caravan Youth and Social Circus Network hosts a discussion about circus in the context of immigration. Will and his guests share their projects and practices about how they use circus as a tool to facilitate migratory issues with refugees and newly arrived migrants.
William Borrell, HOST
Will is an artist from the United Kingdom. He worked as a juggler for many years in Scotland and in Newcastle. For the last two years, he has worked as the project and communications officer at Caravan Circus, a network of youth and social circuses worldwide. Caravan was founded in 2008 with the objective to use circus as a tool for social inclusion, for empowerment. Will also toured with Clowns Without Borders in Cyprus at the end of last year. His true passion lies in the exploration of circus as a social tool for engagement and working with marginalized groups.
Serena Galante, PANELIST
Born in Milan, Serena Galante is a multidisciplinary artist based between Belgium and France. She begins her career with the foundation of the Atelier Teatro, company directed by Mamadou Dioume, collaborator of Peter Brook and the street theatre company SpettacoloSenzaMura. In 2012, she left Italy for Belgium to join the International Lassaad Theatre School.
Since 2017 she collaborates with Clowns without Borders, of which she is a member of the board of directors and coordinator. In the same year she begins to work as performer and choreographer with Dan Tanson on shows for young audience of the Philharmonie du Luxembourg. In 2017, she created her first plastic installation Intime Vulnérabilité Gynécologique that receives a very positive reception from the Belgian press and institutions.
Clowns Without Borders was born in 1993 in Spain, from an idea of the famous clown, Tortell Poltrona, to offer humour as a means of psychological support for communities that have suffered trauma. Little by little a lot of artists all over the world decided to follow this idea and today CWB exists in 16 countries (Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Finland, France, Germany, India, Ireland, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, the United Kingdom and the United States). Together, we form Clowns Without Borders International.
Since 1993, Clowns Without Borders chapters have completed 127.500 projects in 123 countries around the world.
Clowns Sans Frontières Belgique was born in 2001 and since that moment we realized 75 missions in 25 different countries all over the world. We also have a lot of activities in Belgium which involve every year around 600 children. CSF wants to transform fear into hope through play and laughter and to provide psychological relief and bring back joy and hope to people’s lives. With the arts of clowning and circus we try to create an environment free of pain and prejudice.
Diana Mubarakshina, PANELIST
Diana works for Upsala Circus, a social and cultural project from St. Petersburg, Russia. Diana and her team are migrants themselves, as part of their team operates from Germany as we speak. Diana is responsible for the organization’s fundraising activities and the operational and management issues in Germany.
Ilaria Bessone, PANELIST
Ilaria holds a Ph.D. in Sociology and Methodology of Social Research from the Graduate School ofSocial and Political Sciences, University of Milan. Her project explores the contemporary circus movement in Turin in relation to the current changing configurations of art, work, and the body. She holds an MSc in International Migration and Social Cohesion (University of Amsterdam, Deusto and University College Dublin), and a Master’s in Development Studies (University of Turin). She is a trainer of trainers and the research coordinator of AltroCirco, a project for the development of social circus in Italy. AltroCircogathers social circus associations and trainers from all over Italy to promote the use of circus as a tool for social transformation. Ilaria also works as a sociocultural manager and circus teacher at the Pirilampo Circus School, Macello (TO), Italy.
AltroCirco is a project of Association Giocolieri & Dintorni for the development and acknowledgement of Social Circus in Italy. It gathers together social circus Associations and trainers from all over Italy, to promote the use of circus as a tool for social transformation.
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We are a non-profit organisation that is committed to developing the sector and empowering our members and their participants. Our members are closely connected, and these links have been created through our projects: Youth festivals and exchanges, training for trainers programmes, capacity building, volunteer exchange, production of research, seminars and gathering of resources.
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