The Dance In Circus

By Lyne Pringle

Circus is an ancient art, full of skill, daring and grace.

The first circus as we know it today, took place in 1768 when a crowd gathered around a ring formed of stakes and rope in London. Its roots, however, touch upon many cultures. Whether presented on stage or in a ring in the classical style, it is, as Ernest Hemmingway said, "an ageless delight."

Peter Burley, Godfrey Sims and Adrienne Kirk founded CircoArts in Christchurch in 1995. The school flourished and seeded the development of circus across New Zealand and as far away as Australia. That is until 2011 when it became an unfortunate victim of the earthquakes. The impact of the school cannor be underestimated and their accomplishment of embedding a degree in circus into the New Zealand Qualifications framework is yet to be emulated.

Read the full article (Iss. 39) The Dance In Circus