The Palestinian Circus School is a non-profit, non-governmental organization that was established in 2006. Since 2007 the school is registered with the Palestinian Authority.
The Israeli occupation is putting a lot of pressure on Palestinians and their society. Values such as dignity, unity, respect, trust and hope are under serious threat.
The circus school believes that a future for Palestine is possible, a future in which people can dream of a better life and invest that positive energy in their society.
With their school, Shadi and Jessika want to develop the creative potential of young people in Palestine. They want to engage them, strengthen their identity, and empower them to enter into a constructive and positive dialogue with each other. This way they can help shape their society in a positive way. The circus school offers a safe space where people can meet as equals and where everyone believes that working together will lead to better results.
The school wants to overcome the divisions within the Palestinian society by working with everybody, everywhere. Bringing people together in our trainings and traveling all over the country with our shows, is challenging the multiple boundaries that have been imposed on us for far too long: political, geographical, economical, religious and gender boundaries.
The Palestinian Circus School encourages the development of a new form of cultural expression, an art form that is dynamic and experimental and aims to challenge traditional perceptions of art and artistic interaction. It also trains a new generation of Palestinian artists.
The school is an open space for creativity on all levels and values a strong participation of all people involved: students, trainers, volunteers and the community at large.
In its daily activities, the school focusses on two aspects: offering circus lessons on the one hand and creating and touring with circus shows on the other hand.
Visit the official website of the Palestinian circus school
Read here the most recent annual reports of the Palestinian circus school