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Acrobatic company mimbre use a positive 'can-do' attitude to improve and encourage young girls’ confidence, strength and body image.

'Have you noticed a change in your daughter since starting this project?’
'Yes, yes, yes, ideas, excitement, commitment!'
Mother of participant in Strong and Flying

In October 2009 with support from Rosa's first grants round, acrobatic company mimbre started working with a group of 20 young girls aged 8-12 from social housing estates in Hackney and Islington. Together they created the project 'Strong and Flying'.  The focus of the project was for the girls to discover, via acrobatics, acro-balance (human pyramids) and facilitated discussion, what their bodies were capable of. They discovered both the strength within themselves as well as the combined strength of working in a group.

Mimbre had always had a girls-only group in mind and were really excited when they finally got the chance, with support from Rosa and other funders, to go ahead with the ‘Strong and Flying’ group. Mimbre tries to challenge gender and body stereotypes in its performances and to carry this philosophy through to its educational work with young people. For acro-balance you need people of all sizes and you can adjust and invent new pyramids to fit learners’ abilities – an ideal way of dealing with body image and of promoting an inclusive outlook on what ideal bodies are. Everyone gets a chance to be lifted in the air and it is exhilarating to see the effect every time.

The facilitated discussions and drama exercises were led by Joanna Ingham who covered various issues affecting young girls growing up today. The girls were really keen to express their views and opinions on a variety of subjects and several of them enjoyed being able to discuss these questions with peers and teachers alike. The focus was mainly on body image, expectations and the media but the girls often steered discussions to thoughts and questions around friendship as well.

'Strong and Flying' included sessions with the girls’ mothers, both on their own as well as the mothers and daughters together. This was a chance to discuss things they would not normally discuss at home as well as to create a physical bond by performing acrobatics and pyramids together.

In February the group created and performed a show at the Union Chapel in Islington from the material they had learnt. It was a celebration of the young girls’ strength and focus as well as a showcase of their beautiful acrobatic skills. The audience loved it!

Feedback for the project has been enormously positive. All participants would like to continue with the group and their families were amazed to see how the project had developed both the girls’ abilities and their confidence. In feedback at the last session, the girls stated that they felt stronger and more confident than when they had started the project. The majority thought it was important that it had been an all girls’ group. They were proud of what they had learned and created and some expressed the confidence to become stronger and better still.

'Mimbre project for girls has been a great experience for my daughter. It has helped her and me to work better together and understand each other through conversations and acrobatics. It has truly been a wonderful experience and we would love to continue even when the project is over.'
Marcia Muhammad, Mother of participant in Strong and Flying

'I hoped (the project) would help my daughter to become more confident. She's very shy. (In Strong and Flying) she has definitely become more confident and out of her shell. It's fantastic! She has gained more confidence and learned impressive new tricks and ways to express herself.'
Mother of participant in Strong and Flying

Lina Johansson, Joint Artistic Director, Mimbre