The child in all of us once dreamt of running away to join the circus and this dream can still become reality with a Bachelor of Circus Arts at the National Institute of Circus Arts (NICA), the highest level of accredited circus training available in Australia which has been approved to continue in 2014 and beyond.
Announced this morning by the NICA’s Program Manager, Rose Stephens, the new funding agreement with the Australian Government's Office for the Arts will last four years as opposed to previous annual agreements.
Stephens told artsHub Australia that “One of the great things it will enable us to do is keep the degree program secure and able to go ahead. The degree is the probably the pinnacle of courses here, our flagship course if you like, and it is costly to run, particularly the third year of the program, when students are specialising in particular acts that need one on one tuition; and that costs money.”
Although plans were abandoned for the NICA to become an independent body separate of Swinburne University, the new funding agreement has been welcomed by the institute and leading bodies within the circus arts, physical theatre and live performance community.
Applications for the 3 year full-time Bachelor of Circus Arts degree program in Sydney, Brisbane and Melbourne are now open and a splendid time is guaranteed for all.
- Lauren Della Marta
