Seven students from the Shanghai Circus School will join young Australian circus artists in Melbourne this November for the final stage of Beyond Our Boundaries, a cultural exchange project led by the National Institute of Circus Arts (NICA). The exchange will culminate in a collaborative performance at Coming Home, NICA’s 25th anniversary show on 20 and 21 November, continuing a decades-long connection between the Australian and Chinese circus communities.
Earlier in the project, eight young circus artists from NICA and across Australia travelled to China for a 10-day immersive experience with the Shanghai Circus School. Alongside learning to communicate primarily through the language of circus, the exchange also gave students the opportunity to experience first-hand the training traditions they had previously encountered through the stories and experiences of their teachers.
For NICA student James Wilson, whose circus journey began at the Flying Fruit Fly Circus, the trip offered a chance to trace the roots of techniques that have shaped his own practice. Many Flying Fruit Fly Circus staff had trained directly under Mr Guang Rong Lu OAM, NICA’s inaugural Head of Circus Studies, whose influence helped shape the institute’s early development. By training in China, Wilson could explore this shared history at its source and experience methods passed down through generations of circus artists.
“The training itself is a lot more repetition based. At home, I might do three or four reps before I’ll have a trainer come in and give me advice and notes to try again. Here, they’ll get me to do maybe 50 or 100 reps,” Wilson said.
For NICA, the exchange reflects a longstanding relationship between Australian and Chinese circus communities, shaped by the movement of artists, knowledge and ideas across borders. Over decades, these connections have influenced the development of both traditional and contemporary circus practices.
Mr Guang Rong Lu OAM, whose contribution to NICA’s history helped establish a foundation for future generations of circus artists, sees international exchange as essential to the continued growth of both art forms.
“The exchange between the artforms of these institutes is very important and benefits everybody,” Mr Guang Rong Lu OAM said. “Each project brings success in different forms to the Australian circus community and the Chinese acrobatic community. These exchanges will continue on and influence the international circus stage.”
Now, the next chapter of this relationship will unfold in Melbourne. Across two weeks, the visiting Chinese students will work alongside their Australian peers, take part in cultural activities and travel to Geelong, Castlemaine and Bendigo to connect with regional communities and experience Australian life.
The exchange will culminate in a jointly created act presented as part of Coming Home, NICA’s 25th anniversary celebration. Directed by Juliana Neves, NICA’s Head of Circus Studies, the show brings together the people, skills and shared experiences that have shaped the institute over 25 years.
For audiences, the performance offers a chance to witness the results of this collaboration on stage, as emerging artists from Australia and China bring their distinct training traditions together through the physical language of circus.
Coming Home: NICA’s 25th Anniversary Show
When: 20 and 21 November 2026, with a preview on 19 November
Where: National Institute of Circus Arts, Prahran, Melbourne
Tickets: nica.com.au/performs
All proceeds from ticket sales and additional donations go towards NICA’s Excellence Scholarship Fund.