The Palestinian Circus School — in pictures

Jareer Taha, 14, juggles with clubs. More than 300 Palestinian children from across the West Bank coming to the school to learn circus performance skills each week.

Adham Abu Awad, 15, practices a routine with a fellow artist. After years of not having a permanent home, the group finally moved in 2011 to a refurbished building in Birzeit, 10 kilometres from Ramallah, which is being funded by the Belgian government.

Jareer Taha, 14, left, and Ahamd Abu Taleb, 24, juggle clubs together. The circus pedagogy is to help stimulate and develop the mental, physical, artistic and social abilities of apprentices, while teaching them to resist the occupation in a peaceful manner.

Ibrahem Awwad, 59, does exercises at the Palestinian Circus School in Birzeit. The children are taught circus techniques like acrobatics — which include floor acrobatics, trampoline and pair-acrobatics — and aerial acrobatics, such as using a trapeze.

A Palestinian performer balances himself on two chairs. Other activities include juggling balls, clubs, diabolo and scarfs; balancing on the Chinese pole or a tight wire; and pedalling on a unicycle.

Reem Barghouti, 13, is helped Ibrahem Awwad. The training also includes artistic interpretation skills such as how to use the circus to tell a story.

The troupe warm up for a day’s practice inside the tent.

Majd Rafidi, 13 on the trampoline. Other activities include juggling balls, clubs, diabolo and scarfs; balancing on the Chinese pole or a tight wire; and pedalling on a unicycle.

Gathered in a circus tent in the West Bank city of Birzeit, a group of 30 Palestinian children from the Jalazone refugee camp who have come to learn circus tricks. Photos by Debbie Hill for The National