A personal reflection on a 30th month journey around the world
In September 2017, together with my husband and artistic partner, Sergio Aguilar, I embarked on a journey around the world with the purpose of exploring the motivational aspects of puppets in education settings and the communicative power of puppetry through wordless performances in some of the most remote corners of the planet. We called it “Puppetry and circus: a trip around the world’s schools.” What began as a dream to circumnavigate the globe turned into a nearly three-year-long voyage, during which we visited twenty-one schools and interviewed fifty-five puppeteers and thirty-five teachers from fourteen countries across four continents. Eventually, the journey transitioned from an exploration of puppetry to a life-changing experience, leading us to leave behind our home in Spain and settle permanently in the Antipodes of New Zealand. Throughout our journey, I also discovered puppetry’s unparalleled ability to forge human connections by transcending language barriers and communicating in a way that only the visual language of puppetry can express.
As we immersed ourselves in different cultures, we noticed that puppetry had a distinctive way of bringing people together. In Chiang Rai, Thailand, we found ourselves performing for a group of children and adults of the Akha people–an ethnic group who live in small villages at higher elevations in the mountains of Thailand, Myanmar, Laos and Yunnan Province in China–who had never seen a puppet show before. At first, they appeared hesitant and reserved, unsure of what to make of these peculiar animated characters. However, as the show unfolded, their eyes widened with curiosity, and soon, they were engrossed in the enchanting world of the puppets. After the performance, the children and adults approached us with wide smiles, their shyness replaced by a newfound excitement. They were eager to touch the puppets, to feel the floating balls that were suspended in the air with an illusion trick, and to understand how they came to life. Despite the language barrier, we connected with the entire group through the shared wonder and fascination that puppetry had kindled in their hearts.
In contrast, we performed in the rehearsal quarters of the acclaimed show “Bali Agung” in Indonesia while over 150 performers were still removing their make-up after their performance. We were understandably quite nervous as we were about to perform our humble little puppet and circus show to a community of actors and puppeteers with hundreds of years of tradition and technique behind them. To our surprise, they all stayed in the big hall watching our performance, after what was a very long day for them, and they clapped with enthusiasm for every juggling trick and subtle movement of my marionette. At the end of the show, we communicated with them, and shared tricks and our passion for puppetry, while they shared some of their unique puppets from their stage show. We felt connected in a way that transcends any common spoken language not only because of our mutual passion for puppet theater but also because of the unique connections that happen among performers who share a love of their craft and between performers and audience members while watching a puppet show.
Whereas in rural villages of Bolivia and Peru, we encountered elders who spoke ancient dialects passed down through generations. We couldn’t even communicate in our mother tongue (Spanish), because they spoke Quechua and Aymara. At first, we were concerned that our wordless puppetry might not resonate with them, given its stark contrast to their rich oral storytelling traditions. Yet, to our surprise, they embraced the puppet performances with open arms, recognizing in them a different yet complementary form of storytelling. The puppet characters’ expressive gestures and movements became a mutually understood language that created a profound sense of unity between young and old. The elders would nod with approval, acknowledging the universality of human emotions conveyed by the puppets. In those moments, we realized that puppetry had the power to bridge not only linguistic gaps but also the gaps between generations, forging connections that reach across time itself.
In the bustling cities such as Madrid, Sydney, and Wellington, to name a few, we found ourselves performing amidst the fast-paced rhythms of modern life. Surrounded by a sea of people, each immersed in their daily routines, we wondered if puppetry could break through the barriers of anonymity that urban life often fosters. The answer came with an unexpected encounter. After a performance in a public square in Dunedin, New Zealand, a young woman approached us, her eyes moist with tears. She explained that she and her mother watched our show the day before, and that her mother, who suffered from severe Alzheimer, woke up the next day asking if she could take her again to see the puppet show from the day before. We happily greeted her mother and thanked her daughter for coming back to see our show for a second time. Puppetry had touched her mother’s heart and memory in a way that she couldn’t put into words. In that fleeting moment, we shared an intimate connection with a stranger through the silent language of puppetry.
