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Recreational Term Classes

Join our circus community

NICA Rec term classes range from general circus to specific circus skills for kids 5+ years, teens and adults of all ages. There is something engaging and challenging for all body types, skill and fitness levels to enjoy.

Our entry level programs are perfect for students brand new to circus. Throughout the term NICA’s trainers build up student skills with the aim to progress to the next stage in our students’ circus learning journeys. 

For those who have already mastered circus foundational skills, or are ready for their next challenge, we have a wide variety of circus specialties including trampolining, tissu, tumbling, static trapeze, straps and more in our intermediate to advanced term classes. Check out our level guide along with our prerequisites below to learn more about entry requirements into these classes.

Join us to improve fitness, coordination, strength and flexibility on a fun, exhilarating journey toward feeling more confident. Want to enrol in multiple term classes or interested to enrol more than one student per term; a discount of 10% will be automatically applied to additional enrolments if you do. Cool, right? 

Please note, class sizes are small and can fill quickly as we run to a 1:8 trainer/student ratio.

Circus may seem unattainable for the everyday person, but really, it isn’t. All it takes is a little bit of stretching and low impact exercises for you to be well on your way to achieving your fitness goals. And what could be more fun than circus!

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Casual Class Passes!

For those who are unable to commit to a full term, we are pleased to offer our popular casual class passes. 

Please note that this term will look a little different for our Kids and Teen programs, as students will be working towards their end-of-year performance. To support this process, Casual Class Passes will be available for Adult classes only. This allows students and coaches to focus on developing their performance pieces and ensures new participants do not feel out of their depth when joining classes mid-term.

Casual attendance is subject to class availability and is charged at a higher per-class rate than full-term enrolments. Passes are available in 1-session and 3-session options and can be used to book eligible classes up to two weeks in advance. You can select a pass based on the class length or program that best suits your needs.

Once your pass has been purchased, available classes can be booked online in your NICA student profile.

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Term 1

Tuesday 27 January - Thursday 2 April

Term 2

Monday 20 April - Wednesday 24 June

Term 3

Monday 13 July - Saturday 19 September

Term 4

Monday 5 October - Thursday 3 December


Learn how to join and prepare for a NICA Recreation circus class by exploring our Visual Story, designed to guide you through what to expect when attending a class in our term programs.


In the visual story:

  • I can learn about NICA.
  • Plan my journey.
  • See how to enrol into a class.
  • Prepare for my class.
  • Learn more about how my class runs.
  • Learn more about circus skills taught at NICA.



If I have specific access needs or questions, I can talk to NICA Recreation on 1300 006422 or email recreation@nica.com.au to help begin my circus learning journey at NICA.

NICA's Visual Story has been prepared in partnership with Aspect Autism Friendly and aims to improve accessibility to join recreational circus classes.

We are eager to know what helped or how we can improve your circus experience. I can fill out an online form, contact NICA on 1300 006422 or email info@nica.com.au to provide feedback. The NICA Rec team welcomes all feedback about the visual story.


see visual story PDF view Circus Glossary
NICA - National Institute of Circus Arts

Testimonials

Still not convinced? This is what some of our students had to say about NICA Rec's Term programs:

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“Interesting & engaging classes - always different every week and adapted to changing skill level throughout. A great sense of community and positive, warm, encouraging attitude from trainers. A delight!”

StudentMonday's Tumbling Class

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“All the instructors were very inclusive, supportive and knowledgeable and encouraged me to explore the limits of my ability”

StudentSaturday’s Aerial Preparation and Thursday’s Core Strength & Handbalancing Classes

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“Throughout this program, I have grown both my fitness and my confidence levels. I now can do physical skills I never thought I would have been able to do only months ago. I know I can do anything now!”

StudentThursday’s Acrobatic Pole Class

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“I have felt extremely comfortable in the classes. I love the circus; I have attended many circus classes in my country, but the level of care for the students and the quality of the equipment is clearly superior at NICA. Thank you so much for a rewarding experience.”

StudentSaturday’s Aerial Preparation Class

Term Dates

Our term dates follow the Victorian school calendar and classes run Monday to Thursday evenings and Saturdays. 

Enrolments are by full term only and class sizes can be small with one trainer for every eight participants.

Head to our NICA Customer Portal for bookings before the start of each term, so you don’t miss out on the fun!

Pricing

Our class prices vary depending on the term length, check out our timetable below for the most up to date prices.

Discounts for term classes will apply automatically in the NICA Customer Portal when booking multiple classes and/or multiple students.

Rolling Enrollments

From term 1 through to term 4 we will automatically re-enrol current students into the same class for the upcoming term. This allows those who would like to stay in their class a chance to secure their enrolment before places are opened to the public. Enrolments end after term 4 to allow for a fresh start in the new year.

Please refer to our Re-enrolment Process Explained article for more information. 

Level Guide

Level 1 No experience is necessary to join.
 
Level 2 Demonstrates a knowledge of foundation skills and developing terminology.
 
Level 3 Experienced in a range of foundational skills and shows good form.
 
Level 4 Experienced in a wide range of skills and can demonstrate strong form.
 
All Levels Any level is welcome to join.

