OUR TEAM

Jo Smith is an Arts Manager with 20+ years of experience and has worked for CircusWA since 2017. Throughout the 90’s and early 2000’s she studied and worked in sociology and linguistics while developing a practice as a performance installation artist. As an arts leader she has produced and directed festivals, always maintaining a focus on community arts. In Australia she has worked in WA and the NT, and overseas in China and the UAE.

Jo joined the CircusWA board in 2017 before taking on the role of Artistic Director in the same year.

Sarah is Fremantle local, joining CircusWA with extensive experience in entrepreneurship, community workshops and event management. She is the first point of contact for the circus working across Admin, classes and workshop planning.

Charlotte’s operations and people management experience has been developed through working in Melbourne’s visual and performing arts industries and not-for-profit arts space.

Before moving to the west, she spent six years with a global theatre consultancy, leading the operation of its international studios.  

Jess arrived at circus as a student of CircusWA and was a member of our first every Youth Troupe. Her professional circus career has seen her tour with YUCK Circus and Just Gal Pals, and as a lead Trainer at CircusWA for many years. Her role in as Training Program Manager combines her work as a high school teacher and in-depth circus experience to oversee our training programs and team.

Mel brings over a decade of experience in the not-for-profit sector to CircusWA, with a strong background in marketing, communications, event management, and advocacy. She is passionate about using storytelling and strategic marketing to foster connection, amplify awareness, and drive meaningful impact.

Amy Marie Hastie has been a performing artist and teacher for over 25yrs, continually pushing her own limits in pursuit of connecting boldly with diverse audiences, workshop participants and collaborators.

Contemporary dance, jujitsu, improvisational and physical theatre, fire dancing, circus skills ( acrodance and aerials), acro yoga, flamenco, African dance and swing dancing are just some of the skills she has taught and performed throughout her colorful career.

Arlo has been part of the CircusWA family for over 15 years since joining classes at the age of 5. Arlo is a multi-faceted circus artist, specialising in partner acrobatics but also enjoys tumbling, handstands and juggling.

Arlo has taken his circus disciplines to the stage with ease, a highlight being performing in Perth festival with Circa doing Leviathan in 2020. He has also made appearances in Perth FringeWorld festival performing in 80s Mixtape (2023) and The Raft (2024).

Ben started his journey with CircusWA a decade ago in the Aerial Conditioning class and since then has dabbled in many circus disciplines including duo trapeze, silks, static trapeze, partner acrobatics, juggling, rollerskating acro and, of course, beards.

Brenna is an aerialist and acrobat specialising in aerial hoop and standing on her friends. She enjoys any sort of dynamic movement, whether it be spinning really fast, or being thrown through the air. Brenna first started circus in Fremantle at Circus WA before finally completing the “running away” part of joining the circus in 2015 when she moved to the UK to study at Circomedia. While at Circomedia Brenna’s studies focused on aerials and acrobatics and also included physical theatre, movement, dance and choreography. Since then Brenna has been based between Australia and the UK, performing, teaching and taking any opportunity to learn something new. Despite 3 months of compulsory classes she is still a terrible juggler.

Now based back in her home town of Fremantle, Brenna is back where it all started at Circus WA, either doing her favourite thing of training and creating with her friends, or passing on her love of circus to the next generation.

Brooke is a dancer-come-circus artist, and a 2018 graduate NICA.

Specialising in contortion, object balancing, and acrobatics, she has vast experience teaching and performing dance in her hometown of Innisfail, QLD.

When she isn’t being thrown person to person, Brooke teaches the next generation of acrobats as a head trainer at Little Devils Circus in Melbourne.

Cat Ranieri, AKA ‘The Cat’s Meow’, is a Perth-based circus artist specialising in Static Trapeze and Chair balancing. Other performing abilities include acrobalance, stilt walking, juggling and acrobatics.

