Philippines Tour 2025 Bootcamp – Cebu City

This year’s Philippines project is officially on the road with a new team, a new show, and the same mission as always: bringing circus and play to hard-to-reach communities around the world. After completing our Bootcamp training and visiting our first project location on Apo Island, we’ve now arrived in Bayawan, where we’ll be based for the next couple of weeks. The energy is high, the team is settling into a rhythm, and we’re excited to share some stories from these first steps of the journey.

First up, let’s introduce our 2025 team!

Bazzinga/Gina (UK), Tour Co-ordinator, PWB general manager and the one keeping everything flowing smoothly. Jules (UK), Show Director and Social media content enthusiast. Ryn (New Zealand), Circus coach and incredible performer who is on her second Philippines tour, Ethan (Australia), juggler, fire wizard and our curriculum co-ordinator on his first tour.  Gorka (Spain) Also on his first tour, and our last minute hero when we needed an extra volunteer. & Finally, me Poppy (Ireland), Show host & team fairy, making sure everyone stays hydrated!

Typhoon Uwan

As is tradition, we began the tour with five days of Bootcamp.  In the week before we arrived, two typhoons swept through the region, causing significant disruption and damage across parts of the Philippines. Typhoon Uwan in particular caused major travel delays, meaning Gorka didn’t arrive until day three, which left us cramming all our inductions, safety meetings, and show creation into just two days! It was intense, but we managed to pull everything together.

Alongside the usual safe-space agreements and team orientations, Gina gave us a memorable briefing on the Philippines’ most venomous insects and snakes we might encounter on tour, a session that left me personally very on edge and thoroughly unprepared to befriend the bathroom huntsman.

Creating the Show

Our show this year is a talent competition that slowly turns upside down and transforms into a tale of collaboration. I was tasked with doing some pre-planning and writing as well as being the show host. Jules took on the directing and facilitation at bootcamp to bring it all together with sticky notes and hula hoop categories using her 3D mind mapping exercise. The uncomplicated title; The Performers Without Borders Talent Show Competition seems to have stuck, with its comedic simplicity. I wrote the script with a few Tagalog (Filipino national language) phrases sprinkled in to hype up the audience and emphasise that the competition element is “pinaka importante.” Each team member has their own solo act: Ryn performs a beautiful multi-hoop routine featuring a handstand with a hoop spinning on her foot; Gorka impresses with diabolo; Gina’s ropedart act is both jaw-dropping and hilarious; and Ethan’s mini-hoop act dazzles the crowd as Bazzinga repeatedly tries to steal his props while the host attempts to keep order. There’s bubble magic, basketball juggling, and ever-growing interruptions as contestants vie for the spotlight. We bring up volunteer judges equipped with emoji scorecards, and even Mr Monkey, our orangutan puppet, makes an appearance. A balloon-dog competition inevitably devolves into a collaborative group flower, and the show finishes with a full-team acro and juggling ensemble celebrating the message that working together makes exciting things possible.

Other Bootcamp tasks included filling and sewing the 150 juggling beanbags that Ryn had made before the tour, and adding gold embellishments to our fire-show costumes so they’d be extra sparkly and matching. Ethan also managed to track down some bike inner tubing, which became the perfect finishing component for the shiny new poi that Ryn and her generous friend Sim from Melbourne kindly crafted ahead of time.

Kit ready, show made, and the team fully briefed on danger bugs, we set off down the length of Cebu. Due to a last minute detour we ended up stuck at the side of the road for about an hour trying to flag down a bus. Hot, dusty and unsure if we would make the ferry on time we struggled to find a bus that could fit all six of us as well our large pile of bags, belongings and equipment. We finally got lucky and off we went to the port and across the sea to Dumaguete on Negros Island, making a quick pit stop before heading on to Apo.

We thank you all for your continued support of our projects and mission.

Stay tuned for stories from our first location, Apo Island