Music
Hutcheon: If Dharma the Clown had his way, life would be one big circus.
In a place so often consumed by conflict, todays a welcome occasion for a little fun.
Part of his troupe is here to entertain crowds at a local festival in Northern Israel.
Dharma the Clown is otherwise known as David Berry, a Gentile or non-Jew, who came to Israel from Australia 15 years ago.
David: You dont like booming sounds? What are you doing in the Middle East?
Hutcheon: Underneath the make-up, hes also the artistic director of the Israel Circus School.
But the former ballet dancer has brought with him what he calls some Australian qualities.
David: I think Ive brought a sense of non-prejudice with me. I dont judge people according to their skin colour, or their religion, or their sex. I wish there were a few more anti-discrimination laws effective here in this part of the world. But okay, thats a political point Jane: You dont like to be political, do you?
David: No, actually I dont. I think I just like to touch people where they really are, which is you know, very simple.
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Hutcheon: Hoping to adapt circus skills for more practical purposes, to bring children of different backgrounds together, David went in search of a partner.
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Hutcheon: He found one among the idyllic olive groves of the Arab village of Mghrar.Adnan: You have to be human, to listen to the others all the time, not just only to yourself. You have to listen to the others. If you listen more than you can talk, you can make peace with other people.
Hutcheon: Every year, Adnan Tarabshes extended family comes together to harvest olives. The town produces one third of Israels olive oil supply.
Adnan: We share our food as we share our oil afterwards also. We divide it as everybody needs.
Hutcheon: Adnan Tarabshe is a Druze, an Arab minority living in Israel.
Distinct from the Palestinians, this close knit, largely Arabic speaking community is loyal to the Jewish state.
Adnan is a theatre director and writer. Developing a circus is his way of helping a fractured society.
Adnan: We want to live together. We want to be safe, both my kids and the Jewish kids.
Hutcheon: One of his prize performers and trainers is his softly-spoken 14 year old son Bashar.
The children of Mghrar adore their teacher.
Music
Hutcheon: Twice a week, the youngsters of Mghrar come to the nearby Israeli town of Kfar Yehoshua where they join David Berrys Israel Circus School.
The school only moved into its permanent home a year ago, the first major step towards establishing a full-time circus school.
David and Adnan feel this electric environment can build a lasting atmosphere of co-existence.
Adnan: In the circus, you have to touch your partner,
and Jewish and Arab have to rely on each other. They dont touch each other, they cant perform in front of people.
David: They all wear jeans, they all watch MTV, and when they come together and given the opportunity to practise acrobatics or clowning or juggling or different things, they actually look at one another as kids, not, oh, youre Jewish or youre Arab. We have a saying in the school just kids.
Music
Hutcheon: The idea has clearly won-over the young performers.
Israeli teenagers, Hemda and Tomlee, have honed their skills enough to keep this audience in stiches.
While they enjoy the training and the opportunity to perform in front of grateful audiences, working with Arab children has opened new horizons.
Hutcheon: Do you think theres any big difference to the way they live and you live?
Hemda: I came to her house once, and they have a really big salon and cushions.
And they brought food to the salon and we ate and sat on the floor.
Tomlee: They are very polite.
Jane: You mean compared to Israelis?
omlee: Yes.
Hemda: I think its like we are all one big happy family and its very hard to live a week without seeing them.
Hutcheon: Bashar feels the same way.
Hutcheon: What did you think of them when you first met them? When you just heard youre going to be performing with Jewish kids, were you worried about that?
Bashar: Yes.
Hutcheon: And what happened?
Bashar: We got used to each other and now we are like brothers and sisters.
Hutcheon: Adnan Tarabshe now works on acting skills, to take the young performers to the next level of professionalism.
Though the circus school may be a work in progress, its already having a profound affect on the way its young students feel about the ongoing conflict.
Hemda: I always thought different about the fighting because I dont understand it. Everybody are just people and I dont understand, why do you have to fight instead of being friends. Why cant you live in the same place.
Hutcheon: Share the same land?
Hemda: Yes, its stupid.
Reporter: Jane Hutcheon
Camera: Louie Eroglu
Editor: Bryan Milliss
Producer: Ayelet Cohen
Hutcheon: If Dharma the Clown had his way, life would be one big circus.
