Together We Can
A Circus Revolution for all
CircusWA is supporting the growth of WA youth programs for children living with disability, Aboriginal youth, and all aspiring young artists.
We need your support to continue our impact.
Case For SupportDownload
We’re contributing to …
A connected, inclusive and better world
… where youth of all backgrounds and abilities come to experience collaboration and creativity.
… where an exciting circus arts program stimulates an authentic exchange of ideas and friendship.
… where our community is introduced to the joy and energy of circus arts lending an essential and unique element to the rich canvas of Western Australia’s creative and cultural output.
… where specialised programs extend accessibility to people of all abilities and transform and empower individuals and communities.
… where aspiring performers can enjoy a welcoming and inclusive environment to showcase their artistic endeavours.
Together we can do more
Here’s how…
A Message from the Board Chair & Artistic Director
Today we stand on the threshold of a brilliant new future for circus in WA.
CircusWA is committed to supporting the growth of Western Australian youth programs designed for Aboriginal youth, children living with disability, and all aspiring young artists.
We are ready to grow our circus arts programs and expand our contributions to the community.
Our income streams from government funding, ticket sales and tuition fees are crucial to delivering our programs, yet this is not enough to cover the cost of expanding our programs to meet growing demand.
We invite you to support our young artists and help secure our future through our circus revolution.
Our impact is only as great as the support we receive.
Support Us
CircusWA Beginnings
For over 30 years, we have been celebrating, nurturing and supporting distinctive artistic and cultural endeavours in our community.
Since 2017, our training and development centre has been in the Freo Big Top in the east end of Fremantle. Co-located with DADAA – a centre for artists with disability – and next door to Fremantle’s iconic Clancy’s pub – which showcases talented musicians and supports the live music industry – CircusWA is contributing to a flourishing new creative hub in Fremantle.
CIRCUSWA TODAY
Today, we are a training and performance organisation promoting excellence, inclusion and innovation in circus arts.
With community at our core, each year we engage approximately 400 students in our training programs and over the years we have helped thousands of young people develop into confident, healthy individuals who have gone on to pursue exciting careers.
We are empowering young people to develop creativity and strengthen their voices to build a more connected, creative and inclusive world.
We are supporting them to be the agents of change throughout their own lives.
Our achievements to date are in no small part thanks to generous government and philanthropic partnerships. This support is essential to our creative output and survival. We are proud of the strong partnerships we’ve formed that are enabling us to develop programs with great impact.
Over the next five years we are implementing a suite of strategies to grow our organisation responsibly so we can continue to make a lasting impact in our community. We will develop our advocacy role alongside the sector and strive to create a strong voice for circus arts in our state while engaging nationally with youth and circus groups.
Funding Priorities
We are raising funds to support three key youth programs
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All Abilities Training Program
A dynamic and transformative physical arts program helping young people with disability to reach their full potential by engaging in arts and developing cultural ability.
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Aboriginal Youth Development Program
A circus and dance training program for Aboriginal youth and children in Armadale that teaches circus skills and physical theatre, while embedding cultural knowledge through Noongar dance and language.
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Youth Troupes & Young Artist Program
Empowering young circus students to develop performance and physical theatre skills with annual programs that offer opportunities to engage with guest artists, perform new works and tour to other circus centres around Australia.
ALL ABILITIES TRAINING PROGRAM
Children with disability leading the way to an inclusive future
All Abilities Circus allows children and teenagers living with disability to imagine more and dream beyond society’s determination of their limitations.
This circus program has been developed to support diverse physical, developmental and intellectual abilities. In partnership with DADAA, we are generating a unique and supportive all abilities program that caters for the needs of young people who love to engage physically with the world around them.
By removing the barriers to cultural participation for children with disabilities, our programs offer skills development, creativity and social connection.
In 2018, a collaboration between DADAA and CircusWA produced Experience Collider – a performance project for teenagers with high support needs disabilities and our Youth Troupe performers. Supported by Telethon and the Telethon Kids Institute, the project saw 30 young people aged 13 to 19 work together for 18 months to create, rehearse and perform Experience Collider at the State Theatre Centre as part of the 2019 AWESOME Festival.
The show was described as a journey during which all the young people moved through the experience together, all exploring it differently – some suspended in the air, some in chairs or on wheeled platforms, some singing, some carrying lights or video cameras, and some vocalising or signing.
This is what social circus is all about … welcoming and celebrating difference.
Together we grow
ABORIGINAL YOUTH CIRCUS DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM
Circus, dance, theatre and culture guiding the next generation of young aboriginal performers
In partnership with the Noongar led Champion Centre in Armadale, we are delivering a circus and dance training program to Aboriginal youth that encourages a connection to Country and culture through art, music, dance and stories.
Guiding this program is Aboriginal contemporary dance artist, Moopa (Ian) Wilkes, supported by circus trainers who are trained in Social Circus. Together this creative team is infusing circus arts with Aboriginal culture to actively nurture and grow understanding and awareness of Aboriginal arts and culture.
Community and kinship are at the heart of this program. It recognises leadership within the Aboriginal community and supports Aboriginal people to be in key roles – program managers, circus and dance trainers, and elders.
Together we are offering the building blocks on which the Noongar community can nurture the next generation of Aboriginal artists and cultural leaders.
Together we are community
YOUTH TROUPES & YOUNG ARTISTS PROGRAM
Growing circus artists of the future to be much more than their tricks
We are offering young people an abundance of opportunities to be a part of their community and helping to ensure that they are physically, mentally and emotionally happy.
Young people are our future.
We nurture the ability to inspire awe and wonder.
To equip our young artists to cultivate new skills, expertise and leadership, inspire creative expression, and put imaginations to work.
With the support of Healthway’s Act Belong Commit message, our underlying focus is on ensuring youth understand the importance of their mental wellbeing to sustain physical health and creativity.
Together we create
Join our circus revolution
Let’s build an inclusive, connected and better future together
The launch of these programs has been made possible through one-off government grants, however ongoing annual funding is required to allow future planning and growth. So we are turning to the generosity of our community to help us maintain the delivery of these important youth initiatives.
If our programs and the impact they are making resonate with you, please support us and make CircusWA’s progress and impact a part of your own legacy.
Your support will help to ensure that emerging young artists of all backgrounds and abilities can participate in a dynamic circus journey here in WA.
We are proudly partnered with the Australian Cultural Fund to raise funds. Donations over $2 to CircusWA via our giving platform at the Australian Cultural Fund are tax deductible.
MATCHED FUNDRAISING GOAL EXCEEDED!
Thanks to the support of our generous friends, local organisations and partners we successfully met – and exceeded! – our matched funding goal for the first stage of our Together We Can Campaign in June 2022. Every dollar donated was matched by Creative Partnerships Australia’s PLUS1 program, raising a total of $56,500.