BLAKflip 2014 – Corked Up!

CO_BLAKflip2014_TibianWyles_photo_RobBlackburnCelebrating the third year of the successful partnership with Annamila, BLAKflip – the Circus Oz program that creates pathways for professional development and performance in circus for First Nation Australians – kicks off this year with a month-­long intensive at Collingwood home of Circus Oz home culminating with the production of Corked Up!

The Circus Oz BLAKflip program has grown from the first masterclass in early 2012, which focused on skills development to an expanded four-week intensive program consisting of individual and group training, creative and show development.

This year the BLAKflip program features nine deadly participants from across Australia (some new to the program and others returning) including: Baykali Ganambarr, Shiralee Hood, Ally Humphris, Letina Hutchinson, Mia Robinson, Mark Sheppard, Elsie Smith, Tibian Wyles and musician James Henry composing for Corked Up!

Sailing through the air, from the burbs to the outback, Corked Up! delivers effortless aerials, bombastic burlesque and highly-­honed comedy, all hurled onto the stage of The Melba Spiegeltent by a glittering and rambunctious mob of acrobats, live musicians and comedians, guaranteeing to hit both the target and the bullseye – blackfella style; and will be an exciting, fast, rude, funny and intoxicating fusion of music, comedy and acrobatics.

Circus Oz Artistic Associate and Indigenous Programs Manager Joshua Bond teams up with Derek Ives to devise and direct Corked Up!

Joshua Bond is a cross-­artform performer, director and producer across circus, theatre, dance, film and television. Joshua is also the Artistic Director and Executive Producer of the critically acclaimed, award-­?winning and renowned Indigenous dance theatre ensemble Djuki Mala (The Chooky Dancers).

Derek Ives comes from a ‘new circus’ background. He was a founding member of Rock ‘n’ Roll Circus (Circa) in 1986, and has performed and directed with Circus Oz, Circus Monoxide, Club Swing, The Flying Fruit Fly Circus, The Famous Spiegeltent, Cirk Cirkor (Sweden) and The Dream Menagerie. Derek also devised and performed in the highly-­praised The Long Pigs at fortyfivedownstairs earlier this year.

BLAKflip – Corked Up!
The Melba Spiegeltent – Circus Oz, 35 Johnston Street, Collingwood
Season: 5 – 7 November 2014
Bookings: www.ticketbooth.com.au

For more information, visit: www.circusoz.com for details.

Image: Tibian Wyles – photo by Rob Blackburn