National Institute of Circus Arts - Annual Report 2015

2015 graduate Steven Finnegan. Aaron Walker Photography.

2015 graduate Keely Tyler-Dowd. Aaron Walker Photography.

VISION MISSION GOALS

FROM THE CHAIR

FROM THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

HIGHLIGHTS

ACADEMIC PROGRAMS

PERFORMANCE PROGRAM

PROJECTS

NICA IN THE COMMUNITY MEDIA AND MARKETING

CIRCANICA

SPOTLIGHT ON CAREERS

NICA GRADUATE DESTINATIONS

NICA TEAM

CONFERENCES, PRESENTATIONS, FORUMS

SUPPORTERS AND PARTNERSHIPS

FINANCIAL REPORT

BY / BLICK CREATIVE

DESIGN

FRONT COVER / 2015 graduate Corie Hurry. Aaron Walker Photography.

VISION

NICA will be an internationally renowned Australian Centre of Excellence in education, training, performance and research in contemporary circus.

MISSION

EXCELLENCE

NICA will foster passion, creativity, and a high level of skill in its graduates who will be recognised as inspiring circus artists.

INNOVATION

NICA will deliver innovative training programs to talented students, whose work will re-imagine circus and provide stimulating, evocative and sometimes challenging performances.

LEADERSHIP

NICA graduates and staff will take a leadership role in shaping the Australian circus arts industry.

ACCESS

NICA will provide opportunities for a wide range of participants in its courses, workshops and performance program.

GOALS

■ Drive excellence and support world class endeavour and achievement in the education and training of circus artists.

■ Establish a strong regional, national and international presence.

■ Build a robust and sustainable organisation.

■ Build strong relationships with industry and the wider community.

■ Develop strong academic foundations that support a research culture and ensure quality in education and training.

2015 graduate Adam O’Connor-McMahon. Aaron Walker Photography.

2015 graduate Mark Graham. Aaron Walker Photography.

2015 graduate Jillibalu Riley Aaron Walker Photography.

CircaNICA artists and 2015 NICA graduates: Mark Graham and Steven Finnegan. Victorian Training Awards at the Crown Palladium. Julian Meehan Photography.

Second year student Hamish Norris. Aaron Walker Photography.

2015 graduates Marty Evans and Maggie Fayne. Aaron Walker Photography.

I am delighted to present the 2015 Annual Report for the National Institute of Circus Arts (NICA). This was a year of growth and innovation with a number of new initiatives introduced. NICA continues to produce elite circus artists who are positioning themselves well in the global industry.

The NICA Board of Directors had a productive year as it considered future initiatives for the sustainability and growth of the organisation. The Board approved in principle a draft Master Plan to provide for the future longevity of the NICA premises in terms of infrastructure, plant and equipment. This will be a long term project that will require funding support, but NICA is now in a position to adopt a systematic refurbishment and extension to the current buildings. The Board looks very much forward to seeing the Master Plan come to fruition over the next five to ten years.

The Board also commissioned and approved in principle a fundraising plan that will see NICA host a number of activities to raise its profile, engage the community and attract sponsorship for a variety of projects. I look forward to working with the Board as we implement this plan commencing in 2016.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank the Pratt Foundation, the Sun Foundation and the City of Stonnington Council for their generous support in 2015. The funding helped support students in their studies, assisted with travel costs for the international study tour, supported our community Youth Circus Finale and also allowed NICA to bring international expertise to Melbourne for artistic direction of shows and masterclasses. Our relationship with these organisations is very much valued and appreciated.

I would like to acknowledge the hard work and exceptional dedication of the NICA staff that work tirelessly to create an amazing experience for the

students. The culmination of their efforts is observed at the many performances. I would particularly like to acknowledge Rose Stephens, the Executive Director, and thank her on behalf of the Board, not only for her exceptional leadership and management of NICA, but also the quality of her support to the Board.

The Board also saw some changes in personnel during the year. I would like to sincerely thank outgoing members Luke Sheehy, David Stevens and Bryan Rossi for their service and commitment to their governance responsibilities. I would also like to extend a warm welcome to incoming member Robbie Robertson. A number of vacancies will be filled early in the new year with approval from the Swinburne University Council.

This year saw a new six-year funding agreement signed with the Ministry for the Arts. The Board was pleased to receive such support from the Australian Government and thanks them for implementing this initiative, showing good faith in NICA’s achievement of key goals. The long term agreement will ensure security and allow for better future planning.

I do hope you enjoy reading this report which provides details of NICA’s activities including shows and projects in what was a colourful and exciting year. Thank you to all who contributed to the report and a big thank you to all the staff who worked so hard to make 2015 a significant year of achievements.

