Zip-zap circus can trapeze kids to happyness

Zip-zap circus can trapeze kids to happyness

Tuesday December 16, 2014,

6 min Read

Zip-zap. Quick to say as an acrobat who jumps from a trapeze to another. Zip-zap it’s less about words, and more about action. Zip-zap is a NGO social circus which uses physical activities and pedagogical tools to help underprivileged, or personally/socially discriminated youth in Cape Town, South Africa, find confidence and positivity.


zip zap circus

Cape Town

Pictured from the sky, Cape Town is beautiful. It is green and blue and stretches onto the sea like a big drop of buildings and mountains. However, every time the dirty water of the slums splashes into the crystal-blue sea; and when the grilled windows of Cape Dutch villas reflect the walls of dusty shacks, centuries of controversies and contradictions come to the fore. Gender, ethnic, racial, social discriminations become evident, showing the dark side of South Africa.

A love story

Zip Zap, however, did not start out of a conscious effort to tackle social issues. In fact, it started in the Dominican Republic, where Laurence Estève and Brent van Rensburg – from France and South Africa respectively – met while working at a holidays resort.

“Brent was running circus activities for the guests. I arrived as a new placement and was taken on a tour. After a few hours of water recycling plant, food and beverage depot, and security system I was left at the flying trapeze rig to watch this ‘new’ activity in the resort. The guy holding the safety lines for the guests was very cute…” says Laurence smiling.


zip zap brent

Circus became the couple’s job and style of life. Once, while on holiday in Cape Town, they ran out of money and decided to turn to what they knew best: entertaining and teaching people. “We set-up a flying trapeze rig at the main waterfront in Cape Town and charged R5 per swing. It brought people to the Pierhead and the waterfront management was happy; so, they asked us to come back for the opening of a shopping Centre later that year. A handshake and off we went,” says Lurence.They came back with a state-of-the-art aluminium trapeze they had build after raising funds in France.


zip zap trapeze

“After the show at the shopping centre, we spent the season taking tourists up for swings and catches and had lines of people waiting to try, and hundreds of people sitting and watching. At the end of the day we had little kids who couldn’t afford to pay but we could see they really wanted to try so we made a deal with them. If they would help us set-up in the morning we would give them free swings in the evenings,” Laurence remembers.

Out of financial needs, the duo engaged in different circus projects in Cape Town. “After a while, we had three groups of kids that had never met: the waterfront white, the coloured school going, and the black from the township. With the help of friends, we put together a show with all three groups on the stage of the waterfront. I believe we were the first multiracial group to perform on that stage,” she says.

Laurence and Brent’s initiative had viral success and they have never stopped teaching circus since that day at the Waterfront.

Zip Zap

Zip Zap Circus School was established in 1992 with the aim of inspiring kids for life. If this date doesn’t ring a bell, just bear in mind that apartheid in South Africa ended in 1994.

“Art and culture can serve as powerful agents in personal development and social change. As such, the social circus may be defined as a social development intervention” explains Laurence.

Initially, it was a space for children from various socio-economic and racial backgrounds to come together as a means of encouraging inter-racial contact and dialogue in a safe, fun environment. However, over time, the school has grown to become a fully-fledged social circus school. Its programmes are not aimed at the development of children and youth as professional performers – although this may be an outcome of the school’s initiatives. Rather, the primary objective of Zip Zap is to teach life skills including self-confidence, empathy, honesty, trust, and respect; whilst encouraging inter-racial contact, communication, teamwork, and acceptance, utilising the medium of circus skill tuition.”

Zip Zap provides different project, each designed to address a particular issue.

zip zap infographic
  • Ubuntu and Ibhongolwethu are for children living with HIV and receiving ARV treatment.
  • A Second Chance is for children from disadvantaged areas who have never been exposed to the circus arts and inspires them to other form of activity and employment
  • Beginners and Intermediates are to initiate young children to circus arts
  • Simunye is about social cohesion to show that no matter what your origin, if you have a common goal or a common passion, results can be achieved
  • Dare to dream is to develop qualified performers, instructors and technicians to work at Zip Zap and develop the circus industry in South Africa

 How to grow?

 A fundamental point to make is that Zip Zap is entirely free of charge, “And it is important it stays this way” underlines Laurence. “One child does not join because the parent pays. The child joins because he/she wants to. Then we have willing children. And parents who believe in our vision.”

 Zip Zap generates funding through their corporate performances, which were 45 per cent of their income last year. Laurence explains that they do receive funding, but it is not enough. “All our programmes should be funded! We do not benefit from the revenue we generate. It is all invested in the school.”

 For example, one of their priorities is D2D (Dare to Dream), a full-time vocational training where young adults learn to teach and perform. While this would help them meet the huge demand coming from schools, families, and local communities; for expanding their reach on a large scale, they need more funds.

When asked about the problem of racism that affects South Africa [which is one of the most racist countries in the world], Laurence doesn’t spend to many words. “We only see children here” she says. These are few eloquent words about the Zip Zap attitude. Jumping and juggling is not losing seriousness. They acknowledge children’s problems in the moment they decide to help them. The rest is about showing kids that whatever their background is, there is no barrier to building something positive and having fun.

Grab the trapeze and check their website.

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