BandBazi

Who we are

BandBazi is an inclusive, multicultural charity that uses circus and theatre skills to give a voice to marginalised groups through professional productions and education programmes. Since 2001, we've enabled over 15,000 people to access and participate in the arts - we are an experienced deliverer of projects that uses circus as a means of social engagement.

Youth Circus Theatre

BandBazi Youth Circus Theatre was started in 2006 by the charity's artistic director Philippa Vafadari. It was set up to produce a play with young refugees and asylum seekers about their experiences of migration and displacement called The Last Meeting. The second play - A place for us - used personal stories from members of the group about human smuggling. 


The group has since evolved to include many other young people from Brighton and Hove and we now hold an annual performance to mark refugee week in June of each year. Our focus is on inclusion and participation in the arts for everyone. We use circus and performance as a means of social engagement and we find that the young people get so much more from the sessions than just learning circus skills - it improves their communication, concentration and helps them to tell their stories through performance.

We offer arts awards to the young participants, so they are able to gain qualifications through the group. Through other funding we have also produced three films with the group about issues relevant to them - media portrayal of refugees and asylum seekers, racial and religiously motivated bullying and stories or detention and migration. We hope to do much, much more in the future!


Looking to the future – an exciting new production in 2012

Each year BandBazi present the work of our Youth Circus Theatre group to audiences in Brighton and Hove as part of refugee week. This year we want you to be involved – by voting for us to receive funding from the Sunshine Bank!

In 2012, BandBazi Youth Circus Theatre will present the outcome of research and development work towards an ensemble music theatre piece about the recent riots, using dynamic aerial imagery (bungees, ropes and trapeze) and music to explore what happens when people don't trust a government and there is no respect for others. Angry, passionate, provocative, why would young people take up arms and loot? Why would they take what is not theirs? What do the riots say about our attitudes to society, community, possessions?


The production will feature a community chorus, sourced from our own Youth Circus Theatre Group, with an exchange skills swap with Ignite, an inclusive community theatre group from Glasgow, whose participants include refugees and asylum seekers from African countries. The performance in June 2012 will form part of the research and development phase of the work.

The Sunshine Bank’s Support

With support and funding from the Sunshine Bank we can fund this project and ensure that the group produce something that is fully researched, directed and supported by professional arts practitioners, in a respected venue in Brighton and Hove.

It will provide a fantastic opportunity for the Youth Circus Theatre group to not only explore current political issues but also to event manage their own show in June, participate in an exchange programme with Ignite and to be involved in a professional production.

The full cost of this project is approximately £2,000. However, just £6 can support a young person to participate in one workshop; £60 will support a young person for a term of classes and £120 will fund one place for the duration of the project.

You can make such a difference to the work of an incredibly talented group of young people, from a wide range of backgrounds, who have so much to say.

For more information, contact Hannah King and see our Facebook Group and Facebook Page.