Grant Goldie (UK)

Brought up in the Orange fields of Norfolk, U.K, at the age of 19 he started working on two new hobbies, Juggling and Millinery, and at the untrained age of 30 combined them and created "That Man Show." Since the shows conception, it has taken him around the world and back again. 2006 saw the first European tour for "That Man Show", with over 30 festivals played in 10 countries worldwide. Grant combines unique humour and a bottomless pit of tricks in his solo hat manipulation and character work.

Jeanine Ebnöther (Switzerland) &
Caleb Trott (Melbourne)

19 Reasons

Brilliant ball manipulation and compelling music meld into an interactive and captivating piece.
Saxophonist Caleb Trott from Melbourne composes and improvises in an exciting and unconventional way, incorporating percussive and electronic elements.
Combined with the graceful movement and contact juggling skills of Jeanine Ebnother (Switzerland), they explore the relationship between shape, sound and each other.
Perpetually evolving, "19 reasons" is the expression of a unique collaboration, challenging harmony and gravity; it is exciting and mesmerizing in turns.

www.jeanine.ch

Bianca Mackail (Brisbane)

With a background in dance and gymnastics, Bianca started circus ten years ago with Vulcana Women's Circus in Brisbane. In 2004, Bianca headed abroad and completed a Diploma of Circus Arts in New Zealand. In 2009 Bianca took one month training with specialty aerial and hula hoop teachers in Kiev, Ukraine. She has taken her skills around the world, from festival cabaret to traditional circus, corporate entertainment, taught a range of aerial skills, hula hoop manipulation, and tumbling at Circo Arts (New Zealand), Circa Zoo (Brisbane), Vulcana Woman's Circus (Brisbane) and Spaghetti Circus (Mullumbimby, NSW).

Circus Trick Tease (Melbourne)

Circus Trick Tease is a raunchy, raucous and entertaining collection of misfits including a maladjusted sensitive strongman, his neurotic femme fatale and their internationally acclaimed super star. This 1940's inspired show is a tale of comedy, drama, love, lust and tragedy. Together, they play out their chaotic roles in dazzling displays of acrobatics, precarious balances, gratuitous headstands and a human skipping rope. Watch as this tight-knit unit comes undone and backstage antics erupt into recrimination & full blown fisticuffs. The only thing that holds them together is an understanding that the show must go on.Winners of the Melbourne Fringe Festival ACAPTA Award, The People's Choice Award 2008, and nominated People's Choice Adelaide Fringe 2009. The 2010 WA Circus Festival is the second visit for Circus Trick Tease, and they will be assisting with the Training Week and perform over the Festival Weekend.

Parasouls (Melbourne)

Parasouls is a collective of five young women who combine high-level skill with characterisation to explore historical and contemporary themes of love, friendship, work, humour and femininity. Through contemporary circus, sideshow, dance and physical theatre to provoke and inspire, Parasouls possess a broad skill base and forty years performance experience between members of the collective. 2009 has been a busy year for the collective with continual training, devising and developing work through Blue Circus Studios, producing cabarets throughout Melbourne, performing at the Tasmanian Circus Festival in February and recently showcasing in Theatre Works - Circus Works Program.

Anna Pocket Rocket (Melbourne)

Anna Lumb specialises in Adagio (duo acrobatics), Trapeze, Hula Hoops and Fire. Formerly trained in gymnastics and dance she has over seven years performance experience including working with world renown Strange Fruit (Performance Company) and touring and performing in Europe, America, Mexico, Canada, UK, Middle East, Africa, Malaysia, Hong Kong and Australia. Anna is known for her diverse skill range and unique performance combinations drawing on her extensive background to create innovative and lively shows. Her repertoire is vast and varied to include international festivals and events, corporate launches, cabaret and burlesque. 2010 is Anna's first visit to the WA Circus Festival, she will be assisting with the Training Week and perform over the Festival Weekend.

Kyle Raftery

An extremely charismatic and multi-talented performer, Kyle Raftery has devoted his life to making people smile. This has led to the creation of The Smiley Show which has taken him to most corners of the country. Armed with a degree from the National Institute of Circus Arts, Kyle has a range of circus skills from juggling to acrobatics and is considered one of Australia's top unicyclists. Kyle is very happy to be leading this year's Uzbekistani Flying Trapeze Team B, he wears his tights with pride.

