Three years ago they were just fourteen spritely and peculiarly bendy young people. In December they will emerge as the next generation of NICA’s Bachelor of Circus Arts graduates and tomorrow’s most exciting circus stars.

CIRCUS SHOWCASE 2009 will transform the NICA National Circus Centre into a decadent carnivalesque world that invites the audience to get up close and personal with the performers.

Experience entertaining, high-energy circus that features acrobatics and hand balancing, dance, duo and swinging trapeze, ladder juggling, contortion and the most dazzling hula acts in town. Features solo acts by Julian Aldag and Billie Wilson-Coffey whose duo rope and tissu performance earned them Bronze at the 4th World Festival of Circus Arts in Moscow.  As The Circus Firemen, Joshua Philips and Idris Stanton take fire juggling to its comical extreme atop dangerous balancing ladders. Caz Walsh and Hannah Cryle horse around as two young fillies, striving to out-manoeuvre the competition with their comical and slightly absurd duo trapeze act.

NICA is Australia’s only centre of excellence for training in contemporary circus arts and physical theatre and has established itself across Australia and internationally as a leader in professional circus training. Since the course began in 2001 graduates have gone on to work for Circus Oz, Cirque du Soleil, Tokyo Disney, Cavalia, Circa, Spiegeltent, La Clique and Silvers Circus, as well as forming new innovative circus companies.

NICA Director & CEO Pamela Creed says “CIRCUS SHOWCASE 2009 is a great opportunity to witness the talents of this year's graduating students performing acts they have devised themselves. Their fresh interpretation of “circus” combines outstanding technique and creativity in a visually stunning performance that is captivating and mesmerising.”

The future of circus begins here. Come and be dazzled!”

Directed by Megan Jones.