Latest News

2009

* NICA on Coxy's Big Break
NICA will feature on Coxy's Big Break on Channel 7. Guest presenter Rick Olarenshaw sampled a variety of circus apparatus that culminated in walking on the tightwire as the grand finale. Episode 38 - A Bit Unique
Sunday 15 November, 5.30pm

* Social Circus Instructor Training
For the 7th consecutive year, NICA hosted The Social Circus Instructor Training workshop in Melbourne. The week-long intensive is made possible through NICA's partnership with Cirque du Monde, the social circus arm of Cirque du Soleil. This year, the 22 participants came from a broad range of organisations across Australia, NZ, Vanuatu and Singapore.
Visit our Facebook group page to see some photos.

* Circus Students travel to France
NICA students and their trainers will be travelling to France to attend an educational forum on circus at a gathering of the world’s leading circus schools. The event is part of an ongoing series of exchanges but it is the first time the National Institute of Circus Arts (NICA) has participated in the performance component.

* NICA Sucess at Moscow Festival
National Institute of Circus Arts students (NICA) students Julian Aldag and Billie Wilson-Coffey, were awarded Bronze in the 4th World Festival of Circus Arts in Moscow for their act Memento on Sunday 20 September. They were the first Australians to be invited to perform in the prestigious festival, which is one of the biggest international circus competitions.

Listen to the interview with NICA trainer Ludwig Schukin, who travelled to the festival.
www.radio.sbs.com.au/
 

*NICA on SBS Radio
Liudmila Druzhina was interviewed by radio presenter Sima Tsyskin about NICA's participation in the 4th World Festival of Circus Art in Moscow that opens tomorrow, 15 September. The interview was broadcast nationally on 12 September and you can listen to it as an MP3 (in Russian) from the SBS website.
There is also a photo of Julian and Billie on the site.

http://radio.sbs.com.au/

*International Guests Visit NICA
In August two international circus companies visited NICA to present guest lectures. Cast members from Russian company Slava's Snow Show and Canadian Les 7 doigts de la main (The 7 Fingers) spoke to students and staff about their experiences as professional performers and shared tales about life on the road.

*NICA on Fox Sport
Earlier this month AFL football celebrities, Jason Dunstall and Danny Frawley, came to NICA to try to out-do each other on a number of circus apparatus as part of a "sports challenge".

With the help of NICA's trainers they walked on the tightwire, swung from the trapeze and leapt from the teeterboard.

The short segment went to air on Friday 28 August on Before The Bounce at 6.30pm on Fox Sports 1.

* HSBC Career Adventure at NICA
Earlier this year NICA was invited to participate in the ‘HSBC Sponsorship Adventures 2009 Program’, which sends employees to diverse and not-for-profit environments. Rosanna Fagan, a financial accountant with HSBC, spent a week at NICA as part of a prize from her workplace.
Read more about Rosanna's experience in the current issue of NICA News.

* Ariel's Dream and cast on 'Insiders'
Snippets of Ariel's Dream featured in the "Your Shout" segment of ABC TV program Insiders broadcast on Sunday morning (28/6/09).

After the performance, presenter Phil Kafcaloudes asked some of the students to comment on the "ute-gate" scandal that has dominated the media for the past few weeks. Tom Davis, Ty Fitzsimons, Todd Kilby and Oliver Versteegen all did a great job under a different kind of spotlight. www.abc.net.au/iview/#/program/391188
 

* Some Audience Comments About Ariel's Dream
Absolutely loved the show. Exceptionally good value - too cheap
Loved the lighting and high production values.
Great to see so many performers on stage -great energy
Fabulous
Awesome
Enjoyed the show very much. Will be back with my workmates

* NICA on Channel 10's 9AM show
On Thursday 18/6 NICA students, Brittannie Portelli, Isla Tregerthan and Stephanie Wills performed their mesmerising and beautiful aerial act for the TV camera on the 9AM show hosted by Kim and David. Ann-Maree Biggar and crew came to NICA for the 5 minute live cross from the NICA National Circus Centre.

