HISTORY & BACKGROUND
The Wire We Have Walked So Far
Zip Zap was founded in Cape Town in 1992, to inspire young people and help build a new culture of peaceful coexistence in South Africa. Working with a diverse community of children from all backgrounds, Zip Zap helps kids to ‘dare to dream’ and learn to make those dreams a reality. Zip Zap’s programs are all free to participants, with financial and material support coming from individuals, organisations, corporations and foundations. In South Africa and the world, Zip Zap is recognised across Governments, Ministries of Education, Tourism, Arts & Culture and private societies, as a major contributor to the development within the iconic ‘Mother City’ and providing sustainability of the circus arts in South Africa.
Zip Zap is dedicated to supporting and conducting training in circus arts and performance as a powerful tool for social transformation, youth empowerment, team building and community upliftment. The programs provide opportunities for young South Africans from very different backgrounds to play, learn and live together using the medium of circus training and performance to model and demonstrate the possibility of true coexistence.
The Zip Zap children have performed for presidents and world leaders. They have done more than 30 international tours and numerous international media showcases. Kids, who began as six-year-olds swinging from a trapeze tied to a tree, are now professional performing artists working in Europe and North America. Young people who grew up on the streets are now skilled and valued artists and technicians in the entertainment and film industries. Best of all, these kids have become teachers themselves. They are ambassadors and role models for others, demonstrating dramatically to young people and the wider public the possibility of a new way of treating each other.
1992 The beginning of Zip Zap
Zip Zap opens their doors to the world
1994 Zip Zap's first tour
First tour to Grahamstown, South African National Arts Festival
1995 Zip Zap's second tour
Show for president Mandela 77th birthday
SABC television reports
Second tour to Grahamstown
1996 First international tour
First international tour to Denmark for the Images of Africa festival
1997 Second international tour
Second international tour to Switzerland and France
1998
Moving to 1’200m² warehouse
Performed 150 shows all over the country
1999 Tour to USA
Third international tour to Houston, USA to represent South Africa at Sub Saharan Arts Festival
2001First professional troupe
First professional troupe leaves Zip Zap to perform in France & Belgium.
2002 International Circus Festival
Zip Zap invited to perform at the prestigious International Circus Festival in Monte-Carlo and in Italy at the Festival of the city of Latina
2003Zip Zap Abroad again
5th place at the biggest children talent TV show VEO VEO & 2nd professional troupe of 3 girls leave for Switzerland
2004Zip Zap tours Holland
12 cities, 35 shows in 4 weeks.2005Bridge Building of the Year finalist
Proudly South African – “Bridge Building of the Year” finalist
2006Zip Zap USA
Creation of Zip Zap USA registered charity - 501(c) 3
2006Sappi & Commonwealth games
Sappi “Ideas That Matter” winner
Performed at the Commonwealth Games in Melbourne
2007Festival Mondial du Cirque de Demain
Paris, France
Nikouline Russian trophy for Best comedy awarded to Joka boys bench act.
2008Zip Zap dome
Set-up of the dome in the Founders Garden, Cape Town City Centre
Roof wetting show “Once Upon A Circus”
2009Men’s Health Magazine
Brent van Rensburg, winner of the Men’s Health trophy for Public Service + Zip Zap performs for Red Bull in Austria
2010Art of Rock
Zip Zap creates “Art of Rock” with the Parlotones
Paul du Toit painted live in the dome
2011Zip Zap UK & Mayor's Medal
Creation of Zip Zap UK, registered charity
Brent van Rensburg Mayor’s Medal for Youth Affairs
2012Art of Rock 2 & France
Zip Zap produced Art of Rock 2 with Freshlyground and Paul du Toit in the dome for 5000 people
Laurence Estève Knight of the National Order of Merit from French government
Opening of the Festival Mondial du Cirque de Demain in Paris, France
2013Beyond Sports Pan-African Awards
Winner for Entrepreneurship in Education
2014Vocational Training programme relaunch
Relaunch of Zip Zap full time vocational training programme Dare to Dream
Performed in Namibia
Performed for 17 NGOs
2015Performs in Africa
Zip Zap performs in Namibia and Nigeria
Zip Zap runs 9 different programmes reaching 1’400 youth
2016White House performance
Zip Zap performs at the White House Washington DC, USA for Halloween
Performed in Spain for the AIDS Foundation
Created SIDEWAYS show
Performed with band AL BAIRRE
2017Zip Zap turns 25
Brent and Laurence receive the Paul Harris fellowship from The Rotary
Performs in Zurich for Roger Federer foundation
Performs in Reunion Island for the Leu Tempo Festival.
Produced and performed 25LIVE with The Parlotones.
Produced and performed JOURNEY with the Cape Town Philharmonic Orchestra.
Opens the Zip Zap ACADEMY in Salt River
2018African Circus Arts Festival, Ethiopia
Two new programmes launched: The Hood and ECD
Zip Zap attends the African Circus Arts Festival from 27 Feb to 4 Mar
Journey Beyond, Artscape, 13 to 19 August
Ile de Groix, France, 20 to 30 September
Demains Volunteers programme with the Wisefools in October
Menlyn, Pretoria, 34 shows, 5 to 23 December
2019RICA Festival
Zip Zap attends the 2nd annual RICA Festival in Ivory Coast
Performs at Fleur du Cap and DCAS annual awards
Rand Easter show: 25 to 28 April
Journey Beyond, Joburg Theatre, 19 to 22 September
Launch of I CAN FLY children’s book
Launch of A CIRCUS FAMILY documentary
Launch of the ZIP ZAP ACADEMY coffee table book
Performs 34 shows, Menlyn, Pretoria, 3 to 23 December
2020Match in Africa #6
52, 000 world record audience at the Cape Town Stadium
Bronze Standard Bank ovation for ONCE UPON A CIRCUS at vNAF
ImpACT award nomination for Emerging Artist
First virtual screening of The Caretaker
Second virtual screening of Art of Rock