In a place so often consumed by conflict, todays a welcome occasion for a little fun.
Part of his troupe is here to entertain crowds at a local festival in Northern Israel.
Dharma the Clown is otherwise known as David Berry, a Gentile or non-Jew, who came to Israel from Australia 15 years ago.
David: You dont like booming sounds? What are you doing in the Middle East?
Hutcheon: Underneath the make-up, hes also the artistic director of the Israel Circus School.
But the former ballet dancer has brought with him what he calls some Australian qualities.
David: I think Ive brought a sense of non-prejudice with me. I dont judge people according to their skin colour, or their religion, or their sex. I wish there were a few more anti-discrimination laws effective here in this part of the world. But okay, thats a political point Jane: You dont like to be political, do you?
David: No, actually I dont. I think I just like to touch people where they really are, which is you know, very simple.
Music
Hutcheon: Hoping to adapt circus skills for more practical purposes, to bring children of different backgrounds together, David went in search of a partner.
Music
Hutcheon: He found one among the idyllic olive groves of the Arab village of Mghrar.Adnan: You have to be human, to listen to the others all the time, not just only to yourself. You have to listen to the others. If you listen more than you can talk, you can make peace with other people.
Hutcheon: Every year, Adnan Tarabshes extended family comes together to harvest olives. The town produces one third of Israels olive oil supply.
Adnan: We share our food as we share our oil afterwards also. We divide it as everybody needs.
Hutcheon: Adnan Tarabshe is a Druze, an Arab minority living in Israel.
Distinct from the Palestinians, this close knit, largely Arabic speaking community is loyal to the Jewish state.
Adnan is a theatre director and writer. Developing a circus is his way of helping a fractured society.
Adnan: We want to live together. We want to be safe, both my kids and the Jewish kids.
Hutcheon: One of his prize performers and trainers is his softly-spoken 14 year old son Bashar.
The children of Mghrar adore their teacher.
Music
Hutcheon: Twice a week, the youngsters of Mghrar come to the nearby Israeli town of Kfar Yehoshua where they join David Berrys Israel Circus School.
The school only moved into its permanent home a year ago, the first major step towards establishing a full-time circus school.
David and Adnan feel this electric environment can build a lasting atmosphere of co-existence.
Adnan: In the circus, you have to touch your partner,
and Jewish and Arab have to rely on each other. They dont touch each other, they cant perform in front of people.
David: They all wear jeans, they all watch MTV, and when they come together and given the opportunity to practise acrobatics or clowning or juggling or different things, they actually look at one another as kids, not, oh, youre Jewish or youre Arab. We have a saying in the school just kids.
Music
Hutcheon: The idea has clearly won-over the young performers.
Israeli teenagers, Hemda and Tomlee, have honed their skills enough to keep this audience in stiches.
While they enjoy the training and the opportunity to perform in front of grateful audiences, working with Arab children has opened new horizons.
Hutcheon: Do you think theres any big difference to the way they live and you live?
Hemda: I came to her house once, and they have a really big salon and cushions.
And they brought food to the salon and we ate and sat on the floor.
Tomlee: They are very polite.
Jane: You mean compared to Israelis?
omlee: Yes.
Hemda: I think its like we are all one big happy family and its very hard to live a week without seeing them.
Hutcheon: Bashar feels the same way.
Hutcheon: What did you think of them when you first met them? When you just heard youre going to be performing with Jewish kids, were you worried about that?
Bashar: Yes.
Hutcheon: And what happened?
Bashar: We got used to each other and now we are like brothers and sisters.
Hutcheon: Adnan Tarabshe now works on acting skills, to take the young performers to the next level of professionalism.
Though the circus school may be a work in progress, its already having a profound affect on the way its young students feel about the ongoing conflict.
Hemda: I always thought different about the fighting because I dont understand it. Everybody are just people and I dont understand, why do you have to fight instead of being friends. Why cant you live in the same place.
Hutcheon: Share the same land?
Hemda: Yes, its stupid.
Reporter: Jane Hutcheon
Camera: Louie Eroglu
Editor: Bryan Milliss
Producer: Ayelet Cohen