Magic assistant

At first, Maxim himself went this path: from the “Group of Social Risk” to the artists of the Uppsala-Circus. And then brought his brother and sister to the circus

We help the UPSala-Circus help

At six o’clock in the evening in the park in front of the tent of the St. Petersburg Children's Uppsala-Circus do not push through: today they give a joint idea with the American theater Bread and Puppet dolls. Everything was mixed on the stage: children in sheep costumes, villains with cardboard machine guns, “blue buckets”, a banner with a portrait of Kirill Serebrennikov. And the ode of courage: courage to take a step, courage to be free, courage to admit love. “We have long wanted to work with Bread and Puppet, and now, finally, everything worked out. Although it was only four days to rehearse the performance, ”says Taisiya Mokravtsova, the social teacher Uppsala-cycle proudly, who is just Tasey, proudly says.

Maxim, older brother Polina and Misha photo: Natalia Bulkina for TD

The Uppsala-Circus calls himself a circus for hooligans: children and adolescents from the so-called social risk groups and children with developmental features are engaged in it. The organizers believe that the circus gives children a chance to adapt to life in society.

To study with a wheel

After the performance, we meet with a graduate of the UPSAL-CIRA Maxim. A confident nineteen -year -old guy in a dumb pink shirt with visible pleasure talks about his successes. He came to support the younger members of his family, Misha and Polina, who participated in today's performance. Maxim got out of the circus a year ago.

Misha and Polina Photo: Natalia Bulkina for TD

Maxim tells his story like that. “I was eleven. By that time I had been going to boxing for five years. I had nothing more to do, and I began to steal the radio with the boys. ” Maxim is clearly shy about talking about the past and smiles embarrassedly. But otherwise, the dramaturgy of his history cannot be built, so Maxim continues.

The family was considered dysfunctional, was under the supervision of guardianship authorities. Once, employees invited Maxim Maxim to send her son to the Uppsala-Circus to direct the indefatigable energy of a celebrating teenager into a peaceful channel. “I had so much this energy that I went to boxing, and at the same time I began to slowly learn how to make a wheel, a somersault - just for myself. In the circus, one could do the same, but with benefit and for the goal, ”Maxim recalls. There was no time to wander around the yards.

Polina and Misha

In Russian fairy tales, heroes are often accompanied by magic assistants. They help out at a crucial moment or pull it out of trouble when the hero is confused and does not know how to proceed. In the history of Maxim and his family, the Uppsala-Circus became such an assistant. Together they came to the happy climax of the plot: Maxim, a young man with a complex character and from a dysfunctional family, spun all Europe with the circus and, having matured, wrote himself a ticket to normal life.

No assessments - no tour

We are sitting with Tasey in the office before rehearsal. Behind the wall children are fought. Today they have to spend almost five hours in the circus, and they, along with adults, cut the huge pot of Olivier salad on all. Children periodically burst into the office, a little dog Ping, who lives right there, in the circus, is spinning under their feet. "Tasya, Pina wants to eat carrots!" - "Tasya, when will we rehearse?" - "Tasya, when will the journalist come?" Tasia for children is the main adviser.

During the photo of the photo: Natalia Bulkina for TD

In the intervals between counseling children on these and other urgent issues, Tasya manages to tell me how unobtrusively to stimulate children to work on themselves. “They not only rehearse in the circus, but also do homework. If necessary, we find tutors to prepare for exams. If parents do not have the opportunity to go to parent meetings, then a social worker monitors his performance. ”

If parents do not have the opportunity to go to parent meetings, then a social worker monitors academic performance

In the "UPSAL" the rule acts: you are poorly studying at school - you do not participate in the productions and do not go on tour. “This condition is quite tangible to children, in contrast to abstract motivation for success in adulthood,” says Tasia.

Polina photo: Natalia Bulkina for TD

In the case of Maxim, it was classes in the circus who gave him the opportunity to get an education, Tasia believes. Without the help of the circus, he probably would not finish the school. After school, however, there were again throwing: Maxim entered one school, then to another, once even entered Nakhimovskoye. But in the end he stopped at a construction college and brought the matter to the end. Now he works in his specialty and looks quite satisfied with his place in life. The day after our conversation, he goes on a business trip to Rostov.

Dense graph

Tasya says that all the time, while Maxim was engaged in the circus, he helped his family with things, household appliances. It was a forced measure: at eleven, when the stepfather died, Maxim remained in the house for the elder. I had to "pull" the younger brother and sister. They also had to be occupied with something, and Maxim began to take them with him for training in the circus.

Polina on rehearsal in the circus

First as spectators. “The first time I was here when I was two years old, I don’t remember this at all,” says Polina. Now she and Misha are ten years old. And for two years they have been studying in the Uppsala-Circus.

“We immediately felt that there were acquaintances and friends around,” says Misha. “I realized that my place is here.”

Misha and his sister look a little younger than her years. According to Maxim, they were born two months ahead of schedule, and now they are visiting a correctional school.

Before coming to the circus, the children did not go almost anywhere. From school - immediately home, my mother was engaged in their upbringing. Now one day in their schedule is assigned to classes with a speech therapist at school, and at least four weekdays a week they spend in the circus.

Misha photo: Natalia Bulkina for TD

During this time, they became much more independent. There is no one to carry them to the circus, so every day they themselves for an hour in one side first get to the circus, and then home. Maxim is not afraid for the younger ones. On the contrary, he is sure of them. “I can now, for example, send them to the center and be calm. Let them be independent. ”

Misha, like his older brother, likes to talk about his successes. Still not listening to the question, he pulls his hand to tell what he likes to juggle, do a somersault and somersaults. Polina loves to dance hip-hop and go to acrobatics. The UPSALA deliberately does not give specialization to the children: “Everyone is engaged in everything: acrobatics, juggling, brack dance, trampoline jumping, twist hulahups, engage in air canvases,” explains Tasia.

Misha

They do not trust Misha and Polina yet. But this is normal, Tasia continues. Which, however, does not prevent the guys from enthusiastically telling about their performance with Bread & Puppet in sheep's costumes. During these two years, the guys pulled out grades at school. “Only this is not the top five, but to Tasi. She helps us in everything, ”Polina laughs and squints cunningly at Tasya.

And they also say that in two years in the "UPSAL", those around them began to relate to them differently. “I used to be called Mikhail Kopatych, and Polina was called Chipollin or carrot. And now they began to respect us, ”says Misha. Polina adds that classes in the circus taught her “good manners”: “If someone calls us, I can say nothing. And earlier she answered in a bad way. " “Only Polina is in a hurry all the time,” Misha complains. Sister quietly replies: "Look at yourself."

Rehearsal in the circus before performance photo: Natalia Bulkina for TD

The happy end in this fairy tale will come when Misha and Polina are able to repeat the path that Maxim went. When they successfully finish the school and go around the world with tour, in which the Uppsala-Circus has already helped their older brother. But so far to the climax far away. They all have to work thoroughly - to engage in and hone circus skills.

The UPSAL-Circus fully pays for the classes of almost nine dozen children with developmental features or just complex children. But he himself exists exclusively for donations that are going to maintain the work of the circus, for the salaries of trainers and social teachers. Please subscribe to the monthly payment in favor of the Uppsala-Circus! So that Misha and Polina have rehearsals and tour, so that the fate of the guys would not hang in the balance.

Do you want us to send the best texts of “such cases” to you by e -mail? Subscribe to our weekly newsletter!