Recently Lisa embarked on a training programme to become an Instructor in Circus Arts through the internatoinal programme at Ecole Nationale de Cirque in Canada. And we asked Lisa to tell us all about her experience…

I wouldn’t normally toot my own horn but when Meg (Circus Factory Marketing) asked, I decided to get myself into gear! Thank you Meg for the gentle nudge to talk about my amazing experience over the last year. What am I on about? Well…

Instructor in Circus Arts International Programme

Last Summer, I was accepted into the Instructor in Circus Arts International Programme at Ecole Nationale de Cirque (ENC) in Montreal. This course was delivered online over the last year and covered invaluable modules for a well-rounded education in teaching within the circus industry. The course focused on recreational participation in circus for both adults and children. As an aerial teacher at Circus Factory Cork*, I enrolled to acquire a more formal understanding of aerial disciplines and broaden my knowledge of fundamental pedagogical styles for teaching physical literacy. While my background as an occupational therapist has greatly informed my teaching style, I felt that more specific knowledge within the modules they were offering could only enhance my skills as an aerial teacher.

Modules included:

• class management and pedagogy
• social circus
• fundamentals of rigging
• creation and production

All taught within the context of recreational circus. I also completed a teaching internship under the guidance and supervision of fellow aerialist and incredible teacher Hannah Gumbrielle (if you are based in Dublin, check out her classes and her upcoming show Malignant Humour in Dublin Fringe September 2024). 

*Lisa Wong is an aerial coach at Circus Factory specialising in Aerial Silks. Lisa frequently coaches beginner, advanced beginners, improvers and intermediates aerial silks. In 2023, Lisa performed Aerial Silks as part of The Pitch’d Festival Gala at the Everyman for Pitch’d Circus and Street Arts Festival. 

Instructor in Circus Arts in Montreal, Canada

After 9 months of assignments, assessments and my 90-hour internship, I travelled to Montreal for a week of in-person workshops. I had the pleasure of travelling with my good friend and fellow Circus Factory tutor Ciara O’Neill and one of my OG aerial besties from when I lived in Dublin and first started aerial, Lisa Carley (who teaches in Dublin); both of whom also completed the course. This week was one I will not forget in a hurry. The ENC facilities were amazing, however it was my fellow participants that really made this week special. I was part of a diverse group of 15 international circus artists, specialising in various circus disciplines, from Mexico, Switzerland, Canada, America, Columbia, Australia, as well as our little cohort from Ireland. 

Funny enough the week started with our graduation after our first day of workshops (cue the panic getting ready in the bathrooms beforehand). I graduated on the 9th of June 2024 (my birthday!), where there was a ceremony with the other students from ENC in La Tohu, a large theatre across from the school. Throughout the week I got to participate in workshops developing my skills in different circus apparatuses, while also developing my teaching skills. Our tutors were excellent role models who will continue to inspire me throughout my teaching practice.

Being Pushed Out of My Comfort Zone

While I got to reinforce my teaching skills in aerial, I also got to try my hand at things I had little experience in. This included juggling, rola bola, hand-to-hand, acrobatics, unicycle and hand balancing. One of the days was dedicated to Social Circus where we developed a workshop in the morning and got to facilitate the workshop in the afternoon for adults within the local area. This day was a particular highlight for me as you could see everyone really engaging with circus and enjoying themselves. It also pushed us teachers out of our comfort zones (me teaching juggling for one) by asking us to flex our teaching muscles during this wonderful workshop we had just planned together. Our week wrapped up as we learned about rigging fundamentals and got to inspect the amazing facilities within the ENC. 

It was a wonderful week of circus surrounded by excellent teachers in amazing facilities. I would recommend the course to anyone who wants to improve their confidence and skills in teaching circus as well as receiving the opportunity to be a student within ENC. I’m excited for the September Adult Circus term to kick off in Circus Factory as with great teaching power comes great teaching responsibility, which means more awful and fun conditioning coming your way! I’m looking forward to putting my new skills into practice and welcoming back our old students and meeting new students this coming term.

 

Mentioned in text (Instagram handles):

@li_wo
@itsmarketingmeg
@circusfactorycork
@gumbrielle
@malignanthumourtheshow
@pixieki
@carley.lisa
@ecolenationaledecirquemtl

 

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