The art of circus performance is coming to the Bowden Urban Village project site with the popular youth arts company Cirkidz taking up residence from today (April 15).

Forming a strategic partnership with the South Australian Government’s Land Management Corporation (LMC), which is planning the new medium density development, and the City of Charles Sturt Council, Cirkidz has secured a three year lease for a vacant building on the former Clipsal site before the structure is due for removal in 2014.

Cirkidz Chair Craig Harrison said “the Circus School will bring vibrancy and an immediate sense of community to the former industrial site, during its proposed transformation for residential living.”

Cirkidz will be moving to 46-54 Gibson Street, Bowden, just 800m from its current home.

The new premises will be the former “Plant 9” building that was part of the old Clipsal site and now central to the new Bowden Urban Village development which is awaiting final State Government approval. Cirkidz will take up residency from today and second term classes will commence in the new venue on Monday 2 May 2011.

“We are thrilled that Cirkidz will be moving to the Bowden Urban Village project site,” Mr Harrison said.

“Cirkidz was established and has grown up in the Bowden/Brompton area and to be able to find such a wonderful venue that suits the circus school and training needs of our artists and students is just brilliant.”

“The room for growth at a venue like this is very exciting,” Mr Harrison said.

LMC Chief Executive Wayne Gibbings said community partnerships will be key to the success of the Bowden Urban Village project and the three-year residency by Cirkidz is one good example of such a partnership. The site has a number of disused buildings that are available for re-use while the planned mixed-use development unfolds over the next 10-12 years.

“LMC is delighted to welcome Cirkidz to the Bowden Urban Village project site from April 2011,” Mr Gibbings said. “It’s a good use of an existing building not immediately required for the Bowden development that would otherwise be left vacant.”

“Their residency is part of the first stage of the Bowden Urban Village project’s activation and redevelopment plans.”

“Transforming this former industrial site into an attractive mixed-use walkable community for over 3,000 residents is a 10 to 12 year project – and it makes good sense for a well-loved local youth arts company like Cirkidz to be one of the first residents and to make use of the spaces that are currently available,” said Mr Gibbings.

Mr Harrison said the move to bigger facilities will allow the circus school and circus training capacity of Cirkidz to expand with demand.

“The Cirkidz circus school currently trains over 250 children and young people every week in a wide range of circus arts,” he said. “It will also mean new skills that we haven’t been able to offer in our current premises, will be added to the curriculum. These include Chinese pole, slack wire, & a higher tight wire!”

“The company also run circus skills workshops for schools, community groups and corporate clients all over South Australia, and the Performing Troupe is well-known for their high-quality roving and staged performances at festivals, events and in-theatre seasons,” Mr Harrison said.

Founded in 1986 by Tony Hannan and Michael Lester, Cirkidz began in the Bowden/ Brompton area as a workshop project to provide alternative recreation opportunities for disadvantaged young people in Adelaide’s industrial inner-western suburbs. They believed that circus skills’ training is an invaluable way to support social, physical and creative development in children and young people.

Today, it is the pre-eminent circus training centre in South Australia. Cirkidz continues to evolve and broadened its range of activities and this move offers a new and improved standard in training facilities for circus training.

If you are interested in finding out more about Cirkidz call the office on 08 8346 5735 or visit www.cirkidz.org.au.

Media contacts:

Cirkidz: Glen R Johns
0n, 8 8346 5735 or [email protected]

Bowden Urban Village project:

Eric Wisgard, LMC Communications Director
, 0400 747 149 or [email protected]

This Media Release was issued by Cirkidz on 15 April 2011.