Benefits of Circus

Circus Arts open up the realm of sports to people of all ages and fitness levels. They can help people, especially, children and students, to develop patience and persistence. They remind us that challenges can be fun. They stimulate imagination and higher order problem solving by giving you a prop and allowing you the opportunity to perform any trick you can think of. The only limit to the type of trick or skill you can do is your imagination. Everything else is just practice.

Circus Arts have many benefits, both scientifically proven and assumed through repeated observations. There is evidence that juggling can be particularly helpful to people with dyslexia, dyspraxia and ADHD.

Physical Benefits

Skills such as diabolo, plate spinning and juggling with scarves, beanbags or balls improve hand-eye co-ordination, concentration, manipulation, throwing and catching skills, ambidexterity, encompassing both fine and gross motor control and are excellent cross lateral exercises. If you play any ball sport, learn how to juggle. Juggling is a neuromuscular skill that can have a profound impact on your brain function.

Among other benefits, juggling improves;

• Ambidexterity
• Hand-eye co-ordination
• Depth perception
• Peripheral vision
• Neuromuscular balance
• Quickness under pressure
• Focus
• Concentration

Emotional benefits

Learning Circus Arts can create a sense of achievement and boost self-esteem. It can be a great confidence builder. Basic skills can be learned very quickly and most people will find that they can do something that they previously thought 'impossible'. Once the 'impossible' has been achieved, they may then have a different outlook on life where suddenly things are much more achievable and within reach. When students can get up and perform successfully for others, self-esteem soars.

Circus Arts are as competitive as you want them to be. For the most part a hobbyist may not be exposed to the world of competitive juggling, and that suits the majority of practitioners, allowing Circus to be simply a de-stressor with no external pressure. And then there are others, who thrive in competitive atmospheres. Luckily for them most conventions will have games on the final day, and some organisations, such as the World Juggling Federation hold competitions where people from all over the world may demonstrate their aptitude.

Benefits in teaching and personal development

Self-esteem: When someone can get up and perform successfully for others, their self-esteem soars. The key to enhanced self-esteem is the realisation of one's self worth, and this is obtainable from the applause of an audience or peer. Self-esteem and self-confidence can increase dramatically through non-competitive play and the continual success of learning a new trick, which reinforces internal success mechanisms.

Kinaesthetic and physically active learners: Most young people are kinaesthetic learners so they usually prefer to ‘learn by doing’. If you introduce juggling breaks/intervals into your regular studies/school day, then you will see these types of learners improve academically and they will also be developing a skill that they will be able to show off to their family and friends.

Persistence & perseverance: When you juggle, you will drop the ball/prop multiple times. There is no getting past it. You will soon learn that mistakes and failures are just a part of life and a part of the road to success. All of a sudden, drops/mistakes don't matter and you learn to enjoy the road to success.

Developing hobbies and interests: As circus skills are so wide and varied, just like people, you are bound to find one particular discipline that you enjoy more than others and will want to learn more about. Circus skills and sports are great ways to keep active and the more physically intense skills will help fight obesity which is a growing problem.

Making friends: Anyone who juggles will, just like with other sports, be able to find others with common interests and over your learning curve you will be able to teach each other tricks and skills. This will lead to forming stronger bonds with each other and maybe even making a friend for life.