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earing a red T-shirt, a pair of black trousers and with a fixed grin, Said Parlindungan, 22, and fellow circus performers cheerfully juggled pins in front of dozens of children at Dukuh Atas Station in Central Jakarta on the sidelines of the Car Free Day on Sunday morning.

“Developing circus skills has been a life-changing experience for me. I used to be an introverted kid who didn’t enjoy talking to people, let alone being the center of attention,” says 22-year-old Said Parlindungan.

The son of an angkot (public minivan) driver is an alumni of Yayasan Hidung Merah (Red Nose Foundation), a nonprofit arts and education outreach organization, and has become a teacher in the same organization.

The foundation, which was established in 2008 by American Dan Roberts, focuses on protection and advocating for children in low-income areas in Cilincing, North Jakarta, and Bintaro, South Tangerang.

Said the former introvert now finds joy in entertaining people.

He joined Yayasan Hidung Merah when he was 15 years old where he learned English and other school subjects with the help of volunteer tutors in the foundation, but practicing circus skills was what Said liked
the best.

To continue to hone his skills, Said likes watching circus shows on YouTube and then attempts to imitate what he sees. Once he masters a certain trick, he is always glad to share what he has learned with his friends and the children in his audience.

“Maybe the management noticed my commitment and efforts so they hired me as a circus tutor two years ago,” he said.

“Learning to juggle three pins, or balls, or rings, if the pin fell, I’d pick them up again. If it was too hard, I’d juggle with two or just one pin until I mastered that and then I escalated my level. Such a mindset and skill can be applied in facing any challenges in life,” the Cilincing resident explained.

He said he was grateful to be able to earn a living and help his family through the circus. He, however, does not wish to pursue a career as a professional circus performer.

“I just wish that one day I can start my own business. If it was to be related to the circus, maybe I could open a store that sells circus equipment,” he said, laughing.

Contrary to Said’s dream, 12-year-old Tria and Firly wish to become professional circus performers. Tria has been a member of the foundation’s branch in Bintaro, South Tangerang, for five years, while Firly has been there two years.

“The circus class is held weekly, every Friday, from afternoon until we get tired,” a giggling Firly said.

“I can juggle the pins and flower sticks and spin plates. I really want to be able to ride a unicycle, that’s the hardest trick for me,” Tria said.

Yayasan Hidung Merah fundraising manager Aditha Wulandari said the foundation currently involved 390 children in both Cilincing and Bintaro. Aside from the tutoring and circus classes, the foundation has also established vocational courses to prepare the children to enter the work force.

“There are three vocational subjects, namely hospitality, catering and restaurant management, and graphic design,” she said, claiming that the foundation had formed partnerships with several companies to channel the children into the professional world.

However, Aditha conceded that the circus classes remained the main activity in the foundation and they perform circus shows for social purposes, for example as part of relief efforts for children in post-disaster areas.

Sunday’s performance was aimed at introducing circus tricks for children in the Car Free Day event on Jl. Sudirman, partnering with PT MRT Jakarta.

MRT Jakarta said the company had prepared many more events to be held every weekend in order to raise people’s awareness about the MRT service, which will be officially launched in March.

MRT Jakarta corporate secretary Muhammad Kamaluddin told The Jakarta Post that the company would conduct several trial runs involving the public. Anyone who would like to join the trial run should apply via the official MRT website, jakartamrt.co.id.