Circus Oz rocks into a milestone year
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Circus Oz rocks into a milestone year

Let’s be honest, this winter weather is pretty cooked! While you don’t particularly want to go outside or even look outside, there’s no better time to bust out those boots and jumpers because Australia’s favourite circus is in town!
Returning for winter, Circus Oz is back with a brand-new show and plenty of death-defying feats for the very first time at the Royal Botanic Gardens as the team celebrate a huge milestone of reaching 40 years as Australia’s premiere, ground-breaking contemporary circus.
To truly celebrate, Circus Oz are premiering their new show, Precarious, under the intimate and heated Circus Oz Big Top with three weeks of shows from 29 June – 15 July.
Inspired by the garden surrounds, Precarious is a 70-minute non-stop spectacle of acrobatic mayhem for audiences of all ages, complete with acts like foot juggling, aerial rope and tippy ring, roué cyr (giant hoop), Chinese pole and hula hoop, all accompanied by the famous Circus Oz band.
As always, the new show has a strong social justice and environmental message, this time using innovative circus acts to create an exciting three-dimensional world that examines the fragility that exists between humanity and nature.
“It’s kind of a look at the balance between humanity and the way that we treat the environment; we are, as characters, a ministry of nature and it’s our job to find the last seed on earth that’s going to keep the world healthy,” explains performer Jon Bonaventura, who caught his big break working as a stunt double for Warner Brothers, before continuing his endeavour of acrobatics throughout four different continents as an ensemble member for acclaimed companies CIRCA and Casus over the past few years.
circus
“It’s really about how we treat the Earth: do we look after it? We’re at this point where we have a few ciggies and we litter and we aren’t really looking after the world, and how is that going to create consequences in the future.”
Writing the show in a matter of weeks, the team were committed to creating an absurd lo-fi bureaucracy filled with phenomenal acrobatics, spectacular aerials, live music and physical comedy. The best part of Precarious is that it not only reflects the outstanding skills and talents of the Circus Oz ensemble, but also the collaboration that was paramount in its conception.
“There’s two directors, Circus Oz Artistic Director Rob Tannion and independent director Kate Fryer, and then the seven acrobats on the floor and two musicians who all created this show,” Bonaventura reveals. “We were all throwing out our ideas and trying new things and it’s just one big conversation.”
Despite only joining the Circus Oz team in March, Bonaventura is excited to be bringing his acrobatic, aerial and even dance skills to his hometown of Melbourne, and feels privileged to be apart of the 40 year celebration.
“It’s kind of huge; being brand new and seeing all these people in the company who have spent the majority of their lives putting in the work for this huge beast of a company is really cool to see; I’m still figuring out how it works from the inside,” he explains before letting us in on his love of the circus.
“It’s just a big exchange of energy between the people; we’re on stage trying something dangerous and difficult and challenging, but also the audience is part of that with us. They come to watch us, they come to support us, we’re performing for them so it goes both ways. We’re giving something to the audience, but we’re getting energy back.”
If you like your circus mixed with a strong political message, enthusiasm and bucket-loads of fun, get tickets now.

Circus Oz will present Precarious at the Royal Botanic Gardens from Friday June 29 until Sunday July 15.