Miss Flee (Melbourne)

Felicia O'Brien is a freelance acrobat/aerialist. From national level gymnastics Felicia has crossed over to the world of circus. After training extensively in Australia in acrobatics, adagio, chinese pole, teeterboard, tissue and flying trapeze, she spent a year learning solo swinging trapeze with Cirque Du Soleil trainer Andre Simard in Montreal. In Australia and overseas Felicia has worked with a variety of companies and festivals including Circus Monoxide, Bambuco, Redirected Baggage, Raradada Theatre, Circus Oz, La Clique with The Famous Spiegel Tent, the Adelaide, Melbourne and Edinburgh Fringe Festivals, the Brighton Festival UK, Ten Days on the Island, the Melbourne Arts Festival and many corporate events. In 2008/2009 Felicia produced her own shows Fallen and Circalicious in the Melbourne Fringe Festival. In 2010 she will produce The Birdcage, a circus specific venue in the Adelaide Fringe which will present 11 circus companies. Felicia is currently the Head of Circus Training at the Women's Circus and directed their show "Her story" in 2009.

Ms BeBe Buxom

Miss BeBe Buxom ran away, aged no more than 12. Into the giddy world of circus she did gracefully delve. Through tumbles and twists, she found a new love, for spinning high-speed, upside down from above. She can move her curves in shapes of all sorts, balancing fire upon her as the body contorts. In sequins and costumes that shimmer and shine, Miss BeBe can show you a world so divine.

Image credit: Leila Morrissey

On Off Circus (Israel)

Trained in New Zealand and performing around Australia and the Mediterranean, On Off Circus are an accomplished fire and circus performance duo. Juggling, stilt walking, acro-balance and plenty of clowning ensures that their shows are family friendly with good energy and audience interaction. On Off Circus will be assisting to teach in the Summer School and Training Weeks, along with performing at the Festival Weekend.

Pandora Pink (Adelaide)

Pandora Pink is the mistress of characterization, with such created characters as Cellulite Patricia from the 'Thighs of Steel' and belly-dancing Olivia from 'Evel Knievel's Fan Club.' Inspired by cigar box masters and comic genius', Pandora Pink does a sassy 11 cigar box stack and balance, a nifty hat routine then swings, jives and rocks to her way to an amazing rocking rola-bola finale
Together with Mr Spin for their Duo Show - they are original, irresistibly funny with phenomenal skill and class

Dawn Strindberg (Perth)

Dawn holds a Diploma in Circus Arts (CircoArts, New Zealand) and a BA in Theatre Arts (Western Australia's Academy of Performing Arts). Her solo Circus Theatre show, 'The Life of Eileen' won Best Solo Show at the Wellington Fringe Festival 2006, and has since been performed in Christchurch and Perth. More recently "Catch Me" has been co devised with Nick Candy and performed at various festivals in WA. Dawn constantly performs at Perth's Convention Centre, Burswood, at Gala evenings, Black tie Balls, Festivals, fun days, TV/media, stilt walking and character performances. Dawn is open to new ventures, performances and directing. She constantly collaborates with performers such as Nick Candy, Jenny Ritchie (Suspend Aerial Circus Theatre), Laura Motherway and Marisa Gareffa (Mondo di Corpo), Isobel Lyall (Disco Cantito) and Empress Stilt Dance.

Ponydance (Ireland)

ponydance are on a mission to bring humorous, heart warming, honest, entertaining dance to people everywhere. Performing all over the Island, France, Australia and most recently in Edinburgh as part of the Fringe Festival, the five-piece collective has performed together for five years. Director Leonie McDonagh will be visiting the WA Circus Festival. With the company described as 'brilliantly average,' ponydance also facilitate workshops, performs at corporate events and have even been spotted performing at birthday parties!

The Barons of Tang (Melbourne)

Settling in for a residency at the Dr Reg Bolton bar for the Training Week and Performance Festival weekend, dancing is inevitable with the Barons of Tang. With catchy tunes and punk ethos in their frenzied Gypsy Grind-core sound, The Barons in their six-piece set up including accordion, double bass, saxophone and violin will take patrons late into the evening at the nightly cabaret performances. www.myspace.com/thebaronsoftang

The Cloghoppers Banjo Circus (UK)

Soon to fly in from recent gigs in Singapore and Hobart, Frank and Beth from The Cloghoppers Banjo Circus are pleased to return to the Festival for their second time. Formerly from the UK and currently based in Italy, the jetsetting duo have performed all over Europe and the world for 14 years. Set to teach the art of the lassoo in the Festival Training Weeks and performing their fantastic banjo bluegrass-acrobalance-lassoo act at the Performance Festival weekend, their other skills also lie in juggling, unicycling, rola-bola and moments of pure originality.
www.cloghoppers.com