After many years of training in Gymnastics, Sports Acrobatics, Sport Aerobics and Cheerleading, Cat strayed into circus performance at the age of 17, beginning with a South-East Asian tour through Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand and Cambodia with Australian circus company Lunar Circus. Since this tour (2003/4) Cat has worked closely with a variety of performance companies to present both large and small scale shows around Perth including corporate and community performances.

As well as being an experienced performer, Cat is one of Perth’s premier circus trainers, specialising in Aerials and Acrobatics. Cat holds gymnastics coaching qualifications across 6 disciplines and has trained and taught circus all over the world including Canada, England and Italy.

Chloe began her circus training with Reg Bolton, and later trained in aerials and partner acrobatics at CircusWA.  Specialising in Chinese Pole and Flying Trapeze, Chloe graduated N.I.C.A. with a BA of Circus Arts. 

Chloe has performed nationally and internationally, corporately and with companies such as Circus Joseph Ashton, Lennon Bros. Circus, POP Circus (Japan), and at ‘Hoopla!’ Festival in Sydney.

Ella is an award winning acrobatic and physical theatre performer with a penchant for the ridiculous. A Perth local, she found her creative home at CircusWA as a child and has worked for the last 8 years in the circus arts. Performing has taken her regionally, interstate and internationally, creating independently and with companies including WAs own YUCK Circus.

Ellas passion lies in creating work where character is central and essential, and enjoys encouraging others to step outside of their comfort zone and commit to the bit.

Eve has been teaching at CircusWA since 2004. She specialises in hula hoop and tight wire but has performed just about every circus discipline you can think of. Eve has a passion for teaching and loves watching people develop their skills and creativity.

As a performer, Eve has traveled all over the world in traditional big top style circuses and has worked as an actor for Opera Australia, and Screentime TV.  Her career highlights have included performing aerial acts suspended from balloons 100 feet over Tucson Arizona and walking across the Claddagh Basin on a highwire in Galway, Ireland.

Halle began her journey at CircusWA in 2015 as an enthusiastic 12-year-old, instantly falling in love with the creativity and community that circus offers. After a brief time away from the big top, training independently, Halle is thrilled to return to her roots at CircusWA as a trainer. She is passionate about sharing not just her experience, but the confidence, joy and sense of belonging that circus has given her.

Jeromy Nuuk is an award winning Swiss-Australian contemporary circus artist and co-founder of CircusWA resident company Hands some Feet. He began his circus journey at CircusWA at the age of 11 before graduating from École Supérieure des Arts du Cirque (ESAC) in Brussels, where he specialised in juggling, physical theatre and movement.

Since graduating, Jeromy has performed and toured extensively across Europe with Hands some Feet, as well as acclaimed Belgian contemporary circus companies 15Feet6 and Les Argonautes. Drawing on more than two decades of circus training and over a decade of international touring, Jeromy enjoys sharing the skills, creativity and joy of contemporary circus with students of all ages.

Liisa Nuuk is a Finnish circus artist from Tampere. She started circus at the age of 4 at Sorin Sikrus. At the age of 19, she moved to Brussels, Belgium to complete a three-year intensive bachelor’s degree in circus arts at ESAC. Since graduating in 2016, she has performed with various circus groups such as Cirque Eloize, Cirque Rouages, Cirque Galapiat and Cie des Chaussons Rouges, as well as in various productions and events such as Paris Fashion Week and Dance Theatre Hurjaruuth Winter Circus. In addition to Hands some Feet, Liisa is a founding member of the Finnish contemporary circus collective Sirkum Polaris.

Linnéa Pericles is a passionate circus artist who has been training since the age of six. She is a well-rounded performer with a special love for aerials. Linnéa brings a bright enthusiasm to working with others, whether creating performances or teaching. She is particularly interested in exploring how different people learn, and adapts her approach to support a wide range of students. She has performed at local events, workshops, and Fringe World Festival, and is excited to continue expanding her practice within the circus community.

Lucia is a dedicated circus artist with four years of teaching experience and a love for helping students grow in confidence and skill. A recent graduate of the Fruit Fly Circus, where they trained for three years, Lucia brings strong technical foundations and a fun, safe approach to coaching.

