Established in August of 2010, Sapana comprises of 14 young performers between the age of 16 and 22 who spend hours training their bodies, advancing their skill, and perfecting their technique. [break]
“Sky and Mark came last year to work with the charity Esther Benjamin Memorial Foundation (EBMF) to do play therapy and circus therapy. The children took to it amazingly well, so they did a few more technical workshops and kids had the skills so they planned for a low key fund raising performance. The kids responded well, that instead of being a showcase it ended up being a full length show and effectively launched Sapana,” says one of the founders, Robyn Simpson.
An international aerial performer and choreographer, Robyn runs Floorless Productions in the UK with fellow aerial performer and documentary maker Sky Neal, and Sky’s husband, Mark Perrin, who works on large arena shows.
Since all three are also interested in education, Sapana coalesced their experience in circus and entertainment with their desire to work with young people.
“The company grew organically and quickly,” Robyn says and adds, “One thing led to another and now we have volunteers who all have high level skill and experience in the international market coming to Nepal to make it clear that circus is a viable option as a career.”
This idea is brought to life through individuals like Ivan Smith, a professional circus performer who also teaches circus.
Here in Nepal for a few months, Ivan has been working in close contact with the members of Sapana and has nothing but praises for them.
“They have so much potential, they learn quickly and are a lot of fun,” he says as he defines how Sapana is contemporary as it can combines theater with circus performance sans large tents, and even tells stories like Nepali folklore without using animals.
Some of the acts Sapana uses in a show are juggling, trapeze, ground base acrobatics which is basically “flipping around”, partner acrobatics which consists of human pyramids and aerial skills on metal hoops and silk ropes which hang from the ceiling.
Seventeen year old Sittal Karki enjoys the silk ropes the most. According to her, “You get to go high up and when you look at it it’s pretty. I like the other stuff too but I’m afraid to do it. This one I can control.”
Currently studying in grade eight, she isn’t too interested in education, “I should have studied when I was young, but I didn’t get to do that, and now my studies aren’t too good,” she says.
For her, Sapana is where her hope is, “I performed on the silk in September and it made me feel like I can do something in front of other people too,” she says.
But even that hope has a tinge of sadness and fear in it, “In Nepal people won’t think of us well,” she says as she mentions the small costumes that circus performers traditionally wear, “My family doesn’t know I’m doing this,” she says.
This fear of how circus performers are misunderstood is something that 20 year old Anjali Chettri shares. “We’ve worked so hard hopefully people will see that. There’s some negative thinking towards this – if you say ‘circus’ they think it’s something that happens in the bedroom but that’s not what it is,” she says alluding to how circus girls can be mistaken are sex workers.
Currently studying Commerce, this way of thinking is also what drives Anjali to study, “I started late, in this day and age if you’re not educated you don’t have anything,” she says.
For her, having education and a future with Sapana is ideal, “I am doing both and both are just as important to me,” she says as she explains that hula hoops is her favorite and that she’s able to use up to 57 hoops at one time.
Obtaining the skill and disciple to pull of these shows isn’t easy, but all the members are committed to Sapana and they love what they do.
Given the joy and fun the members share, it’s easy to forget that most were first introduced to circus when trafficked into Indian circuses.
Brought back to Nepal through The Esther Benjamins Trust (EBT), “They have grown up and they have chosen to come back to circus for fun, for a job and for their own empowerment, we are trying to move Sapana away from that image a little bit – obviously it’s always there, it always goes back to how they were rescued from India but we don’t like to think of them as victims - they are all amazing people,” says Ivan.
As a testament to how this young group is talented and able, there are plans of taking Sapana to its first international performance in Dubai in April or March of 2012.
Regardless of where their dreams take them, Saraswoti Adhakari, 23, says, “Whatever happens to us, whenever we go, we want our group to be together.”
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