Chat with Acrobatic Artists - Spenser Inwood - A Good Catch Circus.

Spenser Inwood is a very accomplished Circus Artist, Performer, Director and Acrobat in the award-winning show "Casting Off" by A - Good Catch Circus. Recently showing at the Perth Fringe Festival where Spenser dropped into the Circus Centre to do some training.

Note: It's been 22 years since I last saw Spencer as she was back then 8 years old and one of the very talented young students at The Flying fruit fly Circus School - Where I had the privilege to be one of her daily acrobatic basic trainers in 1997/8 under the Head Training/Circus School director Mr Guang Rong Lu (Mr Lu).

Company: "A Good Catch Circus"

Artists: Spencer Inwood, Sharon Gruenert and Debra Batton (feet)

photo credit: Ian Sutherland.

Chat with Acrobatic Artists - André Augustus, GOM Circus

I had the pleasure of meeting André at the APAC training in January this year. As well as a being a beautiful man who both onstage and offstage radiates warmth and personality, André's acrobatic prowess and strength is like a leopard in his fluidity and movements. He is both an incredible trusted base as well as owning a very high-set of skills in performing such as a free balancing headstand while unlocking a rubrics cube which he performs in the show.

Welcome André.

André in action at APAC, featuring Annalise Moore and Chris Carlos.

New Class - Acro Foundations

Acro Foundations is a new class suitable for both students wanting to go further in their acrobatic journey and fitness and also for serious students wanting a career path into performing Arts, Circus, Dance, Physical Theatre or other training institutions, NICA, École Nationale de Cirque Montreal, and others.

What: 1.5 hours of physical development in acrobatic arts Including:

When: Note: Class is on hold pending numbers - please contact us for interest via email

Where: The Circus Centre - 146 Carrington Street, O'Connor.

The synopsis of Acro Foundations - by Chris Mayhew.

By crafting a acrobatic practise with elements from a range of acrobatic disciplines from gymnastics, sports acro, circus, movement, dance, acro yoga, partner acro, trampoline sports and crossfit we are hoping to raise the acrobatic level and standard across the entire Western Australian and Australian acro communities.

- Why tumbling/movement practise in partner acro? - if you can tumble you can fall safe and land stronger, so you won't break, Your total body agility and spacial awareness will improve, helping everything from your balance, power to mobility.

- can you perform a back roll to handstand with straight arms/Fwr roll tuck/straddle up? - this directly relates to more advanced partner acro skills such as "cannon ball to handstand, hand to hand "inlocates", or dynamic corbetts/cascards etc.

- Very seldom will you see a advanced flyer with out a good level of tumbling and acro development. If you're a beginner - this training will put you miles ahead.

- A professional dancer does their daily floor bar, ballet bar then centre work before moving on to dazzling leaps and combinations. So too, acrobats need to work through a structure training discipline to maximise training efficiency.

Outline of program 90 mins

10 - 15mins

- Tumbling and movement, handstands, roll into tuck/straddle up, cartwheels, springs flips, somersaults and sequences and landings. designed to organically improve agility, mobility, dynamic power, balance for all acrobats.

10 - 15mins

- Flyer specific conditioning - specific handstand work, the tuck-up, Handstand- pressing, prep for one arms, flexibility, aerial awareness - tramp skills.

- Base specific condition - strength/balance drills, power, sandbag/kettlebell/lifts specific acro drills for basing.

30 min

- Partner work - spotting, L-basing, standing basing, adagio lifts, Hand to Hand, dynamic, tempo and balance.

30 min

- Group work - 3 highs, stacks, group basket/banquine, "Toss the Girl" - leading to acrobatic training in skills and development such as Russian Bar and Teeterboard and group casting and more.