The smile of a child who has realized his or her place in the world through art is the motivation of Escola Pernambucana de Circo (EPC), who since 1996 has been working with over 100 at-risk children and adolescents who live in one of the poorest areas of Recife in the northeast of Brasil. Offering social circus classes, dance classes, individual tutoring, and psychological support to the children and their families, EPC believes that no child should have limits on his or her ability to dream and that in order to build a better future it is mandatory to provide their children with a life full of possibilities and options. EPC offers daily activities and support free of charge with just one pre-requisite ‐ the children must stay in school. The youngsters who show the most skill and promise are chosen to participate in their circus troupe, Grande Circo Arraial, which has about 20 children who train every Saturday, preparing their own acts to perform in festivals and events around the state. Two of their boys were recently chosen amongst 150 candidates in the state to join “Doutores da Alegria” or “Doctors of Joy” ‐ a Brazilian version of the Clown Care Unit - a program bringing laughter and joy to the hospital bedsides of acutely and chronically ill children. EPC and Grande Circo Arraial were recently chosen by BNDES (out of 1342 candidates) to receive 1 year of support to mount a new show, buy necessary school materials and create a website. EPC is currently using a small workspace, which was temporarily lent to them by the neighborhood association of Vila Buriti. Unfortunately, the space does not offer the best conditions for circus training, so the school is currently running “a brick campaign" to raise money to buy an appropriate facility. In 2002 Dreams Can Be donated money to help set up and run their capital campaign office, and to purchase circus and art education supplies and costumes.
