“We teach circus skills using a social and collaborative approach whereby participants help each other with their newfound insights. Circus builds dexterity, strength, fitness, and balance. Circus is inspiring and fosters life skills such as perseverance and stamina. Our students can express their inner creativity by devising their own performances. They have the opportunity to work independently, but under careful supervision, developing greater personal confidence, self-reliance, and self-direction.” Artistic Director Lisa Wingfield said.
“The Christchurch Circus Trust is a charitable trust whose purposes are to foster well-being, provide education, and develop people through participation in the circus arts. Our outreach is for the wider community with a focus particularly toward underprivileged communities.”
And NZCT recently provided a grant of $2,490 for a new tumbling floor run.
“Our current tumbling floor was so old that the cloth on top slipped over the foam when participants ran on it, making it dangerous for tumbling and circus acrobatics. The new floor will mean we can operate safely for tumbling gymnastics and extend our teaching skill level.”
Artistic Director Lisa Wingfield
“We have been running circus workshops for the last ten years and currently operate out of the Roy Stokes Hall in New Brighton. We have a dedicated circus set up that offers extraordinary opportunities to teach aerials like trapeze and silks, acrobatics, juggling, and balancing on equipment such as unicycles and tight-wires.”
The Circus Trust was formed in 2005 and offered circus classes for youth and adults running out the Christchurch Polytechnic. As a result of the Christchurch earthquakes, the trust began operating out of the Opawa Baptist friendship centre in January 2012. When this building was demolished in 2014, they moved operations to Roy Stokes Hall, New Brighton, where they currently run classes and open training.
Check out chchcircus.co.nz or on facebook CircusCentre
