The National Training Project (NTP) is a two week intensive program for people with a ‘serious thirst for circus’ and is the pinnacle of contemporary children’s circus in Australia. 

Parent Kate Gerritsen said when kids from Daylesford’s Sprung Circus and their head coach, Mara Macs, were asked if they would like to attend the program at Flying Fruit Fly Circus, hands flew up and they were all keen to pitch in to sell raffle tickets to make it happen. 

“Over two very energetic weeks the group flew through the air, balanced and juggled, focusing on their existing skills sets and also exploring new apparatus and partner acrobatic acts,” she said.

“Circus has come a long way from the big top acts of old. Contemporary companies like Flying Fruit Fly generally focus on skills such as tissu, Chinese pole, adagio and teeterboard along with traditional strength skills like handstands and tumbling.”

Ms Gerritsen said involvement in circus and performance developed kid’s self-empowerment stem and a culture of collaboration and trust. 

“Complex acts are developed involving group efforts to build human towers, balance and lift, catch and coordinate. The success relies on everyone concentrating and working together,” she said. 

Head coach Mara Macs said the kids trained for as many hours as they normally would for their entire term program. 

“We had trained up to maintain the stamina and this worked really well. For a couple of months prior they were training for the wonderful and intense community production Mavericks and Misfits three hours on one night and then at NTP for three hours on their other night.

“The day after Mavericks’ closing show, we left for NTP where the kids were straight into the higher training expectations there, as well as seamlessly living together in Albury for the duration,” she said.

“It was a really huge experience for them that they managed extremely well and and learnt way more than just the technical skill development but a whole lot of other self management skills as well.”

As head coach, Ms Macs said it was also an invaluable experience for her, where she was able to take notes on each child’s individual training program and make her own connections within the circus coaching world.

“It was an invaluable time to learn skills of all kinds to bring back to Daylesford,” she said.

Ms Gerritsen said the opportunity of attending the National Training Project made the aspiration of touring with a circus who has travelled internationally, as well as performing regularly at the Melbourne Festival, Melbourne International Comedy Festival and Sydney Festival, feel more within their reach.

The young performers will share their newly acquired skills with Sprung Circus before developing a piece of work to showcase their achievements to the community.

The trip was made possible with the support of the Daylesford and District Community Bank.