Circus magic helping people with disabilities in Brussels

Brussels, Jun 19 (EFE).- Brussels circus school’s Handicirque project has been providing a chance for people with disabilities to learn new skills and socialize since its launch three decades ago.

School director Vicent Wauters told Efe that he was unsure of how successful the project would be when it was first launched.

“It was so wonderful to share circus skills, juggling, trapeze with this kind of people, that we decided to open the door to these very special, very wonderful people,” he said.

“The effort and the energy they give is the same a big artists,” he added.

The project relies on circus magic to dismantle the barriers people with disabilities can face and boost the wellbeing of the students, Tania Fernandez, one of the Handicirque teachers, told Efe.

 The exercises help improve psychomotor skills, social interactions and reinforce students’ self-confidence “because they overcome a lot doing the different exercises,” according to Fernandez.

The school offers a variety of workshops for people of all ages, including an opportunity to become an instructor to help others through a methodology based on “a playful spirit that awakens trust, respect and pleasure.”

Currently, some 150 people with disabilities are enrolled in the Handicirque. EFE

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