Three weeks into his four-month circus skills training trip through America and Canada, Wawan is going strong. Check out what Wawan has been up to at our Flickr photo album.
For more information about Wawan’s trip see our Press Release or read some of our previous blog posts.
Update: Wawan’s in Chicago
Wawan’s American Adventure Begins At Circus Mojo
There’s More Than Circus Tricks and Trampolining Waiting for Wawan in Vancouver
Wawan Prepares For Circus Training Trip to the U.S and Canada
Just a quick update to let you all know that Wawan has arrived safe and sound in Chicago and has had his first classes using the acrobatic wheel with Wolfgang Bientzle from CirqueExperiences, an 8-time world champion in wheel acrobats. Wawan is preparing to compete at the 10th Wheel Gymnastics World Championships (Wheel2013) in July. Wawan will be the first Indonesian ever to take part in this international competition.
After thirty-two hours of travel, Wawan, accompanied by Dedi, arrived in America. After three days of rest and recuperation with friends of the Red Nose Foundation in Houston, Wawan and Dedi jumped on a bus for a 27 hour trip to Cincinnati - a “really long and tiring trip,” according to Dedi – to meet Paul Miller and his team at Circus Mojo.
Wawan and Dedi dine with the team at Circus Mojo
Kentucky, is a little cold, says Dedi, but “the people are really nice”, and Wawan has taken a liking to cereal and burgers and his English is improving day by day.
While at Circus Mojo, Wawan and Dedi were able to attend and be a part of the first International Collegiate Circus Festival on May 3 to 5 attended by people from across America and other parts of the world (though probably not anyone from further away than Jakarta!). The Circus Mojo, the festival, and Wawan all caught the eye of the local media – check out the media coverage at the links below.
Video: Circus Mojo Hosts International College Circus Festival
Ludlow, is hosting the International College Circus Festival, which will include performers from Indonesia and Mexico as well as U.S. college circuses.
Article: Circus School Helps Build Some Mojo
Fewer than 18 hours after planting his feet on the soil of an unfamiliar country, 18-year-old Wawan Kuriawan fearlessly climbed onto a stranger’s shoulders and confidently threw fluorescent rings high into the air.
Wawan is now in Chicago and will begin his training with Wolfgang Bientzle from CirqueExperiences, an 8-time world champion in wheel acrobats, in preparation for the 10th Wheel Gymnastics World Championships (Wheel2013) in July. Wawan will be the first Indonesian ever to take part in this international competition.
After a week of training, Wawan will head back to Kentucky to Paul Miller at Circus Mojo until June 9. From mid-June until July 14, Wawan will be back in Chicago to continue training with Wolfgang at CirquesExperience before Wheel2013. In Chicago, Wawan will also train with Actors Gymnasium, MSA & Circus Arts. After Chicago, through to the end of July and through August, Wawan will be at the Vancouver Circus School (check out our blog about VCS for more info) with Travis Johnson, and then at Circus Smirkus in Vermont.
This unique learning opportunity will provide Wawan with a new set of circus skills that, upon his return to Jakarta, Indonesia, he can share with his fellow students at the Red Nose Foundation and allow him to actively contribute to the development of social circus within his own community.
To support Wawan on his adventure, you can make a donation to our GoFundMe page.
Related Posts:
Wawan Prepares for Circus Training Trip to the U.S. and Canada
There’s More Than Circus Tricks and Trampolining Waiting For Wawan in Vancouver
Download the Press Release
Images supplied by Circus Mojo
The Vancouver Circus School is gearing up to welcome Wawan, a social circus student from the Red Nose Foundation in Jakarta, Indonesia. The School’s support network has been preparing and planning for their guests’ arrival and they are ready to welcome Wawan with open arms.
Wawan will be staying with a number of different members of the Vancouver Circus School (VCS) community while a visitor in the coastal city.
“Staff at the Vancouver Circus School come from all walks of life,” says Nigel Wakita, Director of Recreational Education at VCS. “They have come from near and far to commit themselves to the art of circus. Many of the instructors are ex-gymnasts, dancers, or were just fidgety in school. But no matter where they’re from, everyone is excited to share their circus skills with Wawan.”
Prop manipulation, which includes juggling (a skill in which Wawan is already adept), unicycle, and “all things strange,” according to Nigel, are all on the cards for Wawan. He will also be trying his hand at other apparatus such as the trampoline, aerial silk, hoop, and the swinging trapeze.
