Circus Workshop

Benny teaches some enthusiastic kids how to stilt walk at a Newcastle Festival

Everybody should try circus at least once

Circus workshops are where Cirque Um Navigate began, and they remain at the heart of what we do.

For close to 20 years, we have taught children, educators, executives, tradespeople, office teams and thousands of other adults with every imaginable level of physical fitness.

Circus has something for all of them.

It is physically active without demanding athletic brilliance. It challenges the mind, encourages creativity and teaches us how to play. Most importantly, it gives everyone permission to be a beginner.

We are generally modest people. On this particular subject, we make an exception.

We believe ours may be the best travelling circus workshop in Australia.

An Entire Circus of Things to Try

We arrive with enough equipment to keep groups of almost any size moving, experimenting and discovering something new.

Depending on your group, participants may try:

Juggling balls, scarves and rings
Hula hoops
Spinning plates
Poi
Flower sticks
Diabolo
Balance and coordination challenges
Curious circus equipment they may never have encountered before

Throw. Drop. Repeat.

Circus teaches a wonderfully practical relationship with failure.

You throw the juggling ball. You drop the juggling ball. You pick it up and try again.

Nobody schedules a meeting about the ball. Nobody commissions a report into why the ball failed to meet expectations. You simply adjust, repeat and improve.

After a little practice, something that appeared impossible begins to happen. With further repetition, it becomes a skill. Given enough curiosity and persistence, it may even become mastery.

In corporate language, this might be called resilience, adaptability, creative problem-solving and a growth mindset.

Guided Circus Workshops

Our structured one- or two-hour workshops combine demonstrations, guided instruction and plenty of time to practise.

Experienced instructors introduce each skill, break it into achievable steps and help participants progress from:

“I cannot possibly do that.” to: “Did you see what I just did?”

Every participant works at their own level. Some discover a new skill quickly. Others experiment, encourage a friend or finally keep a plate spinning for three triumphant seconds.

There is always another challenge waiting.

Schools, Vacation Care & OOSH

Circus is a natural fit for school sport, movement and drama programs, as well as vacation care and OOSH incursions.

It gets children physically active while developing coordination, concentration, persistence and creative confidence. Participants learn that dropping something is not the end of the attempt—it is simply the part immediately before trying again.

A guided workshop can introduce an entire group to several circus disciplines, while longer sessions provide more time for exploration and skill development.

It is active, inclusive and tremendous fun.

Corporate Team Bonding

Put down the spreadsheet. Pick up a juggling ball.

We have taught circus skills to thousands of adults from a wide variety of industries, roles and levels of physical fitness.

Circus works particularly well for corporate groups because traditional workplace hierarchies tend to disappear when everyone is trying to spin a plate.

Unexpected experts emerge. Colleagues encourage one another. People who rarely work together share advice, laughter and the occasional runaway hoop.

A corporate circus workshop encourages:

Resilience and a healthier response to failure
Communication and cooperation
Physical activity
Creative problem-solving
Confidence through incremental progress
Playfulness and social connection
The discovery of unexpected talents

Participation can be relaxed and exploratory or structured around individual and team challenges.

Nobody needs previous experience, exceptional coordination or sequinned trousers.

Circus Playspace

For festivals, family days and events with other entertainment happening around them, our Circus Playspace provides a flexible, ongoing experience.

Guests can arrive, choose an activity, play for as long as they like and return later to try something else. Our circus facilitators remain present to demonstrate equipment, encourage participation and help people discover their next peculiar talent.

Because it does not depend on everyone arriving at the same time, the playspace is ideal for free-flowing events.

Children, parents, grandparents and adventurous adults can all participate at their own pace.

Circus After Dark

When the sun goes down, the circus can glow.

Our Circus Playspace can operate beneath UV lighting, transforming the equipment and activity area into a colourful after-dark experience.

Glowing circus equipment creates a highly visible destination within night markets, evening festivals, community celebrations and other night-time events. Guests can learn, play and experiment inside an atmosphere that feels entirely different once the lights come on.

Ask About Our UV Circus Playspace

Under the Big—or Rather Spiffy—Top

If your venue has the space, ask about our 12-metre shade star tent.

The tent provides valuable shade, gives the workshop a colourful home and creates a visible circus destination within a large outdoor event.

Guests can spot the activity from across the site and naturally wander over to discover what all the plate spinning is about.

Our workshops can also operate in school halls, classrooms, function rooms, covered outdoor spaces and other suitable venues. Tell us what you have and we’ll recommend the best setup.

Why Circus Works for Almost Everyone

Circus is not one skill.

A person who struggles with juggling may discover a talent for spinning plates. Someone reluctant to perform may enjoy quietly mastering flower sticks. A natural athlete may encounter something that requires patience rather than strength.

Children learn that repetition creates progress.

Adults remember how it feels to play.

Teams discover that encouragement works better than criticism.

Everyone leaves knowing something they did not know when they arrived.

That is why we have continued teaching circus for close to two decades—and why we genuinely want everyone to experience it.

Bring the Circus to You

Tell us about your group, venue and occasion. We’ll help you choose between a guided one- or two-hour workshop, an open Circus Playspace, an after-dark UV experience or a larger setup beneath our rather splendid star tent.

We’ll bring the equipment, the experience and several objects you may not yet know how to pronounce.

Book a Circus Workshop