Cirque du Monde as a health intervention: perceptions of medical students and social circus experts.
OBJECTIVE
To present Cirque du Soleil's social circus program, Cirque du Monde, to explore its potential as a primary health care tool for family physicians.


METHODS
A review of the literature in PubMed, the Cochrane Library, PsycINFO, LaPresse, Eureka, Google Scholar, and Érudit using the key words circus, social circus, Cirque du Monde, and Cirque du Soleil; a Montreal-based initiative, Espace Transition, modeled on Cirque du Monde; and personal communication with Cirque du Soleil's Social Circus Training Advisor.


METHODS
The first 50 articles or websites identified for each key word in each of the databases were examined on the basis of their titles and abstracts in the case of articles, and on the basis of their titles and page content in the case of websites. Articles and websites that explored an aspect of social circuses or that described an intervention that involved circuses were then retained for analysis. Because all literature on social circuses was searched, no criterion for year of publication was used.


RESULTS
No articles on the social circus as a health intervention were found. One study on the use of the circus as an intervention in schools was identified. It demonstrated an increase in self-esteem in the children who took part. One study on the use of the circus in a First Nations community was found; it contained nonspecific, qualitative findings. The other articles identified were merely descriptions of social circuses. One website was identified on the use of the social circus to help youth who had been treated in a hospital setting for major psychiatric disorders to re-enter the community. The team in the pediatric psychiatry department at Centre Hospitalier Universitaire Sainte-Justine, the children's hospital in Montreal, Que, was contacted; they were leading this project, called Espace Transition. The unpublished preliminary findings of its pilot project demonstrate substantial improvements in overall patient functioning. According to Cirque du Soleil, there are several projects under way around the world researching the therapeutic value of social circuses.


CONCLUSIONS
Cirque du Monde is able to reach a marginalized population that is otherwise difficult for the health system to reach. This program has therapeutic potential because of its target population, its promotion of healthy habits, and the support that it offers through the group and its workers. Cirque du Soleil is investing heavily in this project. The lack of literature yielding robust data on the social circus is therefore an important issue.
Medical student at Laval University in Quebec city, Que.
Cynthia
C
Fournier
Medical student at Laval University in Quebec city, Que.
Mélodie-Anne
MA
Drouin
Medical student at Laval University in Quebec city, Que.
Jérémie
J
Marcoux
Psychiatrist at Centre Hospitalier Universitaire Sainte-Justine in Montreal, Que.
Patricia
P
Garel
Social Circus Training Advisor for Cirque du Soleil in Montreal, Que.
Emmanuel
E
Bochud
Social worker with Cirque du Monde Québec in Quebec city.
Julie
J
Théberge
Circus Arts Research Chair and Director of Pedagogical Training at École Nationale de Cirque du Québec.
Patrice
P
Aubertin
Director of Social Action and Community Relations and Global Citizenship at Cirque du Soleil.
Gil
G
Favreau
Emergency physician at Centre de santé et de services sociaux Alphonse-Desjardins, Assistant Professor in the Department of Family Medicine and Emergency Medicine at Laval University, and Université Laval-Centre hospitalier affilié universitaire Hôtel-Dieu de Lévis Research Chair in Emergency Medicine. rfleet@videotron.ca.
Richard
R
Fleet
D000293:Adolescent; D001154:Art; D001240:Aspirations, Psychological; D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D002648:Child; D015438:Health Behavior; D006801:Humans; D007207:Individuation; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000628:therapy*; D012309:Risk-Taking; D020377:Self Efficacy; D058992:Social Participation; D013337:Students, Medical