Jonglirium e.V. began as a non-profit association to support the cycling circus project 2wheels4change in the spring of 2010, when an international group of artists and pedagogues traveled with bicycles from Berlin to Mongolia. Along the way, we worked with children and youth living in orphanages and on the streets. We started with the vision to promote theater, music and circus as forms of expression – especially for children and youth, but also for people of all ages. And we hold true to this until today.
Since then, many more cycling circus trips have sprung up, taking us over 100,000 km through more than 20 countries in Asia, Europe, South America and Arabia.
In Berlin, we started in 2012 to give regular workshops for building creative bicycles and help you to fix your broken bike – donation based – at Prinzessinengärten. Due to a lack of active volunteers running the space we’ve passed our gear on to a social bicycle fixing collective that continues our mission: Die Fahrradgang.
Also there are weekly open circus trainings at Cabuwazi – Tempelhof (Check Opening hours with Konstantin), where people can learn new skills and bring their own ideas to life.
During the projects, we enjoy seeing the creative in the people with whom we work. By collaborating with an international group of people who live from performance, music and other crafts, innovative ideas of living, working and communicating with each other evolve continuously. We question existing repressive structures and help to find new solutions and one’s own ways, or a collective way, to solve conflicts. Circus, music and theater foster valuable skills, which are especially important in rural areas where there is less possibility of finding fulfilling work or other activities.
We focus on projects that approach issues of sustainability & environmental protection, to help raise awareness for the on-going destruction of our planet and to implement practical solutions in creative and beautiful ways. Two living and working communities are growing in Germany and Catalonia: Gut Alaune in Halle and Can Bosc near Barcelona.
Among our partners and mutual supporters are
- Cirque Syria in Al Zaatri (Jordan)
- Sirkus Magenta (Finnland)
- Palestinian Circus School
- nomadways (France)
- SOYOP (Turkey)
- akustikum (Bosnia)
- dejovenes (Spain)
Most importantly, FUN is the key element that brings everyone together! In what we do, the process is always more valuable than the product — opposed to the pressure of accomplishment and achievement which often dominates institutional education systems and daily life and main-stream circus shows.
A project is always as good as the people behind it! If you can imagine supporting our efforts in any way or want to take part in future projects – any help is greatly appreciated. If you have your own ideas for similar projects, contact us!