The Dirty Brothers (Melbourne)

The Dirty Brothers and their piece 'The Dark Party' is a completely new fusion of sideshow stunts and contemporary comedic theatre, the likes of which the world has never seen. Taking inspiration from art-house cinema and the ethos of punk rock - swords, staple guns, singing saws, power tools and car batteries are just some of the tools of this dreamscape of deranged delights. From the surreal to the sublime and just plain funny this is a theatrical event like no other. The Dirty Brothers, the kamikaze clown princes of sideshow, are a rebel alliance who smash conventions and create inventions that show us what sideshow might become. 'The Dark Party' has performed to packed houses in Auckland, Adelaide, Melbourne, the Sydney Opera House and the Edinburgh Fringe.

The Great Mr Spin (Adelaide)

As one of Australia's finest jugglers, Mr Spin embodies the classic comedic vaudevillian performer. With a background in classical dance and inspired by Vaudeville greats, Mr Spin has developed his high skills through years of juggling practice and performance - weaving in his own quirky style of comedy into crowd capturing performances. Together with Pandora Pink for their Duo Show - they are original, irresistibly funny with phenomenal skill and class.

The Leaping Loonies (Sydney)

The Leaping loonies perform a combination of contemporary and traditional "knockabout" acrobatic routines that have been handed down through the generations, keeping alive the international time honoured traditions of vaudeville, music hall and variety. The Leaping Loonies present an acrobatic slapstick performance that is hilariously raw, uncompromisingly gritty and relentlessly robust that has true universal appeal for all ages and all cultures.
www.leapingloonies.com.au

The Pitts Family Circus
(Tasmania)

Brought up in Cox Bight, an isolated part of Tasmania, brother and sister duo Cessil (self-proclaimed master magician) and Sandy Pitt (South-West Tasmanian long jump champion of 1992) take their inspiration from comedy, slapstick, theatre and circus traditions in non-stop barrage of spectacular acrobatics, feats of comical contortion and odd-ball sight gags.

With over 15 years of experience performing in over 14 countries in circus, theatre and on the street, The Pitts have thrilled audiences at many major festivals and events including the Melbourne International Comedy Festival, Woodford Folk Festival, Perth Festival, Adelaide Fringe Festival and numerous European International Street Theatre Festivals.
The Pitts

The Twisted Twins

Both graduates of the internationally renowned "Flying Fruit Fly Circus", Bec and Pippin have twisted, spun, flipped and flown for audiences throughout Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, Russia, New York, Hawaii and Abu Dhabi. Alongside their general and Aerial circus skills training, the girls trained under Chinese Masters Ms. Lu Xiao Zhu and Mr. Chen Xi Chen, studying the art of Contortion and Glasses balance for 7 years. Extending this training, the girls adapted the traditional glasses balance to include burning Candles and are the only known adult "Candle Contortionists" performing in Australia.

Tumble Circus (Ireland)

Returning for the third time to the WA Circus Festival, Ken Evil and Tina Machina make are the duo behind Tumble Circus. Performing together for 12 years, Tumble Circus creates work that entertains and amazes, and will present their high comedy trapeze act 'Overhead Underdressed' at the Festival. A dynamic display of total trust and physical strength with no clear idea of what is happening, the two clowns embark on a fool's quest to be loved by demonstrating their ability under the most demanding of situations.

Matt Swan (Albury)

Matthew Swan is an acrobat and clown. He started his circus career when he joined The Flying Fruit Fly Circus at the age of nine and has travelled throughout Australia and the world. After graduating from the Fruity?s, Matt went on to travel to different youth circuses teaching and performing at festivals. ACROCLoWN will amaze you with his tricks, flips and magical clown skitz.

Since the last WA Circus Festival in 2008, Matt has led many circus workshops in regional NSW, VIC, QLD, WA and the Christmas Islands with various people and organisations ? including Tania Lester, Fruity?s, Fun for Life and TAFE, NICA, the Blackrobats and spent some time in the desert with Kindred Circus. He also trained with Circa (Brisbane), the Tom Tom Club and performed with his clowning business in the Northern Rivers.
I hope to one day visit Cox Bight.

