Tauranga teenagers found a new balance in life these summer holidays by walking a tightrope, juggling and acting the clown.
About 40 teenagers attended Circus Kumarani over the school holidays, which were funded by the government's Break-Away School Holiday Programme.

Hannah Blair, Laura Blair and Michaela sit tall over their instructors Seton, Olivia and Dan Hales at Memorial Park. Photo by Candi Gibson.

The programme taught general circus skills starting with daily warm up games and exercises, then moved onto specific instruction in juggling balls or clubs, use of the diabolo (a juggling top), poi, staff, acrobatics, clowning and theatre skills.
Circus Kumarani course leader Dan Hales says the four weeks of teaching kids circus tricks was extremely rewarding.

At Memorial Park Hannah Blair juggles while standing on a ball. Photo by Candi Gibson.

'It was an amazing experience,” says Dan, who notes there was much enjoyment to be gained from teaching the teenagers juggling and acrobatics.
He says the programme designed for 11-17 years old didn't stop – some outside the age bracket joining in.
'We had an 86-year-old who joined in on one of the juggling sessions.”
Dan says it was sometimes hard to pack up the equipment at the end of the day because the kids were so focused on learning new tricks and improving their skills.
'It seems to strike a real chord with some. We had one boy who found it difficult to focus. Then he discovered the rola bola – that's where you balance a plank on a cylinder. That challenge focused him for hours. He kept adding new elements to make it higher and got really excited each time he perfected it.”
The boy went on to display his new skills during a public performance.

'We don't force anyone to perform if they don't want to, but nearly all the kids do and they really enjoy it.”
Break-Away is a $3m annual fund administered by Family and Community Services, part of the Ministry of Social Development.

Break-Away provides holiday activities free of charge for school children in targeted New Zealand communities.
Break-Away funds 30,000 one-week holiday places for young people aged 11-17 years annually.

The programmes, run by existing community organisations, can be sport-focused, based on activities such as arts, song and dance, or a combination of sports and activities.

All programmes should include at least one hour of physical activity per day. Programmes are designed to be fun, and enable young people to develop the skills to take advantage of opportunities, and respond positively to challenges.