The Circus in de Zorg pitched its tent in Blijham on Monday. It gave needy villagers and others a wonderful hour there.
The field near the care center De Blanckenborg in Blijham offers an unusual sight on this Monday. There is a large, colorful tent on it. It is from Circus in de Zorg.
Speaking stable master and knife thrower
In the tent, François Kaselowsky is preparing for the performance. He is ringmaster, knife thrower and is in charge of the daily management of the Circus in de Zorg.
“We tour the country and give performances for about 80 healthcare institutions every year,” says Francois. “They hire us, that’s how we earn our money. Our circus is ‘classic’, with a clown, acrobats, a knife thrower, but also tailored to our target group. We sing Dutch old songs, involve the spectators, let our performances last no longer than an hour.”
Scion of a circus family
In Blijham they are giving three performances today and there are ten of them, the artists of Circus in de Zorg. They form a family, living and sleeping in wagons and moving from place to place. It is the life that François loves. “I am a descendant of a circus family that goes back generations.”
Meanwhile, the first visitors trickle into the tent. Men and women in wheelchairs living in the care center and assisted by nurses or relatives. But also residents of sheltered housing. And students from the local primary school De Wiekslag who loudly and clearly take their place around the track.
,,Yes, we also invited children, our residents like that”, says Clarie de Boer. She works in De Blanckenborg, where she organizes all kinds of events for the residents. “We owe the arrival of the circus to the Friends of the Blanckenborg Foundation, which pays the costs,” she says.
Cheerful tension
The cheerful tension rises in the tent. Also with 93-year-old Wilhelmina Verheijen who lives in a house near De Blanckenborg. “I’m looking forward to this,” she says. “Of course I’ve been to a circus once, but that was a long, long time ago, in childhood.”
Moments later, she and the other visitors clap when François blasts his ‘Highly Honored Audience’ through the packed house and the performance begins. A lady shows what she can do with hoops, a saxophonist plays his first song and clown Marcel goes hopelessly wrong in all kinds of ways. The children jeer and cheer him on and Mrs. Verheijen and the other seniors join in, much less loudly.
Signs on posts
The spell is there and continues as the knives are thrown, a fakir performs his tricks, plates are balanced on poles and songs are played and sung loudly. Spectators who are plagued by dementia also visibly enjoy it. The hour in the tent flies by and works like a great medicine.
François and other artists perform again later in the afternoon, then ‘pack’ the tent and set off for Winsum. There they will make people happy later this week with their ‘Highly Honored Audience’ and what follows.