“The majority of these programs and projects are facilitated by relaxed and fun-loving people who want to share their love of the arts with the public.”
Nigel Wakita
Wawan’s excursion to Vancouver is part of a four-month intensive circus-training trip designed to introduce the 18-year-old to a whole new level of circus and arts. Along the way, Wawan’s mentors will be working to equip him with the skills and knowledge he needs to take the next step from student to instructor, and send him home with a few more tricks up his sleeve to share with his community and fellow circus students (and perhaps even his own instructors) in Jakarta.
Taking advantage of the warm Summer months, VCS will make sure that Wawan has the opportunity to travel through parts of the lower mainland – Whistler, Maple Ridge and North Vancouver – join in summer caps and outdoor festivals and experience the culture that surrounds circus.
“The circus on the west coast of Canada is defined by a high-caliber of performance with clean technically ability. The majority of these programs and projects are facilitated by relaxed and fun-loving people who want to share their love of the arts with the public,” says Nigel.
Circus can bring an interesting and dynamic ambiance to any space or event, Nigel adds, and VCS is a regular presence at music festivals, parades, children’s and multicultural events in the city that attract people from all walks of life.
“That’s why circus is such a popular and accessible form of entertainment,” he says.
Even if just for a few weeks, Wawan will be there, in Vancouver with VCS to see and experience the culture, the atmosphere and the ambience for himself. That in-itself will be a valuable experience. By the time Wawan is ready to leave Vancouver city and head back to Jakarta, Indonesia, to Cilincing and the Red Nose Foundation, Wawan will have acquired a host of new skills and his own individual way of teaching circus. Maybe, too, he will have learned a few life lessons, the kind that can only be had when you’re travelling the world.
To read more about Wawan and his circus training trip see our previous blog post. If you’d like to support Wawan on his trip, you can make a donation via our GoFundMe page. For more information about the Vancouver Circus School, please visit their website.
Images (above right) supplied by the Vancouver Circus School
“I’m sorry, what was your name again? Kaisj?”
“No, it’s Gijs. It’s a Dutch name. Yes, I know that it’s pretty difficult for foreign people to pronounce. You know what? Just call me whatever you want.”
“Ok, I’ll call you Jarwo then.”
And there I was, after an 18-hour-flight, with my Dutch pale (wooden shoeless) feet on Indonesian ground. I’d left my beloved western little country for the big unknown eastern world: A totally different world with another culture, habits, another language, and where people are not even able to pronounce my name properly.
“I’m an alien, I’m a legal alien”, Sting once sang. Nice lyrics mister Sting, but hey, I’m not even an Englishman in New York. I’m a Dutchman in Jakarta. A “bule!”
Was I sure about this new adventure? Of course.
After my graduation last November, I was determined to experience something totally different before entering the Dutch labor market. And as a fresh graduate in Communication and Digital Media, working at the Red Nose Foundation was really that different … remarkable at the least. There was no chinrubbing geektalk about too expensive Apple computers and no tongue twisting jargon spitting around a fancy office, but rather simply flip-flopping through the dirty streets of the poorest areas of Jakarta, spreading education and entertainment among children living in underprivileged circumstances.
So, yes, something totally different it was!
Since the moment I decided to do this internship people had tried to support me by giving me the best of advice and sharing well-considered thoughts and questions.
“Do you think you can handle the cultural differences?” “How are you going to deal with a possible culture shock?” “Are you able to adapt to such different circumstances?”
Actually, the answer was: “I don’t know.”
I have to admit that my first impressions of the slum areas (especially Cilincing) were quite overwhelming. The people are obviously poor, the streets are dirty and the terr… uuh… unpleasant smell is hard to get rid of.
But then…
In the middle of the narrow alleys of Cilincing, an inconspicuous brown door opens and a colorful room appears like a rainbow in a dark sky. A bunch of excited children greet me with a big smile and a high-five. Then the floor is covered with mats and the music starts. The contagious enthusiasm of the children attracts several people in the neighborhood. They watch how the youngest kids sing and dance to the Hokey Pokey song.
“Put your whole self in, put your whole self out, put your whole self in and shake it all about. You do the Hokey Pokey and turn yourself around, that’s what it’s all about.”