Specialising in aerial hoop and contortion, they enjoy working with people of all levels and creating a supportive, engaging environment where students can thrive.

Nel specialises in aerial circus, stilts, large scale puppetry and street theatre. She has performed across Australia and internationally in Europe and Asia, both as a solo artist and a company performer. Nel has also facilitated circus and puppetry workshops locally, nationally and internationally often leading to performance outcomes.

She has taught aerial circus at the Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts (WAAPA) for the past 15 years and has directed/choreographed community circus performances for organisations including SWERVE Arts, CircusWA, Theatre Kimberley, Australian Theatre for Young People, Southern Edge Arts, Circus Oz, Deckchair Theatre, DADAA and Steps Youth Dance Theatre.

Rachel began aerial training at CircusWA 10 years ago and has trained with several nationally recognised aerialist trainers. Rachel has a degree in Exercise Physiology and uses her knowledge to support beginner students to develop basic skills safely, ensuring a solid base for progression. In 2018 Rachel completed her teacher training with Jill Franklin from Aerial Physique.

Robyn is a circus artist with a mixed bag of tricks to draw from. Like if your weird barbie grew up, put the high heels back on and ran away with the circus. From a young age they were drawn to the stage, acrobatics and performing, and held a deep love for being upside-down.

After graduating circus school in 2011 as an aerialist, they explored other creative mediums including dressmaking and textile art before returning to circus in 2019 to continue to collect and polish their skills as a hand-balancer, hooper, juggler and character actress.

Sarah began her circus training with Skadada aerial dance company and has been practicing and performing Circus Arts for over a decade. She completed a BA in Creative Writing and Performance studies at Curtin University while working as an aerialist and contortionist in Perth.

Travel took Sarah to Canada where she developed her skills in object manipulation and fire dance, co-writing and performing shows for Fringe Festivals and touring. There she found a love of clowning and trained in the Pochinko clowning technique at the Manitoulin Conservatory for Creation and Performance. Since then she has toured the Netherlands in ‘De Parade’ theatre festival performing shows for children.

Sarah loves working with youth and imparting the joy and adventure of circus to others.

For nearly a decade, Sharon has sculpted aerial artistry, weaving Italian heritage and holistic movement into a unique nurturing training experience.

Born and raised on Yinggarda Country in Carnarvon, Shezari Lourenco (AKA Shezam) is a multi-talented circus artist, songwriter, and emerging producer with over a decade of performance experience. She began her circus journey at the age of seven and has since developed a deep love for all things round—specialising in Lyra and hula hoops.

With deep roots in regional WA and a vibrant artistic future ahead, Shezari is dedicated to creating inclusive, culturally rich work that inspires connection, pride, and joy. With her end goal of one day being to re open a circus school in the Gascoyne.

As a passionate social circus teacher, Shezari has been delivering workshops and community-based programs for over two years, with a focus on youth empowerment, movement, and creative expression. She has been mentored by acclaimed artists Theaker von Ziarno and Daniel Power, and continues to develop her creative leadership as an emerging producer with Creality Arts.

Simon Wood is an international circus artist specialising in rope (corde lisse) and aerial silks and has worked extensively throughout the United Kingdom, Australia, Republic of Ireland, Portugal, and Italy.

He has performed at Glastonbury Festival and been a guest aerialist on Britain’s Got Talent: The Champions, as well as frequently working with London-based contemporary circus company Upswing. He was a guest teacher at one of Portugal’s leading professional circus institutions, Salto Circus, and taught regular classes and workshops at various London circus schools.

Sophie has been performing, teaching and creating circus since 1999. As co-owner of the internationally award-winning Dream State Circus and Dream State Entertainment, she has performed in more than 3,000 shows worldwide and has lived, worked and taught in over 38 countries, sharing circus with communities, schools, festivals, and professional performers. Alongside her husband, Jacob, she co-founded Dream BIG! Circus School in Koah, Queensland, where they nurtured students for 11 years.

