POPULATION47.3 million
SIZE580,367 km2
CAPITALNairobi
LANGUAGESEnglish, Swahili
Back in Kenya but with a reduced tour this year staying mainly in Nairobi and the Sarakasi Project.
The team are: Jules Cooke, (TC) Daniel McGuire, Nathan Holguin, Hanna Smialowska, Danni Cullen, Benjamin Kirsch
They will be adding photos and blogs here as they go along and see our social media pages for more regular updates.
This carousel contains links to all the tours that PWB have ever done since 2007. We advertise for volunteers from April to July ready to go on tour the next January. To find out more about what it means to volunteer on a tour, head to our ‘Volunteering’ page.
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Benjamin Kirsch is a veteran Performers Without Borders traveler on his second Kenya adventure. With a back ground in gymnastics and martial arts, he was raised around movement arts and continues to show case them world wide. Benjamin then trained acrobatics and circus arts at, New England Center for Circus Arts and San Francisco Circus Centre. Traveled with Ringling Brothers Circus in Fully Charged, and now been featured internationally on TV shows such as Americas Got Talent, The Gong Show, and Das Super Talent. Now he strives to share knowledge gathered from over a decade of performing experience and hope to be able to benefit the lives of the people of Kenya.
Jules (in yellow) first began training Musical Theatre at Expressions Academy. She discovered a passion for circus arts, teaching and performing across the UK, Europe, in Bahrain and India, where Jules joined Performers Without Borders for her first tour in 2018. Having recently completed her MA in Direction for Circus at Circomedia, she is excited to see how her work will change her relationship with teaching across the world. She wants to explore different mediums and capture what cannot be captured through words alone.
Jules’ ethos is underpinned by a desire to harness the power of circus to share stories and build powerful connections. She aims to embrace the reality that everything is a work in progress. That is to say that perfection is unattainable, but the journey as we strive towards it is both educational and beautiful.
Danni Cullen comes all the way from Ireland. Born in Dublins Fair city, raised by leprechauns and fairies. She has many lucky charms and a Performer is one of them.
She is based in a suitcase and likes to think of herself as a professional Pirate!
She comes from a world of Theatre and loves the stage. Has a passion for stories and bringing things to life. She studied Acting and has travelled the world being Cinderella, Robin hood and Frankenstein.
Whilst on her travels she discovered the world of circus. She fell in love with physical theatre, storytelling and clown.
She is so happy to be part of PWB. To share her passion for the Arts the importance of play and laughter! To see the pure joy that theatre and circus can bring!
I am small ball of light named Hania, from Poland. My life goal is to help those in need, share knowledge and discover new ways of self-development that are available to diversify and enhance everyday life. One of these roads is the circus that helps me to break my barriers, motivates me to act, share a smile and joy, and above all has an impact on my body and mind. For 3 years I have been traveling around the world discovering its innermost nooks, collecting information about cultures and customs and meeting various people. These trips have taught me independence, how to live in uncomfortable conditions and how to deal with extreme situations. However, the main lesson that repeats with each subsequent trip is to explore the GIFT of life which, if we follow our path, is the Great Idea of Fighting Troubles.
Nathan Holguin, aka Punchy, aka Mr. Banana
Is a veteran circus clown who has toured well over seven years with various American circus’s.
He is a journeymen Stagehand with I.A.T.S.E. Local 16 San Francisco U.S.A. A certified rigger, a graduate from the San Francisco School of Circus Arts and the Clown Conservertory class of ’03.
This is his first PWB tour and is quite humbled, honored and privileged to be a member of this expedition. He hopes this is only the beginning of many many years of collaboration and is already thinking about next year and the year after that and the year after that….
“My short experience here in Nairobi has already opened my eyes, my soul and watered my heart allowing growth and inspiring me to share the fruits of my past with the beautiful souls I am meeting here everyday, I am developing a deep hunger for more and can only hope for many more opportunities to give all of what I am to this important work. Thank you Performers Without Borders for opening this door for me, you have my eternal gratitude.”
Daniel is a full time balloon twister, clown, and juggler from Denver, CO. He has been a circus performer for his entire adult life and is excited to spread the joy circus brought him to those who have never experienced it. As a veteran of PWB’s 2018 India tour, he is excited to build upon that work and continue to grow as a performer, teacher, and entertainer.