The Brow Horn Orchestra (Fremantle)

The Brow Horn Orchestra are a dynamic ten-piece skatronic jam band from Fremantle who mix quirky melodies, crafty conversations and bounce worthy beats. With an impressive live show that incorporates a carnival vibe and a strong global mix of styles; this is a band who will get young and old dancing with a groove more infectious than swine flu. The Brow have become prominent fixtures in the local Perth scene, providing many tunes to many nights; even recently taking their show over east to the Gold Coast, representing WA in the national finals of the infamous campus band competition. The Brow has become an ever growing circus train rolling further and further down the musical track; an act to keep firmly locked on the radar.

www.myspace.com/thebrowhornorchestra

Michelle Spriggs (Margaret River)

Performing solo Guitar/Keyboard/ Vocals local professional musician Michelle Spriggs will be performing two shows at the WA Circus Festival. A trained Jazz vocalist with a love of funk/ reggae/ soul rhythms has led Michelle to become a successful songwriter and performer throughout the South West. She has played at many outstanding events including having been invited to perform at the 2010 Leeuwin Estate Concert opening for the famous Boz Scaggs and Michael McDonald.

www.myspace.com/michellespriggs

Lunar Circus (Karridale)

WA's own "Bluestress" Tessa Davis is coming to deliver to you her delicious vocal concoctions of sexy smoky blues/cabaret/jazz/reggae, and feel good dirty blues-folk. This teamed with her acoustic guitar, will have you soothed, excited and mesmerized.

Mitch Becker (Fremantle)

Mitch's right hand to an Acoustic guitar is like: a Karate master to a wood block; a game of slap mercy; the Bermuda Triangle to a sailor; a Flamenco dancer to a wooden floor. Mitch delivers a very unique live performance leaving you scanning the stage to find that stomp box that doesn't exist. His unique percussive finger-style technique, blended with his rich vocal melodies, will leave you feeling Crooned, Swooned and Moved. After studying a Bachelor of Contemporary Music at Southern Cross University in Lismore (NSW), Mitch has: Recorded, Toured, Gigged, Travelled, Given up two-minute noodles, Snapped lots of strings, Changed lots of strings, Played with great musicians, Met lovely people, and Lived and Breathed Music.

www.myspace.com/mitchbeckermusic

Xave Brown Ramblers (Perth)

Xave Brown Ramblers play earthen prog folk with a lusty blustering twist of the southern ocean and lashings of sweet sprouted acoustic accutrementation. Many turns are taken on this sojourn to the heart of love, lust, betrayal and redemption. It?s all about harmonies between man and woman with double bass, banjo/acoustic guitars, keys, drums and a little fiery 9 year old on percussion.

www.myspace.com/xavebrown

FRANKLY (Margaret River)

Debuting at the 2010 WA Circus Festival, local Michelle Spriggs with her latest project 'FRANKLY' will perform with fellow local musicians Kim Lumsdaine (Beeva Feeva), Roger Reynolds (Mike Goodwin Band) and Kevin McDonalds.This tight four piece Funk/Soul/Groove Group will be set to get you movin?

Ginja Ninja (Awesome)

Nathan Kell aka The Ginja Ninja earned this nickname six years ago while performing with lunar circus for the first time. The ginja ninja was trained by shaolin monks in a jedi temple on mount Fuji in Tibet for about 100 years, he left with the ability to; sleep without a night light... (sometimes), do backflips through flaming barbed wire wrapped hoops of death and the fighting skills to fold Chuck Norris into an origami crane. Other than performing with Lunar circus, Nat has toured his solo street theatre show at festivals throughout Europe and the UK winning prestigious awards along the way such as "Festivals Biggest Flirt" and others that cant be published. Nathan Kell holds a B.A in Circus Arts, has been a professional performer for eight years, and is very happy to be at the third West Australian Circus Festival.

Joshua Bond (Tasmania)

Joshua Bond hails from Tasmania and has worked professionally in the performing arts for twelve years, primarily in circus but also in dance theatre, physical theatre and more recently puppet theatre. He has worked with companies around Australia and internationally including Lunar Circus & Bizircus (WA), Circus Monoxide (NSW), Trix Circus (QLD) and Cirque Cric in Barcelona. Joshua has been passionate about imparting his skills to young indigenous people, travelling extensively throughout remote communities performing and teaching, including the likes of at Flying Fruit Fly Circus, Circus Oz, and at NAISDA Dance College, using the physical language of acrobatics as a medium to create and develop new ways of translating Indigenous material in a way that correlates to dance choreography.

Bec & Scott (Fremantle)

BECK WILSON: is STRAWBERRY, LT DAN, MINKY YA YA and MA HICKS. She is a circus performer, director, musician and Manager of Fremantle Fairground Assoc Inc.