PROFESSOR JENNELLE KYD CHAIR

The 2015 NICA Annual Report is a record of the many undertakings and successes that moved us further towards the achievement of the NICA Strategic Plan 2015 – 2018. With the support of the NICA Board and the NICA community, 2015 saw a number of innovations and interesting projects take place. I thank everyone involved in facilitating and supporting these successful endeavours.

The following pages describe in detail another successful year: performance highlights, news about our community outreach programs, international and national projects, graduate destinations and a range of events of special mention. NICA finished the year on a solid note financially, which augurs well for future investment in our infrastructure and promoting the sustainability of the organisation.

NICA continued to strengthen our relationship with Swinburne University of Technology during 2015. I attended meetings as part of the Faculty of Health Arts and Design (FHAD) Executive Committee and Dr Katrina Rank attended meetings as part of the FHAD Academic Committee. NICA students and graduates also performed at a number of Swinburne events. I would like to thank Swinburne University for its ongoing support of NICA and our activities, including Study Abroad and Higher Education Participation Program (HEPP) funding which enabled many important initiatives to take place in 2015.

We were again supported well by the local and national circus industry with workshops, masterclasses, industry panel meetings and critiques for our graduating students, visiting directors and internships for our staff and students. In particular, I send a big thank you to Circus Oz for working with us on new initiatives to encourage indigenous youth into the performing arts arena. I would also like to thank the Flying Fruit Fly Circus (FFFC) for its continued support of our programs, Circa and the Australian Circus & Physical Theatre Association (ACAPTA) for their input, and the many independent artists and NICA graduates who contributed to a great 2015.

Our achievements would not be possible without the dedicated staff who put in so much effort to ensure that NICA produces a high level of artistic output, maintains sound business systems and governance, and raises its profile. I wish to express my gratitude to all for another productive year with many more to come.

ROSE STEPHENS EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

2014 graduate Rowan Thomas. Julian MeehanPhotography.

2015 graduate Elke Uhd. Aaron Walker Photography.

2015 graduate Jillibalu Riley. Aaron Walker Photography.

JANUARY

NICA enrolled 111 students in its accredited courses.

NICA’s Head of Circus Mr Guang Rong Lu was awarded a Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM).

NICA hosted a workshop for 175 international scholarship students from The University of Melbourne as part of their O Week activities.

Twenty CircaNICA acrobats performed in the opening ceremony of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Asian Cup at AAMI Park Stadium.

MARCH

Aerial artist Rosalie Dumarche, a graduate of the École nationale de cirque (Montreal’s national circus school) and performer with Cirque Du Soleil, conducted two aerial masterclasses at NICA.

Cast members from Cirque du Soleil’s TOTEM visited NICA.

Trash Test Dummies produced by 2012 NICA graduates Jamie Bretman, Jack Coleman and Simon Wright won the Banksia Award for Best Children’s Presentation at the Adelaide Fringe Festival. Briefs The Second Coming, featuring 2008 NICA graduate Thomas Worrell, also who won the Banksia Award for Best Circus and Physical Theatre at the festival.

APRIL

A roue Cyr masterclass with Alexander Lane was held at NICA.

CircaNICA performer Simon Wright performed in the Autumn School Holiday live tour of Giggle & Hoot and Friends.

MAY

The Governor of Victoria

The Honourable Alex Chernov AC QC presenting Mr Lu with his OAM.

FEBRUARY

Jo De Carvalho of Circus Kumarani in Dargaville conducted a Cyr wheel workshop for NICA students, staff and graduates.

NICA’s second year performance PESCADO–A Circus Cabaret Fusion opened for a sell-out season.

James Merlino MP held the launch of the Victorian State Schools Spectacular at NICA with media in attendance.

The winners of the Gasworks Circus Showdown were Byron Hutton and Richard Sullivan (2013 NICA graduate) who presented JUGG LIFE. The runners up were Tim Rutty (2013 NICA graduate) and Tarah Carey (former NICA staff member and actor) of Gravity Dolls who presented My Life in Boxes

JULY

NICA’s LAST ORDERS! Circus Showcase 2015 opened.

AUGUST

The City of Stonnington’s Glow Winter Arts Festival included performances from the NICASparks and CircaNICA artists.

Five final year students performed in the opening act of the Victorian Training Awards at Crown Palladium, in collaboration with dancers from Patrick Studios Australia.

SEPTEMBER

NICA’s Certificate III students took part in the 2015 Victorian State Schools Spectacular What’s Your Story?

