Rising from the exact same roots as Western circus (which started in London in the 18th Century when trick-rider Philip Astley exposed the very first circus), Australian circus has created a unique different character. Particularly it was at the front of the progress of New (or Nouveau) Circus in the 1970s and 80s – throughout which time Circus Ounce and The Traveling Fruit Travel Circus were two of the largest players.

Formed in straattheater by the merger of two troupes, Soapbox Circus and New Collection Circus, Ounce was one of the first non-animal circuses to produce it huge, predating Cirque du Soleil by around six years. Politically determined, Oz operated on axioms of sex equality and combined control – the artists were at the center of the display, co-devising the material. As opposed to have just one single act per artist, the first shows found a tiny cast dealing with numerous tasks and dealing with multiple skills.

Formed the season following Oz, and occasionally working tightly together, The Flying Fresh fruit Fly Circus was a doing troupe, but did its most important function education small musicians who proceeded to join different circuses. In 1983 customers of China’s Nanjing Acrobatic Troupe participated in an exercise system with Good fresh fruit Fly that served train and spread Chinese circus professions (esoteric adjustment, ring diving, etcetera) throughout the Australian circus scene – a significant procedure of new skill.

Lots of the features of New Circus – perform without animals, usage of created substance, self-awareness and self-satire, start crossform training techniques – still occur in Australian circus today.

At the front of Australian modern circus, Circus Ounce are still going strong (they celebrated their 30th birthday in 2008), but you will find other, newer companies impacting the international scene. Tom Tom Team have observed great achievement pairing circus with hip-hop (their show mixes acrobatics, turntabulism and beatboxing), while ThisSideUp Acrobatics have been lauded due to their display Controlled Slipping Task, a skills-piece where the performers will be the pawns of a angry teacher whose studies find to try the restricts of the individual body. Acrobat are a three-person troupe creating work that embodies the name of these newest production, Smaller, Worse, Cheaper.