CircoArts

Graduate Story

Mark Shands

"I graduated with a Diploma in Circus Arts in 1997 and I'm currently based in Brisbane, Australia, where I work with my acrobatics partner, Rudi Mineur.

Why should I study Circus Arts at CPIT?

CPIT has drawn together a team of internationally respected tutors and performers to offer a programme of study unlike anything else offered in New Zealand.
The Diploma in Circus Arts covers a comprehensive array of circus, performance and body training skills to provide creative performers with the skills to excel in circus arts.
The fusion of circus with other performance media has enabled some of the most inspiring innovations in entertainment of recent times. Circus Arts offers a challenging and exciting career, both nationally and internationally, for motivated performers.

What are my career options upon completing the Diploma in Circus Arts?

Graduates of CPIT's Diploma in Circus Arts will have the skills and expertise to find employment as a performer in any of the following performing arts settings:

Circus arts
Street performance
Dance, mime and mask theatre
Cabaret and corporate performance
Community celebratory theatre
Experimental and festival theatre
Film and television
Mainstream theatre

What will I study?

New Circus as a genre has evolved significantly in recent times. It now spans a range of circus, theatre and comic disciplines that use the human body combined with expert coordination and dexterity as the primary tools for physical performance and expression. Subjects covered in the Diploma in Circus Arts include:

Circus Skills (aerials, acrobatics, juggling and manipulation, equilibristics)
Body Training (dance, yoga, Feldenkrais conditioning and exercise science)
Performance (physical theatre, clown and comedy, devising and performing),
History and comparative studies,
Business and risk management.

In the Performance course, students are required to devise and perform original material involving the integration of physical skills and various comic or dramatic performance approaches and techniques. Students present their work in a range of "real world" audience contexts; constructive feedback is offered throughout the process.

For more detailed information, view the course options for this qualification.

Watch Our Promotional Video

Part 1
83 sec:1.4 Mb (Approx Download Time 9mins)

Part 2
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Order a CircoArts DVD or CD online.

Where will I study?

The Diploma in Circus Arts is located at CPIT's central city campus on Madras St. The city of Christchurch offers a mix of old world charm and ready access to the arts, entertainment and recreational pursuits. It is this mix that makes Christchurch the ideal city for such a programme.

The CircoArts programme is housed in CPIT's historic Memorial Hall with eight-metre high rigging
points. Equipment includes:

Flying, swinging and static trapeze
Web rope, tissu, bungy, cloud swing
Trampolines, tumbling floors, foam pit
Tight wire, slack rope, unicycles, globe
Stilts, full range of juggling equipment
Mirrored dance studio

Students also have access to an extensive range of campus facilities
including:

24 hour computer access with internet and email for current students
CPIT's well-resourced library
Learning Services
Two caf�s
A health centre offering nursing, medical and counselling services
A recreation centre
The Christchurch Polytechnic Students Association (CPSA)

Want to find out more?

For further information, make an online enquiry or contact us