Kinder- und Jugendzirkus Funtastic – TG Herford

The Kinder- und Jugendzirkus Funtastic is the children's and youth circus of Turngemeinde Herford 1860 eV , a large sports association in the town of Herford, North Rhine-Westphalia. It is part of the "Jonglage und mehr" section, dedicated to juggling, circus arts, and theatre.

The project's story begins in January 1995 when about ten teenagers and adults passionate about juggling created a new section within TG Herford. More than thirty years later, this initiative has become a true circus and theatre education project.

The Kinder- und Jugendzirkus Funtastic currently brings together around 30 young artists aged 8 to 18. Teenagers and adults also participate in the section's activities and contribute to supervision, the transmission of techniques, and the preparation of shows.

The training sessions allow participants to discover a particularly wide range of circus disciplines. Juggling is practiced with scarves, plates, balls, rings and clubs, in addition to diabolo, poi and various manipulation accessories.

The arts of balance constitute another major component of Funtastic. Young people can practice unicycling and giant unicycling, rola-bola, balance ball, roller walking, stilts, different forms of balance beams and other apparatus to develop coordination and body control.

Acrobatics is practiced in various forms, including duets and group routines. Ladder acrobatics complements this offering and allows for the creation of acts combining balance, cooperation, and staging.

The range of activities extends beyond traditional circus disciplines. Participants can also explore theatrical performance, clowning, scene creation, and various presentation techniques, transforming technical learning into a genuine act for an audience.

Funtastic has a long history of black light theatre . Since 1996, the department has been developing projects using ultraviolet light, black costumes and white or fluorescent objects to create illusions and visual worlds in which the puppeteers can become invisible to the audience.

These black light theatre techniques are regularly incorporated into shows and have also given rise to several specific productions. They illustrate Funtastic's desire to combine circus, theatre and visual research rather than limiting itself to a succession of technical demonstrations.

Performances occupy a central place in the life of the group. Funtastic creates programs including individual, duo or group acts and performs at municipal festivals, sporting events, association anniversaries, cultural events and various events in the region.

The " Manege frei " program is one of the options offered by the group. Up to thirty young artists can participate in a circus show including juggling, diabolo, poi, unicycle, rola-bola, roller, balance ball, stilts, ladder, acrobatics and clowning.

Funtastic also develops creations using light-up accessories. The show " Nachtlichter " notably combines juggling with light-up balls, light-up diabolos, poi and light sticks with various choreographic explorations around light.

One of the most characteristic formats of the project is " Stunn and Make ." A performance by the young artists is followed by a large participatory space allowing the public to try out different disciplines themselves.

Children and adults alike can discover scarves, plates, balls, clubs, diabolo, and other juggling accessories, as well as test their balance on various apparatus. Experienced young artists and Funtastic staff guide the public during this introductory session.

This participatory dimension is important in the philosophy of the section. Circus arts are not only presented as a spectacle to watch: they become activities that everyone can experience and learn.

The project also uses circus arts as an educational tool . Participants learn to persevere, develop their coordination and concentration, present something in front of an audience, and work with other young people to complete a collective project.

Weekends dedicated to circus and theatre, as well as additional rehearsal periods, can be organized to prepare for major productions. Regular training is thus complemented by projects that allow for the refinement of certain techniques or the creation of new shows.

The section also offers training for adults working with children and adolescents. " Famos – Werkstatt Bewegungskünste " is aimed particularly at teachers, educators, social workers, pedagogues, and association leaders who wish to incorporate juggling, balance, and movement arts into their own activities.

These courses cover juggling and balancing techniques, as well as teaching methods for transmitting them, the design of a performance, and black light theatre.

Throughout its history, the section has also organised several editions of the SportKunst-Convention . These meetings allowed participants to discover and explore juggling, unicycling and movement arts, as well as dance, theatre, martial arts and various body practices.

After more than thirty years of activity, Kinder- und Jugendzirkus Funtastic has become a sustainable circus education project in Herford. By combining weekly training, performances, participatory circus, theatre, black light, and pedagogical training, it offers young people a particularly diverse environment to discover and then deepen their knowledge of the circus arts.