2018 American Circus Educators Conference

Consent-based touch means explicitly asking permission before touching your students or before students touch one another, and also making space for the answer to be “no.” Strong consent culture allows students to feel in control of their bodies and to feel safe in their training spaces. This workshop is aimed at teachers of both adult and youth circus students who wish to foster strong consent culture in their classes and studios. Through a combination of lecture, discussion, and small group exercises, we'll explore techniques for: discussing the concept of consent with your students; incorporating consent check-ins into your coaching; and incorporating consent check-ins into student interactions like spotting and partner work - all without making it awkward!
Ellen has 10 years of experience as a movement and circus arts teacher and is a head coach and co-owner at Esh Circus Arts in Somerville, MA.

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Open to all LGBTQIA+ individuals! Bring your own lunch! Socialize!

Keeping staff and students safe is one of the main focuses of every circus school and circus program. Complementing equipment and other physical safety issues that circus programs must fully address, safety from emotional, verbal, sexual and physical abuse need to be carefully and intentionally addressed and infused throughout our circus program policies, practices and training, in accordance with AYCO's core competencies for developmental circus arts (see http://www. americancircuseducators.org/ core-competencies/, and all applicable state and local laws & regulations). Every program is different, so there is no one-size-fits-all set of policies that will work for every school.

This workshop will discuss the process of developing anti-abuse policies for our programs. We will look at two examples of how programs took on this task. Marci Diamond and Jen Carlo will discuss the process at Circus Smirkus and Henry Wheaton will talk about the process that SHOW Circus Studio went through to create their Culture of Safety.

Did you know that the musical accompaniment to the the world's first circus was provided by a choir of 60 children? Or that contemporary social-psychology and neuroscience has found a positive correlation between singing ability, self-image and social inclusion? In this workshop participants are invited to run away and join the chorus! Together we will explore some techniques of song leading, bringing our voices together in rhythm, melody and harmony while holding space for all levels of singing experience. Participants will walk away with the skills necessary to orchestrate and conduct song circles.

This workshop introduces contact juggling as a fun, rewarding, and beneficial circus art. I have found that it is an apparatus which increases general body awareness, fine motor control, and balance. We will be learning the basics of contact juggling as well as some tips and techniques I have found useful in teaching. Skills will include dexterity warm-ups, finger games, balance stalls, isolations and some bodyrolling. No experience is required, all skill levels welcome!