Two years ago, I was on a delegation for Arts Advocacy Day in DC, where I sat down with three Republican congressman seeking support for $200 million for the NEA.It was great to receive a day of lobbying training arming up with facts like:

1. Artists create work immediately - we don't need 3+ years to design a road/bridge;
2. For every $1 spent on arts there is $7 in related spending.  Think about when you go to the Aronoff: dinner + tip+ valet+ program/souvenir+ buy a drink/dessert What would downtown be without it?
3. Artists' jobs cannot be exported and artists pay taxes too;
4. I am in the business of creating taxpayers vs. welfare cases or criminals who cost tax payers.

Then in the Capitol Offices I got to balance a huge red leather Congressman's office chair on my chin. He did a classic double take and we got the votes and the funding.

Over the past decade I have been creating Social Circus. Social Circus is "The growing movement toward the use of circus arts as mediums for social justice and social good. It uses alternative pedagogical tools to work with youth who are marginalized or at social or personal risk.  A characteristic of the social circus is its universality and accessibility. Each person, in accordance with their abilities, is able to realize their own potential through the wide gamut of activities that the circus offers: one can participate in juggling, trapeze, acrobatics, clowning, balancing acts, etc."

University Hospital physician Dr Victor Garcia invited me to the Cincinnati Appreciative Inquiry Workshop on Sept 11, 2010, to participate in a "conversation about how we might stem the violence in our communities and better integrate historically disenfranchised people back into the life of Cincinnati, and in doing so make life in Cincinnati a richer and more sustainable place."
 
I have developed and led successful non-profits but now I am about to embark on seeking to start-up a Low Profit Limited Liability Corporation to utilize the methods of Social Circus to help give opportunities and build resilience for poor people.  If you are interested in investing in this venture you can contact me at paul@circusmojo.com.

We all pre-judge people and situations.
 
Everyday I explain how the circus motivates change and growth.  When I introduce myself as a clown I hear,  "Oh I hate clowns," or "I am afraid of clowns."  I have a theory of why people have Coulrophobia- the fear of clowns; movies have been tough on clowns, but really clowns are the only thing that parents will allow their kids to be afraid of.  If you are scared of the doctor or dentist, Santa Claus - too bad, hold still, open up or tell him what you want." Clowns... "Oh-OK honey let's cross the street." It is this fostering of fear that builds Coulrophobia. 

When say I offer circus programs, people think I am shooting people out of cannons or that I am bringing elephants to the office or school. When I call the HR office to try to sell a circus corporate team building session, they say "WHAT? We have enough clowns here we don't really need a circus."  I enjoy the shift when people experience Circus Mojo and work through that prejudice.  I convince people the viability of circus skills is an opportunity to grow.

Ten years ago, I spent six months performing in Japan at a hot springs bath resort.  This experience offered me a very unique perspective… "Gaijin" which roughly translates to "hairy southern bastard" (Marco Polo had lots of hair and sailed in from the south) is a derogatory term for foreigner and this is what I was called nearly every day.  I was surrounded by elderly at a resort and all they remembered that the USA dropped two atomic bombs on them.  I would be jabbed with plates and chopsticks while in line for the buffet by guests. I think there are few places a white guy can experience overt racism, and while this is nothing close to the racism experienced by people in the USA it certainly has shaped my perspective. I loved Japan. I worked 12 minutes a day six days /week in a cabaret as a clown and had an amazing time. I could have stayed but my wife was ready to come home.

The circus encompasses sports, artistic expression and creativity. Circus demands cooperation, coordination, imagination and inspiration and the world of business and education certainly need avenues to deliver these concepts tangibly and we all need to work through our prejudices.

The circus is about resilience - about getting up, trying again and succeeding. 

I have certainly had my challenges in this business.  In November 2009 I purchased the old Ludlow Movie Theatre, my base to develop circus for "children of all ages." This center will host cabaret/circus performances, training space for professional circus artists, corporate team building, summer camps and be a catalyst for change in Ludlow. Bringing a business to Ludlow, KY where the growth industry was check cashing and tattoo parlors is a formidable venture.  I believe we must take risks and build upon achievements in order to create businesses and communities that work. 

My vocation is to help people rediscover what it's like to learn with their muscles and not their minds.  You only gain balance by falling or nearly falling then adjusting, getting up and trying again and again and again.  As we age we get frustrated easily and tend to stop doing what we are not good at...the circus dares us to achieve. Learning circus skills is tangible.  When a student; adult, teen, or toddler tries to spin a plate, walk on a large ball or do their first somersault there is a struggle and eventual achievement.  Self-esteem, confidence and fearlessness exude, and then there is the next skill to master. Circus Mojo strives to complete every corporate workshop, camp, school residency/after school program with a culminating performance for an audience of peers, friends, etc.  The recognition when a performer completes trick styles and smiles - TA- DA - the audience then applauds.

Mojo Medicine is a program I will offer at Cincinnati Children's Hospital twice a week for the next year that is funded by the Cooperative Society. Working with teenagers at the psych unit at Children's is remarkably like working with a group of executives…from my perspective, people are people and I am offering them a chance to succeed at new skills. Circus Mojo offers a variety that ensures everyone succeeds at something.  The Circus (sans animals) requires three elements:  Acrobats, Jugglers and Clowns, and after doing this for 14 years I can quickly assess who belongs in what group in every workshop. I challenge people to work on all three but highlight what they are best at.