Social Circus

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Social Circus
Studio album by Ali Azmat
Released	2006
Genre	Pop - rock

Social Circus refers to the growing movement toward the use of circus arts as mediums for social justice and social good. Examples include:

-The Afghan Mobile Mini Circus for Children (MMCC), a child-protection project in Afghanistan: www.AfghanMMCC.org or www.Unicycle4Kids.org

-Circus Debub Nigat, Ethiopia, formed in 2003, that focuses on HIV/AIDS and female genital mutilation prevention, alcohol and drug abuse, refugee repatriation: http://www.landminesurvivors.org/news_article.php?id=515

-The Barefoot Angels Project, El Salvador, which keeps street children out of gangs through child-magician collectives: http://www.asaprosar.com/programs/angels.aspx

-Leapin Lurp Lurps, Flipside Circus, and Far West Performance Youth Project, which offers three projects for indigenous youth in Australia

-Multiple projects in South Africa

-The Nigeria street kids project

-The Zany Umbrella Circus in Pittsburgh, PA, USA, which offered circus relief to survivors of Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans: http://www.zanyumbrella.com/

-Dreams Can Be Foundation, an organization using a variety of arts, including some circus arts, to empower children in Brasil: http://www.dreamscanbe.org/

-Cirque du Monde, a non-profit arm of Cirque du Soleil, based in Toronto, that supports primarily arts and non-profit organizations, including a social circus project in the Bronx, NYC, through ticket sales: http://www.afrik.com/article6887.html

Social circus is best understood as the marriage of entertainment with education, instruction with play. While this combination is not unique, the medium of circus appears both original and effective in extremely diverse cultural contexts, from Kabul to Canberra. Social circus projects share in common the function of making learning fun, especially for children, and many train children to be the performers. Social circus projects that are by children, for children, such as the Afghan MMCC use peer-to-peer leadership and encourage youth leadership, entrepreneurial and public speaking skills.

Social Circus is the also the first solo album by Pakistani pop singer and former member of Junoon, Ali Azmat. The album did get a good review and he is now working on his second album that will be released in 2007.

[edit] Track listing

1. "Deewana"
2. "Mein Chala"
3. "Mungagan"
4. "Na Re Na"
5. "Dil Ki Sira"
6. "Mein"
7. "Dil Ne Dil Se Kaha"
8. "Yar Mere Yar"
9. "Piyass"
10. "Dil Ka Jehan"
11. "Teri Perchaian"

Salman Ahmad, lead singer of the Junoon, learned about the Afghan Mobile Mini Circus and the international social circus movement, after the album was released, while performing at Harvard University's Memorial Church in 2005.