NICA Executive Director Rose Stephens and Academic Leader Dr Katrina Rank presented and chaired sessions at the National Youth Circus Symposium as part of the 2015 Mullum Circus Festival.

NOVEMBER

Circus Oz Blakflip auditions were held at NICA.

NICA’s first year performance, Death is not the end and Certificate IV student showing took place.

NICA’s third year ensemble Born in Sawdust opened.

NICA’s 2015 Presentation Day was held in the NICA National Circus Centre.

The NICASparks presented a new show The Travelling Treasure Trove as part of the Roola Boola Children’s Arts Festival to a sold-out crowd.

NICA connected with the Koren Gamadji Institute as part of the National Aboriginal and Islander Day Observance Committee (NAIDOC) week and brought indigenous youth together as part of the Richmond Emerging Aboriginal Leaders (REAL) Indigenous Leadership Program.

NICA announced it was “casting the net wider than ever before” as part of the 2015 audition tour.

CircaNICA produced and presented The Dinosaur Show for the Winter Holiday Program at Scienceworks.

OCTOBER

NICA’s Executive Director Rose Stephens and First Year Coordinator Diana Zhang travelled to China as distinguished guests of the Wuqiao International Circus Festival. They also had the opportunity to see 2014 graduates Lucas Simonds and Teame Ersie starring in the newest Dalian Wanda Group and Franco Dragone Entertainment Group production The Dai Show in Xishuangbanna.

NICA and Circus Oz collaborated to deliver a series of workshops at the Bendigo and District Aboriginal Co-operative’s Koori Football and Netball Carnival.

Federal Member for Higgins Kelly O’Dwyer attended NICA to announce a historic $17.5 million funding agreement (over six years) through the Australian Government’s Ministry for the Arts.

CircaNICA aerialists abseiled down the front of the Westfield building in Sydney to launch the Myer Christmas Giftorium.

DECEMBER

NICA’s Youth Circus Finale Surf’s Up! took place.

CircaNICA Cyr wheel artist Daniel Price performed a three-week season in a Christmas show at the Grand Indonesia Mall in Jakarta.

2013 graduate Hannah Trott taking part in the Alexander Lane roue Cyr masterclass. Julian Meehan Photography.

BACHELOR OF CIRCUS ARTS

The 2015 Bachelor of Circus Arts program saw a major review of the performance program, international visitors, the development of online and digital learning and assessment tools, and greater integration between units and assessments.

The performance program review was a comparative study of NICA’s current curriculum and processes against those of the international schools who exhibit best practice in performance. The review found much to be proud of and some areas for curriculum refinement, which was a focus for the latter part of the year and into 2016.

Other major achievements were:

■ the introduction of performance in circus training units via Friday Feats (Friday Feats is an informal 10 minute improvisation platform aimed at artistic development for students)

■ the implementation of holistic and complementary assessment structures

■ the introduction of individual student progress reviews

■ a successful second year study tour to the USA and Canada.

CERTIFICATE IV IN CIRCUS ARTS

In 2015 the newly accredited 10111NAT Certificate IV in Circus Arts was implemented.

Greater clarity of unit design and integration between the performance and group act units led to a more practical and meaningful experience for students. An indicator of student satisfaction and teaching success was the high level of skills exhibited by students, with nine offered places in the 2016 Bachelor of Circus Arts degree.

CERTIFICATE III IN CIRCUS ARTS

In 2015 the newly accredited 10110NAT Certificate III in Circus Arts was implemented.

Students study this course over two years (Years 11 and 12), gaining credits towards their VCE program.

Two Certificate III students were also offered places in the 2016 Bachelor of Circus Arts degree.

INTRODUCING DANCE TO NICA

In 2015 NICA had the opportunity to auspice dance qualifications for two companies: Patrick Studios Australia (PSA) and Left Leg Studio (LLS). This involved over 100 students who were in full-time dance courses with the two companies. The partnerships were designed to provide

highly talented students with qualifications ranging from Certificate II, III & IV in Dance to the Diploma of Musical Theatre.

As well as providing quality assurance, moderation and validation of assessments, NICA was able to support young people to achieve qualifications through the Victorian Training Guarantee funding. The partnerships meant a busy time for all, but the results achieved were outstanding. Supporting young artists through a new mechanism was both challenging and rewarding. The students involved thoroughly enjoyed their courses and produced excellent results in final performances.

INDUSTRY CONNECTIONS AND EXCHANGES

Industry connections were a major focus in 2015 with many visiting guests, speakers and national and international exchanges. By creating relationships with external partners we forge resilient connections with

the industry and other arts organisations which can lead to innovative cross arts collaborations, greater international cooperation and development of improved training and teaching programs.

