About this project

Wise Fool responds to society’s narrow definition of “beauty” and unattainable body ideals by providing a safe space where diverse women and female-bodied genderqueers can connect with their bodies and find their physical and inner strength while fostering connections across perceived barriers such as age, class, race, sexual orientation, and gender expression. BUST also provides an opportunity for participants to explore and discuss social justice issues that affect their lives. Over the past seven years, the BUST program has served almost 200 women of diverse ages (15-60), shapes, sizes, backgrounds, and experience levels.

ABOUT THE CAMP

This camp is for students who have an existing skill set in circus arts who want the opportunity to create acts for a theatrical circus production. The outcome will be a magical circus show for the families of Santa Fe to enjoy.

The camp will include performance skills classes, professional guidance for act creation, supervised rehearsal and open studio time, and show production. Students will work within an existing script (written by two past BUST students) to create original acts in their chosen discipline(s). The camp will culminate in a full-scale performance in Santa Fe on July 2nd and 3rd. Hundreds of audience members attend these free, public performances each year.

ABOUT THE ORGANIZER

Wise Fool New Mexico, the creator of the BUST program, is a community-based non-profit. We have a small staff, a shoestring operating budget, and we rely on our community of performers, teaching artists, students, volunteers, and patrons to go above and beyond to make each program happen. It also means that diversity and accessibility is a huge priority: we keep workshop fees and ticket prices as low as possible and we offer thousands of dollars in scholarships and work trade opportunities each year. In return, we encourage our community to help create the programs they want to happen; “to become active in creating the change you seek”!

In order to make this year’s BUST Performance Camp occur despite recession-related funding cuts, we are engaging BUST participants and their network of contacts to help raise the money. If we don’t have enough community and participant buy-in to back this program, then it sadly cannot happen. The money we raise through Kickstarter will help pay for teachers, rental of rehearsal and performance spaces, and equipment.

IMPACT

To relay this program’s impact, we'd like to share past participants' own words on past evaluation forms. The comments here mirror 99% of verbal and written feedback we receive each year: “[BUST!]’s an amazing, supportive, inspiring experience.” “This was a deeply touching and fulfilling experience that impacted my heart and my body.” “This is the most encouraging and empowering learning environment I have ever been part of.” “Thank you for the support and the space to be, and believe, and become.” "We really have no idea what greatness we can create on stage until pushed to do so, and then we are so, so proud."