Well, eat your heart out mister Sting. It may sound beautiful when you chock your songs up with poetic phrases and devious metaphors, but let’s keep it simple this time. As simple as a children’s song. Let’s not fuss about cultural differences, inconveniences, uncertainties or expectations. No profound musings, but instead let’s take it easy, take the plunge, and see what happens.
I decided to choose the Hokey Pokey method.
Gonna put my whole self in. That’s what it’s all about!
Red Nose Foundation from Gijs Daemen on Vimeo.
The weeks passed by in no time. Teaching English mainly filled my schedule, but now and then I also found myself doing a dance with the kindergarten kids, playing a game with the youngsters or even trying to juggle in circus class. There was no time to miss the Netherlands. In fact, I was more concerned about how much I was going to miss Indonesia when I would be back in my cold snowy home country. The tropical weather in Jakarta almost made me forget that it actually was February. In the Netherlands, February is the month of the cold, snow and… carnaval!
Carnaval?
This probably needs some explanation.
Six weeks before Easter, the grey winter view of the south of the Netherlands changes into a shiny colorful stage of the most sensational celebration of the year: Carnaval! For five days people clear their minds and forget about their daily business, sorrows and troubles. Everybody dresses up in silly costumes, dances like goofballs and parties like the Maya-calendar is coming to an end. The “carnaval-effect” is difficult to explain, but impossible to resist. Obviously, I had to miss the celebration this year. I had to make my own party at the other side of the world
No problem!
Firstly, I didn’t need a silly costume to get attention. As a “bule” I was an interesting carnaval’s costume myself. Dancing like a goofball was no problem either. I could just join the Red Nose kindergarten class when doing the Hokey Pokey. Clearing my mind, on the other hand, was quite difficult. My luxurious spoiled western mind got triggered all the time by lots and lots of impressions, situations and questions.
When driving through Cilincing, I couldn’t help staring at the streets, the people and their houses. Every time I stepped out of the car, the heat and the smell of Cilincing hit me right in the face. Bam!
Recovering wasn’t actually necessary, because just a few moments later I was surrounded by a dozen smiling children. Time and time again, the question popped up: how is it possible that these children can be so happy, sweet and optimistic in these poor circumstances?
I refuse to believe that they just don’t know any better. I can’t imagine that they are not aware of the rich, luxurious life of others just a few kilometers south of their district. As a Dutchman, I’m used to people complaining. Because, besides soccer and building dams, complaining is in fact one of our national specialties.
But how come, here on the other side of the world in the poorest areas of Jakarta, I hear nobody complaining? I only see smiling faces and happy children. They must have their own sorrows and troubles as well, right? Is it just part of the Asian culture to hide these emotions for others? Or is it the presence of Red Nose that puts a smile upon their faces?
Maybe it’s a little pretentious to fully assign the beautiful positive mindset of these people to Red Nose. But, especially in the case of the children, I’m convinced that Red Nose has a major role in it. Red Nose gives the children and youngsters an opportunity to forget their situation, to dance, to play, to learn, to sing, to have fun.
Actually, something quite like the carnaval-effect.
No sorrows, no troubles, even if it’s only for a little while. I think the need for such a (temporary) escape is universal. Ways of escaping may differ between cultures, countries, or even individuals. But besides the educational and development part of the Red Nose program, I think Red Nose is also the answer to this universal need. The kids can escape their poor circumstances and just be kids, even if it’s just for a little while. Call it the carnaval-effect, call it the Red Nose effect, but without a doubt it’s very important and indispensable. Especially in poor areas like this. And that’s what makes Red Nose important and indispensable. Without a doubt.
And now…
I’m back home. Trying to summarize and order my thoughts and memories. I think the Hokey Pokey method turned out pretty well for me. I put my whole self in. That’s what it was all about. I’m glad and thankful that I could be just a little piece in this big beautiful Red Nose puzzle. In return, the kids, my colleagues, the city, the circumstances and the experience as a whole gave me a thousand puzzle pieces back to broaden my own puzzle. Not all of these pieces have found their rightful place yet, but with a mindset as optimistic as the people I’ve met, I’m sure they will soon.
Text, photos and video by Gijs Daemen
The Red Nose Foundation is a non-profit organization running an Arts and Education Outreach program for underprivileged children in North Jakarta, Indonesia. We rely on our sponsors, donors, friends and supporters, to help us do what we do. We like to make sure that if you’re helping us you’re having fun while doing it, and so this year we’re hosting two special events to raise funds for RNF at the Rolling Stone Cafe in Kemang that we hope you’ll come and join us at.
