An integral element of the Games ceremonies was the aerial component and the producers relied heavily on the students and instructors from the National Institute of Circus Arts.

Commonwealth Games Opening Ceremony

Melbourne delivered a tremendously successful Commonwealth Games, and the standard was set from the first night with a stunning opening ceremony.

The ceremony created a playful account of childhood and the world of a child’s imagination. This theme of imaginative playfulness opened up great possibilities to use NICA’s skills in the extraordinary and challenging venue of the MCG.

NICA has never had such opportunity or challenge in showcasing our students’ skills, which were featured in two segments, Havoc Koalas and Rendezvous.

NICA’s second and third year acrobats featured in the Havoc Koalas segment, as part of a rescue scene in which the koala bears attempt to rescue a boy trapped on the iconic Arts Centre spire. This was part of a ‘falling dream’ which provided great potential for heart stopping aerial falls and rescues.

The loveable koalas caused mayhem on the ground with acrobatics, mini-tramp, three-high pyramids, slapstick and knockabout comedy, hindering the rescue process in every way. The act also featured aerial koalas by Legs on the Wall.

Each koala had a different character, and the costumes were individually designed to reflect their different personalities. Several costumes were quite technical; heads exploded off four of the bears; one bear’s arm was pulled so far that it extended to become a skipping rope; one bear lost his fur and was revealed ‘naked’.

The act evolved with a vibrant creative team including choreographer Jodie Farrugia, segment director Rose Myers, and NICA trainer Mat Daniels who workshopped the concept and tricks with the boys and also performed in the act.

Ascending to the sky to create a beautiful constellation were twenty NICA aerialists in the poignant aerial ballet act, Rendezvous. Performing to the music ‘Under the Milky Way’ by The Church, in unison the girls danced, somersaulted and swayed. They even lit up the night sky by releasing showers of golden stars. Choreographed by Gideon Obarzanek, the act included NICA students, dancers from the Australian Ballet, motorcross bikes and amateur dancers.

22 second and third year students rehearsed from November with NICA trainers Helene Embling and Kathryn Niesche to develop the repertoire of moves, performed at a height of 20 meters. The students learned to contend with full body harnesses, costumes with lights, pyrotechnics and rigging complexities; a challenging process given that the first time all elements were present all together was in the dress rehearsal. The final result in the words of NICA’s artists – awesome!

For both the Rendezvous and Havoc Koala teams, these three-minute segments demanded a huge amount of commitment with the total rehearsal time estimated at 90-100 hours. The students rose to the challenge, enduring unwieldy harnesses and costumes, hours of rehearsals and lengthy delays with patience, good humour and professionalism. The passion, creativity and dedication with which NICA trainers Mat Daniels, Helene Embling and Kathryn Neische undertook their work was also extraordinary. Working with massive external factors of rigging, lighting, sound, and an enormous cast and crew provided an immeasurable learning experience. Fiona Spurrell, NICA’s administrator, turned her hand to project managing the opening and closing ceremonies for NICA. She was the essential link between artists, trainers, M2006, riggers and NICA, and did a magnificent job.

The scale of these ceremonies was monumental in every respect and for all involved it was an amazing process to see them come to fruition. 

The Havoc Koalas		The Flying Ballerinas

Rock legends, Melbourne icons and flying Ednas; the Closing Ceremony of the XVIII Commonwealth Games was a party.

And NICA was in the thick of it, with over 25 minutes of featured aerial performance.

This celebration of Melbourne’s passion for arts and sport naturally featured the nexus of the two, circus arts. The NICA performers first made their appearance during Paul Kelly’s Leaps and Bounds, rising to heights of 18 metres on steel aerial rings. The ground-based component featured the Flying Fruit Fly Circus and Gymnastics Victoria.

Lisa Bickerton and No Mi Che

In a change of mood, Melbourne band the BodyRockers took to the stage with the dance track I Like The Way. NICA performers shot skywards wearing loud costumes and oversized 80’s wigs for this feature performance. The high energy, dynamic act featured sharp, synchronised body movements on the six spinning rings, making for a compelling vision.

The tone softened as Sarah Blasko sang the Crowded House classic Don’t Dream It’s Over, during which the aerial rings descended and were fitted by technicians in the pits below with a ring of lights. The students ascended once more, draped on the rings as if asleep, and as the rings illuminated the performers slowly ‘awakened’ to scatter snowflakes with languid, graceful movements.

Towards the end of the ceremony, NICA rejoined the party, with a mass tribute to Dame Edna Everage, Melbourne’s dame of Moonee Ponds. Dressed in purple wigs, the infamous winged glasses and brightly coloured costumes, the flying Edna’s multiplied images of Australia’s ‘loveable first lady’ soaring above the MCG. This part of the creative brief proved challenging at first for NICA aerial photographer Holly Rollins, who hails from the US and was unfamiliar with the iconic comedian.

The planning process for NICA’s involvement in the Closing Ceremony began in 2005 with talks between Ceremony Director Wayne Harrison, NICA Director Pamela Creed and NICA Head of Circus Guang Rong Lu to discuss the conceptual ideas of the aerial component. The aerial rings were custom designed by Mr Lu and purpose-built for the event, based on his specialised knowledge and a lifetime of experience in the circus industry.

Working to a vision of the overall ceremony, NICA trainer Holly Rollins brought the aerial project to fruition. Until the aerial rings were constructed, a German Wheel was hung to create a mock-apparatus for experimental movement. Mireille Goyette (Mimi) was brought in as rehearsal assistant, who also learned the routine in case a last minute replacement was needed. “It was a wonderful experience to be given a concept and then given free reign. It was an interesting project for me personally, and one that I had a lot of fun with”, Holly commented.

Nine students and three graduates returned from summer holidays early to begin intense rehearsals in January. It was a new and challenging experience for students, who had to get used to not only the harnesses and safety lunges but also learn to perform the choreography with in-ear communications. Ear pieces were added because acoustics in the MCG relayed the music to the performers later than the audience, and the performers would require a direct music feed in order to move on specific beats.

The rehearsal process was especially challenging in the final stages at the MCG when athletic events had priority over the space. Several rehearsals ran until 4am.The students dealt with such demands with consummate ease and professionalism, and the camaraderie of the team made rehearsals a joy. The creativity, hard work and passion of the team involved were evident in the polished, spectacular performance. The performance has been officially recognised in a commemorative stamp featuring Tiffany Holmes and James Loughron, now available from Australia Post.

It all came together in one big ‘bash’ which celebrated the success of the games for Melbourne.