On Sunday, Feb 12, 2012, the Athentikos Guatemala team and primary characters from Becoming Fools went to a show performed by Pancho Toralla in Teatro de Cámara of National Theater of Guatemala. During the show, Pancho Toralla, professionally known as Panchorizo, showcased a variety of talents including juggling, miming, singing, playing several instruments and dancing among other acrobatic stunts to entertain the crowd. Panchorizo also incorporated lots of jokes and several very Guatemalan elements throughout the show to add to the theatrical performance… everything kept us laughing throughout the whole show!!
Several members from our team scouted Panchorizo’s show 2 weeks ago to develop a plan for documenting the event and the street kids’ experience. Athentikos captured the event with 3 cameras. One camera focused on Panchorizo and the other cameras picked up different angles of the show and captured the kids’ responses as they watched. We plan to use this footage in the final cut Becoming Fools to show the process the boys from the street have gone through in their training to become clowns.
Mefi, Byron, Willy and Raul attended the show our team. They had front row seats to enjoy the show. Afterwards, they met Panchorizo personally and talked with him about the show and his experiences with clown performance. The kids enjoyed spending time with Panchorizo and sharing their hopes and dreams for performing.
Raul is a former street youth who is rehabilitated. He currently works during the day remodeling houses and attends CAFNIMA at night in order to get his high school degree. He receives additional assistance from At Risk No More. God has changed Raul’s life. He is proof that with holistic support, these children can get to a place where drugs are no longer a temptation and that they can reintegrate into society.
Mefi is currently working for the local Guatemalan government as a gardener for highway beautification. He finished sixth grade last year and graduated with honors. As result, he received a scholarship from MOJOCA to study high school in a private institute. He really enjoys clowning, singing and walking on stilts.
Byron and Willy are still living on the streets of Guatemala City, but have big dreams of performing. Byron really enjoys making people laugh and smile as well as sharing a message through his performance. Willy loves magic and is affectionately known as Willy El Mago. He shared with Panchorizo that he would love to develop his skills and travel.
We want to thank to our AWESOME Athentikos team that is helping make all this possible! Thank you for ‘Becoming Fools’ with us!