When circus arts are more than just entertainment

Jay performing plate spinning.

Jay Che is the founder and principal instructor of Circus In Motion. Through his social enterprise, he uses circus arts to reach out to at-risk youths in Singapore. 

Yes, you read that right: Jay Che teaches vulnerable,troubled young people and students with special needs how to spin plates, walk on stilts, perform fire juggling and more, all in the name of social change.

While pursuing an undergraduate degree in social work at the National University of Singapore in 2001, he interned at the Tampines Family Service Centre. Here, he was introduced to Cirque du Monde—a chance meeting that changed his life’s trajectory.

How Jay discovered his love for circus arts

Jay with Cirque du Monde’s in-house psychologist (left) and head instructor (right).

Cirque du Monde was created by Cirque du Soleil and Jeunesse du Monde. The social circus programme reaches out to vulnerable young people in difficult situations via the circus arts.

Before Jay started his internship, he knew nothing about the circus. Yet, he soon developed an interest, which led to an opportunity to train under Cirque du Monde’s ‘Train the Trainers’ programme in 2002, 2003, and 2008.

Through the programme, he gained insight into the psychological methods of how circus acts can help people gain useful life skills. 

On his first trip, Jay met two Mongolian trainers who sought out street kids hiding in underground tunnels during the bitterly cold -40°C winters. The trainers used circus arts as a way to reach out to the underground children, and connected them with aid that they needed.

“That was my ‘Aha!’ moment where I realised the circus can be a tool for social help and change. I thought to myself, ‘Okay, Cirque Du Monde only comes by one or two months in a year. There is a service gap present.’ So, I set up Circus In Motion to teach skills through workshops.”

Challenges when introducing circus workshops

Jay performing at an event in 2023.

When Jay first ran the programme, he admits they had “a clumsy start” because there wasn’t anyone to guide them. It didn’t help that the public associated the circus with clowns and entertainment.

Additionally, he faced much rejection when pitching the programme as a tool for social change to mainstream schools. Back then, the approach for wayward students was counselling. But Jay pressed on and the effort eventually paid off. 

“We were lucky that some schools took a leap of faith and engaged us. Word slowly spread about the positive results and the business grew.”

Now, Circus In Motion works with both mainstream and special needs schools. They also work with children’s and elderly homes, reaching out to vulnerable young people and old folks. Occasionally, Jay conducts parent-child bonding workshops too.

How circus skills can teach values and bring growth

Jay coaching an APSN Delta student.

Some of the youths attending his programmes have low self-esteem. To combat this, Jay teaches easy-to-master skills in the first lesson to boost their confidence. 

“In the beginning, you can see some of the kids are hesitant. Others are joking around and not taking the programme seriously. But once they try out the props, their attitudes change. These are fun things to do, and you can see results within one session. 

They quickly become interested and some actually work really hard to master the skills. This way, they are encouraged to attend the next class and enticed to learn more.”

Jay also introduces a wide variety of props and lets the kids choose what they like. 

“The important part is to present them with a choice; it’s part of helping them exercise their decision-making skills.

“We try to inculcate positive life skills via the circus arts. For instance, juggling is a difficult skill to master. Learning a basic three-ball juggling trick requires perseverance and patience, as they have to pick up fallen balls repeatedly. 

We also teach them positive risk-taking by redirecting their energy to constructive outlets. For those who are more adventurous, we might get our trainers to teach them fire twirling. Basically, we’re teaching them how to do thrilling, higher-level acts safely.”

Seeing the fruits of his work in his students

Jay and Edward co-coaching students in APSN Delta.

One beneficiary of this programme for social change is Senior Instructor Edward Chua, who is currently coaching in APSN Delta school. 

20 years ago, Edward was a Normal Tech student who played computer games late into the night and slept through his morning classes. He was a shy boy with low self-esteem and mumbled when he spoke.

After being introduced to the diabolo, a juggling prop that is often described as a Chinese yo-yo, he would spend hours after school practising tricks with his friends. Because he would get tired from practice, he would go home and sleep immediately. 

Through having a healthy outlet, Edward fixed his sleep cycle. In turn, he had more focus during lessons and his grades improved.

Jay’s aspirations for Circus In Motion

Jay and Edward overseeing a student’s diabolo tricks.

Over the years, Jay has put in tremendous effort to enact social change through circus workshops. Currently, he is working on ensuring Circus In Motion remains a sustainable business so that years of hard work “don’t go down the drain.”

“My  goals? I just hope that we can continue to do what we do. What motivates Edward to carry on is seeing the students improve lesson by lesson, especially how circus arts can boost their self-confidence.

Edward has a very strong social focus and I know that he has his heart in the right place. Hopefully, in time, more people will be able to see circus arts as more than just entertainment and recognise their potential as a tool for social change.”

Inspired by Jay’s journey? Learn about more initiatives supporting our youths, and find simple ways to give back or volunteer through giving.sg.