On April 5, 2013, is the 6th annual Red Nose in Concert: we have live music at the Rolling Stone Cafe with performances by Sandhy Sondoro, Barry Likumahuwa Project, Gugun Blues Shelter, and Ray D’Sky. VIP passes are Rp 500,000 and include free flow beer.
On April 13, we will back at the Rolling Stone Cafe, this time for a charity auction and a mix of music and comedy for the Festival of Laughs. Do it in style and book a table with friends for a three-course-meal and free flow beer and wine, or grab a VIP pass, and watch Endah N Rhesa, Septian Dwi Cahyo, ImprovIndo, and Jinx Yeo from Singapore, do their thing.
VIP passes are Rp 750,000 each and include free flow beer and wine and food. Tables are Rp 9 million for 6 pax or Rp 10 million for 8 pax.
VIP passes to both events are Rp 1 million each.
Check out the poster below for all the details and then contact us on info@rednosefoundation for info and tickets.
Wawan Kuriawan, 18, is from Cilincing, an impoverished fishing village in North Jakarta, Indonesia, and is in the last few weeks of preparation before he heads off on an adventure to the United States and Canada for four months of intensive circus training.
Poverty meant that Wawan had to drop out of school at a young age. But in 2009, he joined the Red Nose Foundation’s Arts and Education Outreach Program at Cilincing and has proven himself as a keen student of circus arts and other skills such as English.
Wawan, who works at a small warung (restaurant) to help support his family, is talented, and has the makings of a successful social circus instructor and circus performer. Travelling to the U.S. to further his knowledge and skills, and experience a world outside of Cilincing, will change his life.
Cilincing is a subdistrict on the shoreline of Tanjung Priok harbor. It is a large and densely packed and populated kampung (village), and those who live here in their makeshift shacks are considered to be squatters with no legal ownership of the land. Children, women and men work hard for little reward: they catch and dry fish or they harvest, boil and remove the meat from mussels, usually working their way through a steaming pile of boiled muscles on the concrete ground outside their own home. The smell is overwhelming. The flies are relentless.
Cilincing, North Jakarta, Indonesia. Source: Google maps
Many people here fall below the country’s national poverty line – living on less than US$2 a day and access to formal education is not a guarantee for children who are born and raised here. The challenging circumstances and lack of access to education is a key reason why the Red Nose Foundation was established here.
Wawan, a shy and sensible boy, is setting out on an experience that most from Cilincing would not have thought not possible. It will be a life changing experience for Wawan, and it very well may change some perceptions that he, his family, friends, and fellow RNF students back home might have about life and possibilities.
While in the U.S., Wawan will train with Paul Miller at Circus Mojo in Ludlow, Kentucky, and with Wolfgang Bientzle of CirquesExperience, Actors Gymnasium, and Nourbol Meirmanov of MSA & Circus Arts, in Chicago, IL.
In July, Wawan will travel to Vancouver to train with Travis Johnson at the Vancouver Circus School team.
In July, Wawan will compete in the 10th Wheel Gymnastics World Championships in Chicago. Wheel2013 is presented by the USA Wheel Gymnastics Federation, American Sokol, and the International Wheel Gymnastics Federation and attracts approximately 150 athletes from more than 25 different countries. Wawan will be the first Indonesian ever to join the competition.
Wawan will be trained by professional wheel acrobat and coach Wolfgang Bientzle, an 8-time world champion in wheel acrobats.
Wawan’s visa has been approved and the RNF team continue to work with Wawan on his basic and conversational English, and are having fun familiarizing the teenager with some of the differences between Eastern and Western culture, differences that for someone like Wawan, coming from Cilincing, might find a little intimidating at first.
We hope that Wawan will write regularly and that we will be able to share his progress with everyone here on the RNF blog.
Red Nose Foundation is raising money to help cover Wawan’s expenses during his four month circus training trip through the U.S. and Canada. Every little bit counts. Donations can be made to our GoFundMe page.
The Red Nose Foundation would like thank all of those who have already donated money, time, and resources to help Wawan make this circus training trip to the U.S. and Canada a reality.
Video production by Gijs Daemon | Text and photos by Jacqueline Wales
