Sprung Circus has regular visiting highly experienced specialist coaches. We catch them between performance circuits and make the absolute most of their inspiration and expertise while they are with our participants, fueling our training for following programs and creative development for performances.
2018 coaches
In 2018 our coaches included: Eric Jarlaud- juggler/unicyclist, aka The French Waiter, Eric the Red; Sam Hryckow- juggler/unicyclist, aka Mr Fish; Jassy Macs-Martin- tissu aerialist and former Spring Kids; Caesar- acrobalance; Ruby Rowat & Sharon Gruenert – Fruit Fly / NICA coach, artists with Circus Oz, Cirque du Soleil, and co-founders of Full Cream Circus; Malia Walsh- hoops; Megan Jones- 5yrs Artistic Director NICA; Gareth and Bronte from The Pitts Family Circus; plus all the amazing and wonderful coaches at the Australian Partner Acrobatics Convention and the National Training Program at Flying Fruit Fly.
Permanent long term coaches:
Mara has been working as a circus trainer for 20 years, with extensive experience in the Castlemaine/Daylesford region. Mara is a dedicated and active community member coordinating and organising many community events, festivals, and performances in particular involving young people and their engagement in these events with circus.
Mara has a wide range of interests including promoting the arts and cultural activites, tolerance, sustainable practices and promoting a healthy environment. After many years of dedicated training in several acrobatic forms of martial arts (Free Form, WuSu, and Capioera), family life refreshed her focus towards engaging children in physical activity through acrobatics and circus. At first the change was made in an effort to provide an appropriate physical practice for children that offered a wide range of physical challenges, and the Daylesford Community Circus School was born. But soon the potential for the positive ways the children could contribute to their community through performance, and the strong, trusting, creative friendships that were developing between children of varying ages and schools, hooked Mara into committing to providing circus in our communities for the long term.
Ange Izard. I have worked with Mara Macs on and off for many years – perhaps 10 – as backup to her lead role as coach and coordinator of Sprung Circus. Most of what I know about tumbling is due to her guidance and commitment to the group. No matter how tired I feel before a class, it is always worth the effort because of the students, Mara and the activity itself. Training and guiding the students through our various routines helps me improve and this, in turn, gives me insights into how better to support them in their learning. One of the things I love about tumbling is trying things that are challenging physically and by attempting them, and often failing, hopefully they see that what matters is giving something a red-hot go and that mastery is a process not an ending.