Encounters
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When
20 - 22 May, 7.30pm
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Where
Jacksons Lane, 269a Archway Road, London N6 5AA
Welcome to Encounters!
We hope you enjoy this showcase of our second-year degree students’ devised performances. Prepare to be amazed by a captivating mix of bold, cutting-edge circus disciplines that push the limits of what’s possible.
Book your ticket now on the Jacksons Lane website.
The National Centre for Circus Arts is a registered charity and one of Europe’s leading providers of circus education.
Their diverse range of work includes professional development opportunities for aspiring and established performers, recreational classes for adults, and progressive training for under-18s. Their degree course is a 3-year BA (Hons) in Circus Arts. They enrol around 30 new students each year and our graduates have gone on to join companies such as Giffords, Cirque du Soleil, Ockham’s Razor, Cirque Eloize, Seven Fingers, Circa and GOM, or set up their own circus production companies such as Three Legged Race Productions, Barely Methodical Troupe, Brainfools and Revel Pucks.Â
The National Centre celebrates over 30 years of fostering the development of circus professionals across the UK.
Bruce
Constance Kwok they/them
Discipline: Chinese Pole
Other skills: Dance, Acrodance, Group Acrobatics
Feeding on Fear
Deep in the swamps of the dark forest, a vengeful temptress hunts for power, weaving her web of fear and control. Until fear turns the tables and the puppeteer becomes the puppet.
What we carry
She arrives at the platform, suitcases worn smooth by time and heavy with all she has carried. Stepping onto the train the emotions of leaving what she loves and the excitement of exploring what is new surrounds her. In the rhythm of travel she discovers what can be released, and what remains when the weight is finally set down.
Amma Dixon she/her
Discipline: Aerial Hoop
Other skills: Aerial Rope, Contemporary Dance
Boy Pretty
Boy Pretty is a one man contemporary circus act. Using juggling with deconstructed mallets and physical theatre, Ryan explores the expectations of femininity, masculinity, and how to balance the two. Touching, personal, and gay as hell, this piece invites the audience into a story of self-examination and authenticity in a world of moving parts.
Ryan Marie Aiken they/them
Discipline: Juggling
Other skills: Group Acrobatics, Tumbling
What's the answer?
This piece follows an individual who uses aerial straps and floor movements to express their frustration of the ordinary and mundane that everyone else seems to be okay with. Never knowing if they’re ever in the right place at the right time of their life, in search of something to take them out of the meaningless.
Julia Musialek she/they
Discipline: Aerial Straps
Other skills: Mixed Aerial Skills
A Jaunt with the Jester
When Jojo unexpectedly collides with their best friend, mischief ensues. The rascal clambers, swoops, wrestles and topples from a flying stick, choatically flailing in the air in a whimsical standoff.
Swim To Me
Samara Chan she/her
Discipline: Rope
Inception
Based on the Christopher Nolan film with the same name, this aerial hoop performance takes you on a journey into the depths of the human psyche. Dive into the mind of the Dreamer, as she works her way through layers of her own subconscious, falling from one dream into the next. Will she wake up from the dream, or be trapped in her own mind forever?
Lisette Ramsey Brooks she/her
Discipline: Aerial Hoop
Other skills: Hair Suspension
the garden
Awake… but Still
Harriet Littlehales she/her
Discipline: Aerial Straps/Loops
Other skills: Contortion, Aerial Hoop, Acrobatics, Hand to Hand
A moment of light within the darkness
‘Out of the shadows and into the spotlight’ An aerial hoop performance that tells the story of a young person navigating their journey through the care system. Removed from one dark place and forced into another. Trapped in survival mode and in a constant state of fight & flight. This piece highlights that moments of joy can still be found within all of that chaos.
This piece also explores the use of Fabrics to symbolise how trauma can follow us, restrict us and affect patterns and behaviours as we grow.
Going Home
Going Home is a piece about finding your way through change & challenge, shown with dynamic aerial straps and dance-based floor work.
Fearlessly Afraid
Marie Cassidy she/her
Discipline: Cyr Wheel
Other skills: Acrodance, Partner/Group Acrobatics
Hold The Line
Hold The Line is a dance trapeze act exploring a state of continual evolution, where uncertainty is not something to escape, but something I choose to remain within. The piece honours quiet milestones and the unknown moments that shape who I am becoming.
Aimee Deam she/her
Discipline: Dance Trapeze
Other skills: Acrobatics, Duo Straps, Hand to Hand, Hand Balancing
The Graffiti Artist
Echoes Within
Echoes Within is an aerial straps act woven with Acro dance, exploring flow and physicality in performance as it unfolds through presence, rhythm and that quiet connection held within.
Hollie Moulton she/her
Discipline: Aerial Straps
Other skills: Acrobatics, Hand to Hand, Hand Balancing, Duo Straps
Keeper of her bones
A haunting aerial narrative of love and loss, this flying pole performance follows the ghost of a graveyard keeper bound to the land where his wife lies buried.
A Dancehall fever dream
Jay Lance they/she
Discipline: Hoop
Other skills: Salsa, Contemporary Dance, Pole Dance, Clown
Crew
A special thank you to Jacksons Lane for their huge and generous support
We’ve always been passionate about ensuring our students have high-quality opportunities to perform their work and donations have helped us continue to produce these shows. But, as with many producing theatres in recent times, the cost of delivery has rapidly increased, and it now costs us roughly £100,000 every year to put on our student productions.
Please consider making a donation today and help support this hugely important part of the learning journey.
Donate