When on the road, I always travel with a small foam puppet in my bag named Franky. He has saved us countless times with his charming personality and has even gotten me selected in a job interview. One time when we were lost in a remote rural town in South East China, Frankie was able to connect with an elderly woman, who was opening shells in the street, for assistance. She not only helped us to understand a map in Mandarin (a language neither I nor my partner speak), but also invited us for tea at her humble oyster-shell house.
In 2019, we were fortunate to further develop our project during a one-week residency with Rohingya refugee school in Malaysia that concluded with a performance. The Rohingya are the world’s largest stateless population and have, for decades, been the victims of significant human rights abuses. The trauma and terrible circumstances that the children had overcome were indescribable. We didn’t speak Bahasa Malaysian or Rohingya, the two languages spoken at the school. Nevertheless, during a week at the school, we were able to communicate with the children through our puppets, and they were motivated to learn English and express themselves in a different way. Even the shyest children dared to express themselves through a very simple lip- sync puppet, saying a few words in English and they continued using their puppets during break times having conversations among themselves. After our final performance, which happened on our last day at the center, one of the teachers pointed out that the class was filled with laughter and joy.
We could also feel the beautiful energy that was created through the puppets ability to bring joy and clarity to one of the darkest places and experiences.
As a teacher, I often reflect on the importance of relationships between teachers and students. That sense of belonging, and the willingness to attend class and be curious about learning is rare without building a relationship first. I use puppets for teaching as a motivational tool and a channel for communication by making use of their ability to foster human connection. Throughout my career as an educator, I have witnessed the healing power of puppetry too. In Australia, in a class with children with special needs, there was a child with autism who had not spoken in five years.
When he placed his hand inside the puppet, he was able to express himself in ways not seen by his teacher before this moment. The teacher, moved to tears, later shared with me how I had inspired her to use this medium to connect with those children who needed a different pathway to communication.
In a 2018 interview conducted with the puppeteer Gonzalo Guevara from Buenos Aires, Argentina, we learnt about the importance of puppet theater as a celebration of democracy. A group of neighbors and professional puppet theater performers gathered together, after thirty-five long years of dictatorship, to create an intergenerational community of students and performers to enhance the art of puppet theater. Today, El Galpón de Catalinas has over 500 practitioners. The show that we watched that night had three generations on stage that connected with each other and with the audience through the puppets’ performance.
While visiting Piripiri Museum in La Paz, Bolivia, we met with the puppeteer Sergio Ríos Hennings, who founded the performance company Uma Jalsu in collaboration with Isabel del Granado and is an active member of the Bolivian Cultural Movement. He explained that the museum hosted visiting puppet artists and their own puppet productions once a week. The museum’s puppet theater was also used as a storytelling space and the Aymara and Quechua peoples would also gather in this space to celebrate their indigenous roots and similarities while watching puppet theater.
These encounters, among many others, affirmed for us that puppetry possesses a unique power to transcend the boundaries that separate us as human beings. It reaches beyond the spoken word and delves into the realm of raw emotions and shared experiences. Whether in the depths of the Andes or the heart of a bustling city, puppetry weaves a tapestry of human connection that unites us all.
As we settled in the Antipodes of New Zealand, we carried with us a treasure trove of memories and lessons from our puppetry odyssey. The journey had transformed us, not only as artists but as human beings. We realized that puppetry was not just an art form; it was a language of compassion, empathy and understanding. It showed us that the most profound connections can be forged without a single spoken word, that the essence of human communication lies not in vocabulary but in the expression of the soul. The stage might have been our platform but the real magic was the invisible thread that connected us all as one global community.
Looking back, I am filled with gratitude for the opportunity to have explored the world through the eyes of puppetry. It taught me that no matter our background or language, we are all part of a shared human tapestry, intricately woven together. Puppetry served as a reminder that, despite our differences, we are bound by the threads of emotions that make us human. In celebration of the profound human connections we forged, I continue to breathe life into my puppets, knowing that their silent language bridges the gaps that words alone never fill.
As I continue my journey, I carry the stories and experiences of those we encountered, and am inspired to use this powerful art form to foster empathy, connection and understanding in an ever- diverse and interconnected world. Puppetry is my vehicle for celebrating the beauty of human connection, and I am determined to share its profound message with the world, one puppet show at a time.
First published in UNIMA-USA and Puppetry International magazine
