NICA Presents DISPERSION

The National Institute of Circus Arts presents Dispersion - a contemporary, abstract circus work set to live improvised music, exploring the forces that both separate and bind humankind.

Co-Directors Zebastian Hunter, who is fresh from working on Barnum the Circus Musical and Meredith Kitchen, lead NICA's cohort of 2nd year performers in the daring 60-minute production by future circus stars.

With a cast of 15, the show explores the notions of cultural identity - from the initial evolution of a collective species into diverse tribes - to the modern, globalised world where cultural identity can be more obscure.

In a spectacular display of circus, movement and physical theatre, performers will flip, soar, skip and contort to conquer a swinging Russian bar, a double tightwire and a group rope performance.

A live band featuring drummer Chris Lewis (former Circus Oz Musical Director), guitarist Kathleen Halloran (Kate Ceberano, Kathleen Halloran Trio) and Dr Jenny Game-Lopata, who composed the music and will play saxophone, underscores the performance. Game-Lopata is Academic Leader at NICA and has published articles on improvisation, intercultural music and education. These dynamic, improvising musicians will traverse the musical globe, drawing styles from countries around the world.

Whilst only in their second year at NICA, the cast already hold a rich history of circus performance including 27-year-old dance trapeze artist Manelaya Kaydos-Nitis who started community circus at seven, flew to China at fourteen to train and later joined the Albury-based Flying Fruit Fly Circus before coming to NICA.

Fellow cast member, 21-year-old Harley Mann is Artistic Director of his own circus company, Na Djinang Circus and performs with Casus Circus in Chasing Smoke - Australia's only Indigenous contemporary circus ensemble - alongside his NICA studies. In Dispersion he showcases his aerial rope and diabolo skills. Whilst former Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts graduate, Antonia Sassine displays her NICA-developed speciality roue Cyr and aerial contortion on straps in a production highlight.

Hunter, Head of Performance Studies and a show director at NICA was a featured soloist with Cirque du Soleil from 2009 - 2015. With a Master in Directing from NIDA he has worked as an independent director creating site specific shows, commercial works and new contemporary devised performances in circus. Hunter has just returned from Mumbai having worked with 140 dancers and 32 international circus performers on a $100 million wedding extravaganza.

Kitchen, a distinguished dancer and choreographer, has worked with Australian Dance Theatre, Dancenorth, Chrissie Parrot Dance Collective, The One Extra Company and legendary Parisian company Compagnie Philippe Genty and is currently NICA's Movement Studies Coordinator.

Bookings: www.nica.com.au

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