Sacred Arts/Circus Arts

Catalog description

How do we read text differently with our bodies? In this class we will pursue this idea as readers, teachers, artists, and fun loving individuals. We will approach the topic through the lens of circus studies, education, and inclusion. We will engage in the academic study of the new field of Circus Studies, a multifarious field with many discrete methodologies that all join in the pursuit of elevating the study of circus to scholarly levels. We will understand the value of the arts in education, and the importance of opening up our sacred literature to those who often feel disenfranchised by the traditional form of Jewish text study. We will study text through the vehicle of circus arts, such as human pyramids, partner acrobatics, juggling, rolla bolla, tightwire, and more. As we progress through the trimester, we will grow as educators and as artists, while also enhancing our ability to bring even more people into the study of text. This class will be co-taught by instructors in text study and in circus arts, with several visiting instructors joining us throughout the trimester. Open to all ages, abilities, and fitness levels. This class will fulfill the Sacred Arts requirement, or can be counted as a Bible elective or a spirituality elective.