At the end of a dusty, dirt road in an old Portuguese school lies an unexpected treasure: Circo VagaMundo. At first glance, you might mistake the quaint building for just another country home. But once you enter the domain of Leo Lobo, it’s obvious this is not just another primary school. “What was once a strict Catholic school run by the dictatorship has now been transformed into a social circus school,” says Leo with an ironic smile. Along one wall of the communal kitchen hang colourful, bejewelled hats of all shapes and sizes and elaborate costumes. Clowns, pirates, jokers and kings form a row of golden, frilly elegance.
In the hour just after lunch before afternoon classes begin, the acrobatics room is quiet. The tightrope stands unused in one corner. The silks on the eucalyptus rig outside are tied in silence. Yet even in this tranquil time, Leo lights up with energy and excitement as he begins to tell the story of how he first discovered the circus.
Born in Germany to Portuguese immigrants who had moved there for work, Leo moved back to Portugal at the age of six. In his 20s, he returned to Germany and discovered the ‘social circus.’
“I found my passion for working with children, but I needed to learn more,” he explains, which is why he started taking classes in theatre, body language, stilt walking, juggling, and acrobatics.
“The circus is an incredible tool to work with children. In the acrobatic pyramids, which is the base for all the other circus arts, every child can find their place.”
Whether they are handicapped, struggling with learning disabilities, have some social problems or they are already strong and well-adjusted, there is a space for everyone. “Our biggest similarity is that we are all different,” Leo says, his bright blue eyes shining as he discusses his life work and passion: to help every child find their place and learn how to compromise and cooperate together in a group.
These skills, some might argue, are also what you need to lead a successful life as a human on our planet. Sometimes there are simple things we cannot and should not do alone – like building a human pyramid!
Aside from acrobatics, the Circo VagaMundo School in Aljezur teaches every circus discipline – the unicycle, the ball, walking on the wire, juggling and some aerials. “Aerials are actually the easiest discipline,” Leo says, echoing a well-established belief in the circus world that silks, trapeze, lyra, straps etc are simple. If you don’t have a good base in acrobatics, that probably isn’t true. But for the kids at the circus, it’s one of their favourite things to do. It’s also relatively quick to be good enough to perform in these disciplines, so there’s an extra motivation and reward.
After over 15 years of teaching in Germany and Portugal, Leo is certain of one thing: the circus changes people’s lives. Suddenly, they realise that what they thought they could not do, they actually can do. With practice and hard work. Children learn to go beyond their beliefs and trust their own bodies to go further than they ever imagined possible. It builds self-confidence and physical strength.
“I originally came to Aljezur for six months. Then it turned into one year. Now it’s almost six years that I’m slowly building this circus,” Leo explains. As we know, everything takes longer in Portugal. While the rest of Europe – especially France and Germany– are circus-centric, Portugal stands far behind.
“Most of my students are not Portuguese,” Leo says with a touch of sadness. “The Portuguese children are more afraid.” Over time, he hopes this will change. The perception of circus in Portugal seems to still be stuck on lions, tigers and elephants jumping through burning hoops while freaky people with three arms brew magic potions. But for Leo, one of the most important elements is radical inclusion. “There is a place for everyone here,” he insists.
Throughout its long history, the circus has been known for its acceptance of others. Although some claim the first circus actually dates back to Ancient Rome, most people credit Philip Astley with being the father of the modern circus. The English equestrian, inventor and circus owner was the first person to successfully create an experience that integrated acrobats, clowns, domesticated animals and music. In 1768, Astley and his wife put on their first show in a circular amphitheatre.
In the early 20th century, the display of exotic and wild animals was one popular aspect of the circus. The more contemporary circus we know today that does not have animals and tends to incorporate more stories and themes within its acts emerged in the 1970s. And although it has waned in popularity over the last hundred years, the roots of a circus as a travelling social unit remain. “Circus life is about family, about circus families travelling together bringing hope to people’s lives since the 18th century,” says Leo. “It’s not about Cirque du Soleil; it’s about clowns without borders helping refugees and so on.”
One of the current difficulties for Leo is that Portugal is about 40 years behind the rest of Europe. “For the Portuguese, the circus is still the freak show or street juggling or exotic animals.” This is one of the reasons why the new image of the contemporary circus is so important. Many people don’t realise that the modern circus incorporates acts of balance, juggling, strength and resilience with humour, fun and sarcasm.
The circus is fertile ground for parody and has been known to push for social change in an accessible way. One of the biggest challenges today for children who want to learn circus arts is technology. More and more children sit in front of screens all day instead of getting out and using their bodies while they are young and limber.
© Leticia Valverdes
© Leticia Valverdes
“Don’t give them smartphones,” Leo says emphatically. “Have them do roly-polys instead!” Leo largely teaches ages 6-12 as this is when the focus and ability tend to come together and children are the most able to tap into the concentration required to learn circus arts.
Aside from the physical school in Aljezur, the school offers social education activities in schools throughout the region. Leo also collaborates in international exchange projects with other Social Circus groups, such as Circus Radieschen and Zirkusschulle SeifenBlase. In Portugal, they also work with well-known groups like Lavrar O Mar, Teatro Experimental de Lagos and EmRaiZArt Festival.
So what does the future hold for Leo and Circus Vagamundo? The long-term plan is to find land. Leo dreams of acquiring green space to build the fantastical land of circus dreams. Like an Alice in Wonderland circus. Although he struggles with little to no support from local government and authorities, Leo is hopeful that the recent influx of foreigners to the region will help push the circus initiative forward. He has given up on finding a place in Aljezur, but he believes this area in the Algarve is ready for more excitement. I agree.
“I want to build a magical circus where people can come together and practice circus arts and perform and teach,” he says. “I only need a place, and I can build a space where the magic will be bigger than anyone has ever imagined.” I, for one, am counting on it!
The Circo VagaMundo School is still open to receive more new young Artists from 6 to 14 years old and to cooperate with different School and Educational projects. If you know of available land for a magical circus, please speak to Leo.
+351 968 296 593 (Leo Lobo)
Other Social Circus Groups in Europe mentioned:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=ltK07-9VpQw