Prerequisites

Following on from our level guide we have a list of prerequisites across our program for kids, teens and adults to help identify if the class you’re looking at is suitable. 

Please find them here:

Children’s Classes

Teen Classes

Adult Classes

Big Little Circus Show

One of our highlights of the year is the NICA Rec Big Little Circus Show for kids & teens. The finale showcases the emerging circus and performance skills of NICA’s children and teen recreational circus class participants and is typically held in the final week of Term 4. The theme, show details and other relevant information will be communicated from Term 3 and an additional performance fee will be charged in Term 4 for all participating classes.

Looking for more information?

Head to our FAQ’s below or contact our NICA Rec team on 1300 006 422 or recreation@nica.com.au.

FAQs

Frequently Asked Questions

Check out our FAQs here. 

Still can’t find what you’re looking for? Contact us and we’ll get back to you as soon as possible.

Our term classes follow school terms and are held after school/business hours on Monday to Thursdays and Saturdays. Our school holiday programs for kids and teens aged 5 to 17 years old are available Monday to Friday for two weeks over the school holidays. Come & Try Circus classes are held the first week of each term.

Learn the basics or specialise in any number of aerial and ground-based skills, it’s up to you! All classes will start with a warm-up and stretch, followed by circus skills and a cool down.

Definitely! Come & Try Circus classes for beginners are held the first week of each term and can be joined for the cost of one class. Casual classes are also possible provided there is space available. You can purchase a casual class pass here. Please note casual class passes have a higher per class tuition fee compared to full-term enrolments.

We offer term classes for beginners through to advanced participants of all ages, body types and fitness levels!

Don’t worry! You can still enrol, and the NICA Customer Portal will adjust your fee to account for the remaining weeks left in the term.

Unfortunately, make-up classes are not always possible. It is the student's responsibility to ensure they’re available for all enrolled classes. We understand that things come up that prevent you from attending so we will try out best to accommodate in another suitable classes within the same term! 

If you know you will be absent from a class in advance, please record this in the NICA Customer Portal and we’ll generate make up tokens for you.

Can’t get enough circus? Wanting to advance your skills or work on a stand-out routine? We have the perfect thing for you. Private tuition! Click here for more information.

Please wear clothing that is comfortable and easy to move in! We suggest tracksuit pants, short or leggings with a close-fitting T-Shirt or singlet and a jumper or jacket for between activities. Long hair must be tied back, and we ask for all jewellery to be removed. Bring a water bottle – no glass please! 

For specific class requirements reach out to the NICA Rec team.

For safety reasons, friends and family are not permitted in the training space once a class has commenced.

Children under 12 years must be accompanied by an adult prior to classes starting and not left alone in the building at any time.

Don’t worry, we’re experts at this now! All classes cancelled due to lockdowns will be refunded or credited for the value of the affected sessions.

NICA is located at 39-59 Green Street (Corner Green & Thomas Street Prahran VIC 3181)­. Please note that both streets are one-way.

You can enter NICA via the main glass foyer off the forecourt on Green Street, about half-way down the building.

The roads around NICA have limited 1, 2 and 3 hour free street parking. The nearest metered car park is opposite the Windsor station on Chapel Street. The Prahran Square carpark is open 24 hours 30-40 Izett Street, Prahran.

Yes! From Flinders Street Station take the Sandringham Line train to Windsor or Prahran Station. Tram Routes 78, 6 or 72 all have stops close to NICA. Tram Routes 5 and 64 run along Dandenong Road – A short walk from NICA. Visit www.ptv.vic.gov.au for timetable information.

All class bookings can be made through our NICA Customer Portal, a secure and online portal that you can access conveniently from any web device. Through our portal you can view all classes, your account information, enrol in classes, and view and make payment.

Casual classes are possible provided there is space available. You can purchase a casual class pass here. Please note casual class passes have a higher per class tuition fee compared to full-term enrolments.

Our re-enrolment process through the calendar year, is to provide a convenient and seamless booking experience for you. Around 2 weeks before the end of each term we will automatically re-enrol students into the same class for the upcoming term unless you have submitted a class drop request to discontinue your enrolment. This allows those who would like to stay in their class a chance to secure their enrolment before places are opened to the public. All enrolments will be dropped at the end of term 4 allowing for a fresh start for the coming year. Please refer to our Re-enrolment Process Explained article for more information.

Our re-enrolment process through the calendar year, is to provide a convenient and seamless booking experience for you. Around 2 weeks before the end of each term we will automatically re-enrol you into the same class for the new term unless you have submitted a class drop request to discontinue your enrolment or are currently enrolled in an excluded class, such as our mini-term classes. All enrolments will be dropped at the end of term 4 allowing for a fresh start for the coming year.

We offer discounts for families enrolling more than one student per term or students enrolling into multiple term classes. A discount of up to 10% will be automatically applied to the second and subsequent booking/s at checkout in the NICA Customer Portal.

We also provide a 5% discount for Come & Try Circus participants to apply to their new term enrolments.

Don't know where to start?

If you've never tried a circus class before and would like a 'taste tester' before committing to term classes, Come & Try Circus classes run on the first week of each term and can be joined at the cost of just one class.

Come & Try Circus