Inside the Circus Caravan: Bringing Joy to Children in Need
For children in refugee camps, shelters or care facilities, moments of play and wonder can be rare. The Sense-ational Circus Cabaret Caravan brings these moments back. When their brightly painted micro-theatre bus pulls into a courtyard, quiet spaces fill up with laughter, creativity and connection.
We spoke with Pieter van Baardewijk, performer and director with The Flying Seagull Project. He is part of a team of clowns, musicians and artists who travel with a mobile circus, bringing joy to where it is needed most.
In our interview, Pieter reflects on the transformations he has witnessed on their recent tour, sharing how their sensory circus caravan breaks through barriers of language, disability and displacement, helping children and families reconnect, rediscover confidence and imagination.
Pieter van Baardewijk, photo: Dion Bossers
You’ve taken the circus out of the tent and into some of the most challenging corners of Europe. What does it mean to bring joy and performance into places where daily life rarely offers such moments?
Joy and performance through play is a way of connecting that can cut through so many barriers, such as language, disability, poverty or displacement. The Flying Seagull Project uses many creative ways to play and perform. We are flexible in every session, using games, arts and experiences suited to children. Play is such an inherent, vital part of childhood; it’s the way children learn to move, think, collaborate, interact and be creative.
Bringing joy and performance into challenging places, like refugee camps and institutions, helps children and their families know that they are respected, valued and that their happiness matters.
Through our creative experiences, they get to know themselves, push boundaries, imagine and create, even in harsh environments where, sadly, so many children otherwise miss out.
When you arrive in a new place, how do you first connect with the children and families you perform for? Is there a ritual or moment that tells you, ‘This is going to work’?
When we work in refugee camps, we immediately recognise that children have been told to be quiet and be still when they instead have so many emotions that need to be let out. So, when we come in, we create an energised, safe and welcoming environment that allows them to let out all their pent-up energy, and we receive it with celebration. Only then can we discover their creativity, through various imaginative games and shows.
In sessions with a lot of access needs, we assess and respond to every individual, usually with a softer start, introducing ourselves one by one to understand what activities would suit them best. We always create a connection and deliver arts and performances through the senses, bringing light, music, sounds and touch, opening new worlds for every individual so that they can play, explore, imagine and create in ways that suit them.
Pieter and fellow performers on stage in Romania, 2025 Perform Europe tour. Photo: Aidan Vernee
You’ve mentioned before that the audience doesn’t just watch the show, they become part of it. How do you approach the task of designing performances that invites this kind of active participation and makes everyone feel essential to the experience?
We design, rehearse and perform shows, workshops and games that are responsive and move seamlessly between different artistic mediums and methods so that any interaction will always be a conversation with our audiences. For it to be playful, the audience needs to be part of it. The input from the participants always influences and changes the content and interpretation of our work. On longer projects, we strive towards the moment when the children themselves will lead the performance. We have had projects where, towards the end, the children were already in a circle playing games or performing before we arrived for the session.
A kid walking on the rope, SCCC‘s previous tour, ©The Flying Seagull Project
Your circus shows are known for their sensory-rich, immersive experiences. How do you ensure these performances remain accessible and welcoming to audiences with diverse needs?
Using a variety of different methods, senses and approaches in our shows helps us create accessibility for audiences with diverse needs. When we introduce a game or do a show, everything is explained both non-verbally and with sounds and language. We bring a sensory suitcase full of equipment for every sense, including lights, colours, smells, bubbles, sounds and fabrics that introduce and explore different creative worlds.
We designed a show that is easily adapted in the moment, in response to the audience’s needs. We can either push the story, the clown and the more cognitive-based elements of the show or we can sit in the sensory moment of one magic trick for the whole show. Our team is experienced and trained in different styles and approaches, including trauma-informed play, sensory play and sign language.
For you, the work doesn’t end after the show. How do you capture and measure the lasting impact of each performance, and what have those insights revealed?
We capture impact straight after every session by recording what we have seen and by evaluating impact under the headings of Skills, Wellbeing and Community. We also receive feedback from the partners and carers we work with. All this impact data is used as learning materials for future tours, and our impact has now been studied and evidenced as effective by Swansea University. Our arts and play sessions are shown to grow connectivity and creativity and improve well-being through happy moments for children, families and carers.
SCCC performing on their previous tour, ©The Flying Seagull Project
Let’s talk specifically about the children you work with. Can you share a moment, a real example, perhaps from the recent Perform Europe tour, that deepened your understanding of the impact your work has on them?
I do not think that anything captures our work as well as the faces and words of the children. For safeguarding reasons, we cannot share names, faces and images, but we can share their words. Here are a few quotes from the Romanian part of our last tour, supported by Perform Europe.
I laughed so much my stomach hurt! I’ve never seen anything like this before. The games, the music, the colours – it felt like magic. I didn’t think about anything sad, just played and smiled the whole time. – 11-year-old boy
When the clowns danced with us, I forgot all my problems. I felt like I was in a dream where everything was happy. I want them to come back again and again! – 9-year-old girl
No one ever made me feel so special before. They looked at me like I mattered, and that made me really happy. I didn’t want the show to end. – 10-year-old boy
I didn’t know grown-ups could be this funny! I want to be like them when I grow up, someone who makes children smile. – 8-year-old girl
SCCC performance in Greece, 2025 Perform Europe tour, ©The Flying Seagull Project
The circus is often a space of transformation for both performers and audiences. Have you witnessed any unexpected changes or moments of growth within the communities you visit or among your own team? And what do you hope stays with the audience after you drive away?
We performed a session in an asylum centre in Belgium. During our parade, we noticed there were not only a lot of children but also many teenagers and adults, all of them clearly bored. So, we made sure that not only the children had a great time but also the whole community, who joined in for the circus workshop, and all of them watched while we did the show.
The place we left behind us was one of happiness and smiles, where children played with their parents again, where old Syrian mamas felt a sense of pride and saw happy children play and where even teenagers felt safe enough in their peer group to try something new.
This is how our arts and play not only changes children’s lives but has the power to impact whole communities.
Pieter (at the centre) with fellow performers, 2025 Perform Europe tour, ©The Flying Seagull Project
Since beginning its Perform Europe tour, Sense-ational Circus Cabaret Caravan has travelled through Belgium, Bulgaria, Greece, Netherlands, Poland and Romania, connecting with marginalised communities.
Behind this tour are three partners: The Flying Seagull Project (Netherlands), Crizzz Compagnie (France), and Contaminando Sonrisas (Spain). Together, they have brought the circus to thousands of children and families who would otherwise have no access to such artistic experiences.
As the caravan moves on to its next stop, it leaves behind small moments of courage, showing that even brief encounters with the circus can help children feel valued, connected and empowered.
