The National Institute of Circus Arts (NICA) is a government-accredited tertiary-level

circus school Circus schools are institutions that offer professional and sometimes degree-level training in various circus skills such as acrobatics, aerial arts, object manipulation, and other specialized physical skills. The rise of the circus school as ...

in Australia, located in

Prahran, Victoria Prahran (), also pronounced colloquially as Pran, is an inner suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 5 km south-east of Melbourne's Central Business District, located within the City of Stonnington local government area. Prahran recorded a po ...

History

NICA was established in 1995 by

Swinburne University of Technology Swinburne University of Technology (often simply called Swinburne) is a public research university based in Melbourne, Australia. It was founded in 1908 as the Eastern Suburbs Technical College by George Swinburne to serve those without access ...

after a study revealed there was enough demand for a national body. The first course, a Diploma of Circus Arts, began in 1999 with eight participants from an unrenovated warehouse at Docklands. In 2001, the first Bachelor of Circus Arts course was offered with 23 students entering the course and the first degrees being conferred in 2003. In 2005, tit moved into the new $10 million NICA National Circus Centre at the Prahran campus of Swinburne University, funded by the Australian Government, Swinburne and the

Pratt Foundation The Pratt Foundation is an Australian philanthropic organisation based in Melbourne and established in 1978 by Jeanne and Richard Pratt. According to its Values Statement, it has "the shared vision of supporting charitable enterprises and adding ...

Description

NICA is the only government-accredited

tertiary education Tertiary education, also referred to as third-level, third-stage or post-secondary education, is the educational level following the completion of secondary education. The World Bank, for example, defines tertiary education as including univers ...

al institution that provides professional training in contemporary

circus arts Circus skills are a group of disciplines that have been performed as entertainment in circus, sideshow, busking, or variety, vaudeville, or music hall shows. Most circus skills are still being performed today. Many are also practiced by non-perfo ...

in Australia. It is a subsidiary of

and is based at the university's

Prahran Prahran (), also pronounced colloquially as Pran, is an inner suburb in Melbourne, Victoria (Australia), Victoria, Australia, 5 km south-east of Melbourne's Melbourne central business district, Central Business District, located within the City ...

campus. NICA is one of eight "national elite training organisations" of the "

Australian Roundtable for Arts Training Excellence Performing arts education in Australia refers to the teaching of different styles of creative activity that are performed publicly. The performing arts in Australia encompasses many disciplines including music, dance, theatre, musical theatre, ci ...

" (ARTS8), partially funded by the

Australian Government The Australian Government, also known as the Commonwealth Government, is the national government of Australia, a federal parliamentary constitutional monarchy. Like other Westminster-style systems of government, the Australian Government i ...

via the

Office for the Arts The Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Communications and the Arts (DITRDCA), formerly Department of Infrastructure, Transport, Regional Development and Communications (DITRDC), is a department of the Australian ...

Courses

The institute's core training offering is a three-year Bachelor of Circus Arts. It also offers a Diploma of Circus Arts, an Advanced Diploma of Circus Arts, and a number of workshops and short courses. In 2010, it offered a Certificate III in Circus Arts for students combining their circus training with their final two years of secondary school, with academic provider

VCA Secondary School Victorian College of the Arts Secondary School (VCASS), is a government-funded co-educational selective and specialist secondary day school, with speciality in the performing and visual arts, located within the Melbourne Arts Precinct in S ...

. It also offered Certificate IV in Circus Arts, a one-year program in basic Circus Skills, suitable for school-leavers (18 years or older). In 2011, there were 60 enrolled students.

References

External links

*
Circus in Australia at the Australian culture and recreation portal
{{Australian Roundtable for Arts Training Excellence Circus schools Educational institutions established in 1995 Performing arts education in Australia Education in Melbourne Philip Cox buildings 1995 establishments in Australia Swinburne University of Technology Buildings and structures in the City of Stonnington

History

Description

Courses

See also

References

External links