* NICA on ABC TV
NICA was featured in a story on the ABC TV program Can We Help? (ABC One) on Friday 12/6. The show was filmed last year and features former NICA trainer Matt Wilson. www.abc.net.au/tv/canwehelp/

* Welcome to Study Abroad Students
NICA welcomes nine students from universities across America who are studying the "Taste of Circus" four week program. Their backgrounds are in dance, theatre, cheeleading, gymnastics and aerial. For more information about the program, visit the Swinburne International website; www.international.swinburne.edu.au/study-abroad/short-programs/circus/index.html

* Visiting Artist from Finland
NICA welcomes Aleksi Laurila from Turku University in Finland who is studying at NICA for four weeks. He specialises in juggling and will be learning aerial straps during his time here.

* Melbourne Storm players train at NICA
Four Melbourne Storm Rugby League players have been coming to NICA as part of their training and rehabilitation from injury. Footage of the training in the NICA National Circus Centre screened on the sports segment of the Channel 9 TV news. Visit the Melbourne Storm website and watch NICA Director & CEO, Pamela Creed, be interviewed about NICA for Melbourne Storm TV in a clip titled Storm joins the Circus.

http://bigpondvideo.com/NRL_Storm?128488www
www.melbournestorm.com.au/ (click on Fan Zone, Storm TV. Search for May 2009)

* NICA National Circus Centre in Australia's leading innovative architecture magazine
NICA NCC, created by Cox Architects and Planners, is profiled in a six page article with full page images of the building in the April/May issue of Monument. Article by Paul and Jane Dash. Photography by Peter Hyatt and Dianna Snape.

* HSBC Australian Circus Residency at NICA launch
NICA is pleased to welcome notable Russian aerialist Svetlana Yarosh to Melbourne for a four month residency as part of the HSBC Cultural Exchange programme, an international initiative aimed at increasing cross-cultural understanding. The launch was held on 10 March at the NICA National Circus Centre. NICA students performed an aerial routine that was developed in conjunction with Ms Yarosh. Representatives from HSBC Bank as well as VIP guests and media reporters attended and commented on how impressed they were by the event.
More information about the HSBC Cultural Exchange programme can be found at: http://www.hsbc.com/culturalexchange
 

* NICA graduate Emma Henshall wins gold in Paris
Emma Henshall, a 2006 National Institute of Circus Arts (NICA) graduate, competed at the 30th Festival
Mondial du Cirque de Demain (Worldwide Festival of the Circus of Tomorrow) in February, winning the Gold Medal for her solo trapeze act. She also took out The President’s Award, the Franco Dragone Entertainment
Group Award and The Moulin Rouge Award. It is the first time an Australian participant has won the
revered Gold Medal at the prestigious festival.

2008
* NICA students taking part in international workshops
Two second year students, Jessica Ward and Caroline Walsh, took part in the prestigous Teeterboard module (workshop) in Chalons-en-Champagne in February as part of NICA's continuing partnership with the European Federation of Professional Circus Schools (FEDEC). The workshops are an exciting opportunity for students to network with other circus artists and increase their skills.

* The Australian Circus and Physical Theatre Association Conference
NICA is pleased to be associated with this years ACAPTA conference, being held March 1 - 4 in Adelaide, coinciding with the Adelaide festival and Fringe. NICA CEO Pam Creed will be taking part in the conference as part of the panel discussing Train The Trainer, land the opportunities for circus artists once they have graduated. 

2007
* NICA National Circus Centre Official Opening
On Wednesday the fourth of April, Federal Treasurer The Hon. Peter Costello MP officially opened the new NICA National Circus Centre. The $10 million centre was built with funding of $8.3 million from the Commonwealth Government through the Department of Communications, Information Technology and the Arts, $1.2 million from Swinburne University and $300,000 from the Pratt Foundation.
 
The glittering occasion involved more than 60 NICA students and graduate artists as well as NICA trainers and staff. Four hundred guests attended the reception. Click here to view the media release.

* The Constructivist Trio win Bronze in China!
NICA students James Kingsford-Smith, Mace Innes and Mathew Loudon have won Bronze for Australia at the International Acrobatic Art Festival of Wuhan, China. The dramatic straps act enthralled a world-wide audience and created immediate attention since this is only the second time Australia has been invited to compete in Wuhan, the last time being 19 years ago. The 7th International Acrobatics Festival of Wuhan featured 24 teams from 10 countries including Australia, Germany, Sweden, America.