In 2015, NICA:

■ reviewed the approach to student industry placements and teacher exchanges to support suitable opportunities as they arose

■ arranged teacher and professional staff exchanges with schools in Vietnam, Belgium and London

■ sent students and staff to circus festivals in Montreal and Mullumbimby, where they gained valuable industry experience

■ enabled students to participate in national festivals in South Australia, Victoria and Western Australia

■ invited international and national performance teaching staff, directors and post-graduate students to run projects with the students (NIDA NSW, Cirkus in Beweging Belgium, Circus Space UK).

Dance students from Patrick Studios Australia. Sean Higgins Photography.

DEVELOPING REFLECTIVE PRACTICE –i PAD PROJECT

The iPad Project was an action research program designed to develop teaching practice and learning strategies using accessible technology. A grant provided by Swinburne University supported the program, Media technology implemented as a pedagogy tool for physical assessment. The program explored the use of iPads and the application “Coach’s Eye” to enhance reflective skills especially around student-centred movement analysis, the provision of feedback and application of student assessment. Academic Leader Dr Katrina Rank led a number of staff in the project, working with a pilot student group. As a result of the project, iPad technology will be further implemented at NICA to enhance teaching and learning practice. This will inform the ongoing refinement of pedagogy at NICA.

INTERNATIONAL STUDY TOUR

Seventeen of NICA’s second year students and three NICA trainers took part in a study tour to the USA and Canada in June and July 2015. The group spent three weeks in Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Quebec City and Montreal. The students had many incredible experiences during this time including visiting the Grand Canyon; attending Cirque Du Soleil performances of O, Michael Jackson ONE and Love; backstage tours; training at the Quebec circus school; seeing over 12 circus shows in Montreal; attending tours of the Cirque du Soleil headquarters; meeting the casting directors of Cirque du Soleil, 7 Fingers and Cirque Éloize; and training at the École nationale de cirque (Montreal’s national circus school). This study tour was generously supported by the Richard Pratt Creative Fellowship with added support from Swinburne Abroad.

2015 international study tour. Backstage tour of Cirque du Soleil with NICA graduate (2006) Emma Henshall.

Photo by Vasily Ivanov.

First year student Elise Jaworowski performing in Death is not the end Aaron Walker Photography.

MASTERCLASSES

During 2015, a number of international artists offered professional masterclass opportunities to NICA students, staff, alumni and circus industry professionals.

These masterclasses were designed to inspire creative exploration of various apparatus and promote the development of original cutting edge artistry, in both performance and act creation.

Masterclasses offered in 2015:

MAR Rosalie Ducharme, Cirque du Soleil

Aerial Masterclass

APR Alexandre Lane, Cirque Noir

Roue Cyr Masterclass

OCT Juan R ueda, Cirque Éloize

Pole Masterclass

NOV Emma Ser jeant and Jamie Robson, Casus. The Art of Flow: A movement improvisation masterclass

AUDITIONS

A total of 66 young people were successful in gaining entry into the first year of the Bachelor of Circus Arts, the Certificate III in Circus Arts or Certificate IV in Circus Arts in 2015. Applicants came from the USA, Canada, UK, New Zealand and across Australia.

STUDENT NUMBERS

Student numbers (including returning students):

Bachelor of Circus Arts (3rd year) 16

Bachelor of Circus Arts (2nd year) 25

Bachelor of Circus Arts (1st year) 30

Cer tificate IV in Circus Arts 23

Cer tificate III in Circus Arts 17

ARTISTS IN CONVERSATION

Held monthly, the Artist in Conversation seminars connect the NICA community with practicing artists and provide an opportunity for students and staff to engage with artists about the creation of their work, the global circus landscape and employment opportunities.

In 2015, the following artists contributed to these sessions:

FEB Com pany Two

Artistic director and cast of Scotch and Soda

MAR Cir que du Soleil

Artistic director and cast of TOTEM

APR Cir que Noir

Associate director, choreographer and cast of The Dark Side of Cirque

MAY Spieg elworld

Cast of Absinthe

Casus

Ar tistic director and NICA Graduate (2006) Emma Ser jeant

AUG NIC A International Study Tour

Second year students and staff

Broome Community Circus Project

NICA trainer Andrea Ousley and NICA students Jillibalu Riley and Miriam Cawley

JUL NIC A Graduate (2008) Juan Rueda

SEP NIDA

Head of Movement Gavin Robins

OCT Les 7 Doigts de la Main

Cas t

Cir que Éloize Performers and director

NOV Vietnam Vaudeville and Circus Arts

Secondary School

NICA Trainer Tegan Carmichael and exchange participants

Br iefs

Cast member and NICA Graduate (2008)

