Loading ...- Category:
- Entertainment
- Author:
- Andie Noonan
- Posted:
- Wednesday, 9 September 2009
With so much media emphasis on women possessing the body beautiful, and often little else, a community arts company that seeks to redress the balance and empower women is as refreshing as it is essential.
Operating from a hall in West Footscray, the Women’s Circus has been around for 18 years and offers women of all ages, shapes, sizes and backgrounds a chance to build their circus skills and self-esteem simultaneously.
About 200 women a week pass through the doors to perform ariels and acrobatics among other circus antics, which, apart from self-esteem building, is a hell of a lot of fun.
Women’s Circus general manager Dianne Toulson recently joined the company and said it’s one of the most rewarding roles she’s had.
“It is a group driven by a passion to help people,” she said.
“When you think of a circus you think of people standing around juggling but it’s not like that — it’s really involved, it’s far-reaching and it actually does change people’s lives. Being a part of that is really exciting.”
Like many other community groups, the Women’s Circus is only just weathering the uncertain economic times.
A decision seven years ago to incorporate, rather than being run by the council, has increased the pressure to ensure the circus has a future.
The company receives funding from Arts Victoria and VicHealth and support from the Maribyrnong City Council, however, running costs and equipment don’t come cheap.
“We’re short of money. We need money for our end-of-year show, we need a purpose-built space, we need sponsorship and we need people to know we’re here,” Toulson said.
The circus has a serious side in its outreach programs targeting disadvantaged and marginalised women.
The circus runs programs with Parkville Juvenile Justice Centre, the Royal Melbourne Hospital Eating Disorders Unit, Gilmore Girls College and a three-week session with Tarrengower Women’s Prison, as well as working with refugees and women who have been the victims of abuse.
Outreach coordinator Annemarie Ferguson said, apart from continuing its support work, she would like to see the circus build up its social relevance again.
“Ordinary women doing extraordinary things — that in itself is a political statement because it does challenge the stereotypes around women,” she said.
“We’re a feminist organisation. Our role is empowerment for women and advancing rights for women to some degree.”
Ferguson said the circus can be challenging at the start, but programs are structured to enable learning in a non-competitive environment.
“People can get quite frightened by it because they don’t know what they’ve come into, but that’s more about the unknown. Once we get them in the space there’s a lot of laughter and people unwind and relax.
“We had a 92-year-old woman swinging on the trapeze. She likened it to an orgasm she hadn’t had in a very long time.”
The Women’s Circus will have another intake of members for its New Women program at the start of 2010.
info: The Women’s Circus will hold a fundraiser performance this Saturday, September 12. Doors open 7pm. Drill Hall, 395 Barkly St, West Footscray. Tickets $15. Visit www.womenscircus.org.au
Tags: Dianne Toulso, fundraiser performance, West Footscray, Women’s Circus
