OUR TEAM

SUPPORTING ALL TO GROW WITH CIRCUS

GOVERNANCE

Jo Smith
Jo Smith worked across the 90’s and early 2000’s in Universities in China and Australia tutoring in sociology & linguistics while developing an arts practice in performance art installation. Her installations have been presented site specifically and in galleries. In 2006 Jo began a career in Arts Management working as Creative Producer in community arts and as Director on festivals including Write In the Great Southern (Albany) and Brave New Works Festival (Denmark). In 2014 she produced AusdanceWA’s award winning dance program Future Landings delivering this across regional communities in WA. She began working for CircusWA in 2017 and took on the role as Artistic Director in 2019.

Joined the CircusWA board: 2017
Richard Longbottom
Richard is People and Culture Manager for Wide Open Agriculture, Australia’s leading ASX-listed regenerative food and agriculture company. Prior to this his career has been 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). He has held multiple roles in the community and education sectorat WA Ballet, Co3, and Dancenorth. In New Zealand, Richard consulted in Strategy and Investment.

Joined the CircusWA board: October 2022
Jake Silvestro
Jake is a physical and visual artist with a decade’s worth of experience in a range of disciplines and fields. Known for his explosive, expressive and unique acrobatic style of movement, that combines elements of gymnastics, dance, acting, martial arts 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 specialities include floor tumbling/acrobatic movement, group acrobatics and cyr wheel, but really, he calls himself a generalist and would rather do a little bit of everything. Now touring the globe with a creative and exciting new movement workshop.

Joined the CircusWA board: October 2023
Adelaide Harney
Adelaide Harney is a Lighting Designer and Theatre Maker who has worked and created in Australia for 6 years. A graduate of the Victorian College of the Arts in Production Technology, she started her theatre career in Naraam (Melbourne) designing and managing live performances. She moved to Boorloo (Perth) in 2020 and worked for the Perth Festival, the Arts Cultural Trust, and with independent artists at the Blue Room Theatre.

Joined the CircusWA board: October 2022
Scott Dennis
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 Communications Consultant at the Department of Education and has previously spent five years leading West Australian Ballet’s public relations and digital content initiatives.

As an advisor and consultant, Scott’s work had 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
Leanne Puttick
Leanne is currently working for APRA AMCOS, Australia's performing rights organization, and was previously at the West Australian Symphony Orchestra as their Library Manager and Orchestra Librarian. She worked in Austria for 6 weeks of the year for 5 years where she was the Director of Operations and lecture-assistant for the Hollywood Music Workshop. Leanne also has stage management and audio-technician experience from her time as a technician across the theatres in Perth and Perth Festival and Fringe Festival.

Leanne is currently completing her Masters in Music in November this year and training to be an orchestra conductor. Leanne is proud to be taking her first-ever board position with Circus WA.

Joined the CircusWA board: October 2023