ALI *
Ali started in one of Cirkus Unik’s groups in the autumn of 2019. We could immediately see that he had great physical potential, but unfortunately he had some problems in the group. Ali had difficulty concentrating and had low tolerance with the other children. On several occasions he refused to attend the gatherings and said bad words.
During the circus training, the children practice different things according to their ability, some practice basic exercises while others can try more advanced tricks. Ali easily got angry when he was not allowed to practice the same things that others got and said on several occasions that he would stop training circus. However, he never implemented this.
As the semester progressed, Ali became more and more interested in aerial acrobatics. He saw how the children who worked hard developed, so he took after them. At first he thought many exercises were scary but challenged himself to a level he thought felt okay.
At the end of the semester, he always participated in the gatherings and often contributed wise words in the evaluations, he also asked his classmates to be quiet if they talked.
As the closing show approached, he was very careful during the rehearsals; both in doing his tasks correctly but also in keeping his concentration. Fairness is an important thing for Ali, so when the others in the group did not keep their concentration during his parts of the show, he spoke out. We encouraged him that he was good at keeping his concentration and that spoke out when his friends did not.
Ali was incredibly pleased with his performance in the show! It is not difficult to see that he enjoys being in the spotlight and he made great development during the semester.
I think the circus has helped Ali find a new way to use his energy and to express himself verbally when he does not agree with his friends.
It has been fun to see his development in the autumn and I hope to continue to see it in the spring.
* Ali is a fictitious name