With long-standing ties to CircusWA and the Western Australian circus & arts community, Sophie is passionate about making circus accessible, inspiring and fun. She believes circus builds confidence, creativity, and resilience while strengthening the body, challenging the mind, feeding the soul, and bringing people together through shared achievement.

Richard is General Manager of Dirty Clean Food, the world’s leading sales platform for planet positive, regeneratively farmed WA produce. Prior to this he was People and Culture Manager for Wide Open Agriculture. Focused on strategic, human-centered leadership, Richard enjoyed an extensive career in the creative sector in Australia and internationally, beginning as a dancer with the Royal New Zealand Ballet. Richard was General Manager of Tasdance (TAS) and Executive Director of Co3 Contemporary Dance (WA), and has held multiple roles in the community and education sector at WA Ballet, Co3, and Dancenorth (QLD).

Joined the CircusWA board: October 2022

Jake is a physical and visual artist with experience in a range of disciplines and fields. Known for his unique acrobatic style of movement, that combines elements of dance, theatre and circus. Jake has toured with the internationally successful CIRCA, Casus Circus, Dislocate, Company 2, Circus OZ and Lingua Franca. Jake founded Poncho Circus in 2012, an independent circus company that toured circus shows throughout Canberra and the surrounding areas until 2017.

Jake is passionate about physical movement, acrobatics and circus in theatre, to tell stories and create settings that inspire audiences. With the aim to push acrobatics within his own training to utilise these skills in a variety of settings. Jake’s circus specialties include floor tumbling/acrobatic movement, group acrobatics and cyr wheel, but really, he calls himself a generalist and loves to do a little bit of everything.

Joined the CircusWA board: October 2023

Vanessa is a Senior Manager in the RSM Perth Assurance and Advisory team. Vanessa has previously worked with RSM Singapore, where she worked on SGX listed public companies and private sector clients. She has over eight years of audit experience in Australia ranging from ASX listed public companies, unlisted public companies to private sector, state government entities and local government. Vanessa has extensive experience and has in-depth knowledge of the International Standards on Auditing (ISAs), International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) and Corporations Act 2001.  Vanessa works across several key industry sectors, including producing miners, mining and resources, aged care and hospitality.

Joined the CircusWA board: December 2024

Scott is a Perth-based marketing and communications manager with a decade of experience in a variety of industries including arts and culture, not-for-profit, education and land development. With expertise in advertising and digital content strategy, Scott is currently Senior Manager Marketing & Community Engagement at the National Trust of WA. Previously, he was a Senior Consultant at the Department of Education, and spent five years leading West Australian Ballet’s public relations and digital content initiatives. 

As an advisor and consultant, Scott’s work has included brand and digital strategies for; Ausdance National, the West Australian International Stone Symposium’s inaugural festival and WA Premier Events concert series, and has further experience at The Brand Agency, Lotterywest and Yelp Perth. In 2021, Scott’s work received recognition as West Australian Ballet’s marketing team won Campaign Brief’s prestigious ‘Advertiser of the Year’. 

Specialty areas: PR and crisis communications, digital and content strategy, advertising, project management.

Joined the CircusWA board: October 2023

Joel is a father, poet, actor, community-focused arts programmer, teacher, and creative producer, who holds a Master’s of Education from Melbourne University. He’s been a Teaching Artist for Western Edge Youth Theatre and an Education Assistant at The Malthouse Theatre, as well as the Outreach Coordinator at Arts Centre Melbourne, and was the first Senior Arts Programmer at Bunjil Place, a new arts centre in south-eastern Melbourne. After moving west Joel worked for the City of Fremantle as the Community Programs Officer, before moving into the role of Program & Engagement Manager at The Blue Room Theatre. He is currently the Manager, Arts & Culture at Minderoo Foundation.

Joined the CircusWA Board: December 2024

We are honoured to have Dr. Brad Pettitt MLC as our inaugural Patron of Circus and cherish the past support he has extended to us during his time as Mayor of Fremantle.