If you were lucky enough to see the vaudevillian variety show, Dracula’s Sanctuary, as it haunted Geelong Arts Centre across three nights from Thursday 12 September until Saturday 14 September, you will know exactly who Caitlin Tomson-Moylan and Spencer Craig are
They were the two death-defying artists contorting their bodies through a single hoop raised high in the trusses of The Play House theatre. Collectively Tomson-Moylan and Craig are known as Duo Hoop.
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Having entered the world of circus through youth arts programs in their respective hometowns of Calgary, Alberta and Saint Paul, Minnesota, Tomson-Moylan and Craig rapidly developed their professional careers as internationally touring and renowned aerial artists but it’s when they came together in 2015 to form Caitlin & Spencer that they really started gaining recognition for their groundbreaking act.
“We both started when we were pretty young in our youth circuses and we both came up in a similar way and both ended up working on a contract together almost ten years ago now [Cavalia’s Odysseo]. We became friends on that and slowly became a duo. It was almost a passion project in our spare time that snowballed and developed into something bigger than that. Not long after that we started performing professionally,” explains Spencer Craig.
“Spence and I just started playing and learning the ways our bodies work together really uniquely. It happened organically,” Tomson-Moylan adds.
“We quickly realised that there had never been a duo of this style before and when we started creating our work together we realised that we were going to have to create an entirely new vocabulary than what there was before. There was nothing to model or be inspired by other than our previous experience. We saw a hole in our market and that’s something really important in our industry that has become more and more competitive. What we have is really innovative and unique.”
It has made them a standout act across the world with our Australian touring companies finding their act attractive to our audiences. Caitlin & Spencer made their Australian premiere at perhaps the most iconic Australian venue, the Sydney Opera House, in 2019, kicking off their ongoing love affair with the country.
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It’s clear to see how they have been successful in Australia as their work brings something very unique within the realm of aerial arts that no one else is doing here.
It’s not just the male/female combination that sets them apart; it’s their innovation from a technical standpoint that has forged their identity. From developing a new technique called ‘porting’ on aerial hoop, in which they position their bodies in complementary but rarely mirrored ways to offer the audience a breathtaking view, to playing with the laws of physics of the apparatus, suspending the aerial hoop on a long rope, creating a skill that had never been tackled before, the Caitlin & Spencer performers have diversified the discipline of aerial hoop. They are, however, most well known for their innovative technique titled the ‘lasso’, a high intensity and high speed manoeuvre that not only required the development of a specialised rope, but has to be seen to be believed.
Whilst these groundbreaking and jaw dropping displays have captivated audiences and made Caitlin & Spencer an extremely enticing entertainment package, the level of their skills and their execution has not come without limitations especially in Australia who seem to be dwindling behind in the circus arts sector. It’s noted in the way in which they are being approached by Australian touring companies to present their work as their act is not something found in Australia.
“There are a lot of youth circuses but from what I’ve seen is that if artists have that level of skills to advance, they leave Australia because the international circus hubs aren’t developed here,” explains Tomson-Moylan.
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It also stems into the resources and infrastructure available to Australian performers with Craig noting the focus on aerials in Australia doesn’t seem to be at the same level as international counterparts.
Thankfully, the ever opportunists that Caitlin & Spencer are, they aim to continue their engagement in the circus culture in Australia and lead the advancement of aerial art across the board.
“It’s something that is exciting for us in Australia. We see how valued our skill set is here from the perspective of the audience but also coming from youth circus backgrounds we can see very clearly how we could support growing the circus culture here which is really cool. We love Australia and have been fortunate to travel to so many parts of it. It’s a place we love spending our time and look forward to growing with the community here.”
You can witness Caitlin & Spencer unparalleled performance works throughout the rest of their Dracula’s Sanctuary tour of Australia. Find out more about their work here