SCOTT HENMAN: is SCOTT CHOCOLATE, MC2, CAPITAN SLOG, THE GURU U.V. amongst many other names. Scott is a circus performer, stand up comic and musician from THE HICKS FAMILY (The Evil George Bush Band).

BECK & SCOTT are currently working towards their new show "BAD CLOWN" premiering at The Wild West Comedy Festival 2010. These two great Western Australian Talents will be at the 2010 Karridale Circus Festival… they might even perform.

Fairground Productions

A SPACE ODDITY

The Crew from A SPACE ODDITY will be landing at the 2010 Karridale Circus Festival. Two astronauts form the 20/20 crew will be exploring the Circus Festival Site, looking for signs of intelligent life. Thus furthering their mission to seek out freaks from far and wide and to watch some really good shows.

Dilip n the Davs (Fremantle)

Dilip n the Davs, a Freo based party collective, are one of the busiest dance bands in the port city. Their high energy, up tempo sounds never fail to get audiences grooving and moving wherever they play. With over 100 shows in the last 12 months at metro and country venues, they have been energising crowds with their funky reggae tinged sounds. If you are after pumping rhythms, infectious melodies and a jolly frolicsome time, you just got to dance with the DAVs !

www.myspace.com/davs

Polytoxic (Brisbane)

Efeso Fa'anana and Mark Winmill are two parts of the Brisbane performance/dance theatre independent collective, Polytoxic. Forming in 2000, Polytoxic has performed to acclaim throughout Australia with their unique performances that blend Pacific tradition, Aussie humour, flamboyance and subtlety, installation art and good ol? entertainment. Reinterpreting traditional ideas, their piece 'Happy-Sad Clowns ? is a cleverly pastiche of new fangled choreography, delightful theatrics and conceptual costume.

Chris Carlos (Melbourne)

Chris has been playing with fire for 7 years, specialising in contact staff. He has a Diploma in Theatre Arts and Circus Arts. This year he became the first specialist fire performer to be accepted into NICA. He is specialising in comedy acrobatics, acrobatic staff, adagio and russian bar. In 2009 Chris organised Melbourne's first Fire spinning convention - Spin Festival.

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Nick Candy (Perth)

Nick Candy is an extremely inexperienced plate spinner, having accidentally learnt the art whilst working as an apprentice chef in the infamous cod houses of Iceland. Amongst breaking other people?s crockery, Nick has more successfully performed adagio and duo aerial with Dawn Strindberg, and was a founding member of the potentially groundbreaking Icelandic national circus. He has performed in all the rooms of his house, and the ones with carpet on are the best. With 10 years performance experience in theatre, dance and circus, Nick brings a whole new theatrical dimension to the old spin the plate on the stick trick. Do you dare invite this man to dinner?

Blow (Fremantle)

Blow is a quintet of funk fortified musicians from the cosmopolitan back streets of Fremantle. Electro jazzin hip-hoppin dance magic erupts from this collective of young Turks! Sax dances with guitar, double bass and live elctro drums boogie on down with some funky beat boxin didj! Blow boasts some of W.A.?s hottest new jazz talent! Young guns Jack Dopel (sax) , Alex Dew (guitar) and Bronton Ainsworth (drums) as well as Gavin Gavino (double bass) and Japans master blaster Yass (didj) combine forces to conjour up a dances delight of energetic compositions and improvisations! Blow bend the blues, they rap and scat, break beats and alter chords. Blow are gonna funk you all night long! Blow will leave you breathless but wanting more!

http://www.myspace.com/blowskies

Michel Fouché (Perth)

Michel Fouché holds a Diploma in Circus Arts (CircoArts, NZ) and has performed and taught Magic and Circus in Australia, New Zealand and the USA (not to mention that card trick he did once for a small boy in Italy). He created "The Breakfast Lunch and Munch Show", a healthy-eating themed magic show which toured WA schools for two years and has also performed in almost every major venue in Perth. Michel specialises in comedy magic and is currently writing a one-man show based around the quirky character "Simon the Saucer-er". Excerpts from the show will debut at the 2010 Circus Festival.

www.flyingmagus.com

Sebastian Berger (Austria)

Sebastian Berger is a pioneer of modern staff manipulation. He will present an hommage to his home country Austria. All the myths and rumours about this unique society, living in mountains and communicating via yodeling will be revealed trough the fire staff juggling act: "there is no place like.."

www.staffmanipulation.com