Thomas Worrell

PESCADO— A CIRCUS CABARET FUSION

13–16 May 2015

NICA Movement Studio

Directed by Hayden Spencer and Carita Farrer Spencer

NICA presented a sell-out season of PESCADO in the intimate setting of the NICA Movement Studio. PESCADO submerged audiences in a wonderful world of piscean characters, outstanding circus skills and tongue-in-gill silliness. Twenty multi-talented artists presented high level circus skills: tightwire, hula hoops, acrobatics, clowning, aerial straps, handstands, roue Cyr and tissu along with a good dose of humour, live music and quirk.

Audience numbers

1,437 spectators

Each act is a carefully interwoven expression of an aspect of life in or around the sea, and the circus skill being executed. The commitment to character is impressive, going beyond clever costume and set design, and extending to many performers taking on a personification of their seacreature character.”

– Megan Hanson, ArtsHub

15 May 2015

Second year students from left: Hugo Bladel, Maxine Gigliotti, Sarah Gray and Tara Silcock. Aaron Walker Photography.

LAST ORDERS! CIRCUS SHOWCASE 2015

11–20 June 2015

NICA National Circus Centre

Directed by James Brown and Helene Embling

LAST ORDERS!

associated with being a high-class waiter, while drawing inspiration from the classic, time-honoured Parisian waiters’ race of the 1930s. Set in an alluring and intimate venue equipped with a full bar and cabaret seating, 16 artists performed incredible acts specially selected from the menu and made to order. At this café, the plat-du-jour consisted of: Chinese pole, tightwire, hula hoops, acrobatics, clowning, aerial straps, handstands, hand balancing, juggling, single point trapeze and tumbling.

Audience numbers

1,877 spectators

Of all NICA’s performances I have seen to date, Last Orders! has to be my favourite for many reasons; the variety of music, the costumes, lighting and stage setting all combine to make for an immensely enjoyable show for everyone. Laughs are plentiful, emotions are raw, and talent is bountiful.”

– Erica L, Weekend Notes 15 Jun 2015

2015 graduates Adam O’Connor-McMahon and Steph Mouat. Aaron Walker Photography.

BORN IN SAWDUST

18–28 November 2015

NICA National Circus Centre

Directed by Gavin Robins

Born in Sawdust is a Russian phrase to describe someone born into the circus. Directed by internationally acclaimed director Gavin Robins, this production celebrated the rich histories of both circus performers and their trainers. Born in Sawdust incorporated digital technology to explore the interplay of projected silhouettes and live circus performance. The performance acrobatically intercut between the shadows of the past and the performers of the present only to discover how connected the two worlds were.

The striking digital projections in the performance were developed by students from Swinburne University of Technology’s Advanced Diploma of Screen and Media (Film & TV) under the guidance of Program Coordinator Lisa Robins. This production also saw collaborations between NICA and Melbourne Polytechnic’s Diploma of Costume for Performance and Diploma of Live Production and Technical Services students.

Audience numbers

2,098 spectators

Ever wondered what it would be like to be a circus performer? It isn’t all laughs and clowning around. ‘Born in Sawdust’, the new show at the National Institute of Circus Arts (NICA), will captivate you with stories of love, loss, and inspiration — the journey of a circus performer.

... You don’t need to wait for Cirque Du Soleil to see great circus! NICA presents top performers and entertaining circus at great value.”

– Ember M, The Plus Ones

24 Nov 2015

2015 graduate Elke Uhd. Aaron Walker Photography.

BACHELOR OF CIRCUS ARTS FIRST YEAR SHOWING, DEATH IS NOT THE END

The 2015 first year showing took place from the 14–16 October in the NICA Movement Studio. The three show season was performed to an audience of family, friends and NICA peers. Co-directed by NICA’s Movement Studies Coordinator Meredith Kitchen and award winning entertainer Aurora Kurth, Death is not the end took a light-hearted look at death and the macabre. The performance utilised the versatile skills of first year students through ensemble circus work, dance, and singing and was very well received.

CERTIFICATE IV IN CIRCUS ARTS, SHOWING

On 12 November students from the Certificate IV in Circus Arts presented their Showing to a supportive audience of family, friends and NICA peers. This quirky and engaging performance was directed by Hayden Spencer, a Helpmann Award nominee and former clown with Cirque du Soleil. Students showcased a range of aerial and ground-based acts while turning the humble cardboard box into a work of art. This was a quirky and impressive first performance.

VICTORIAN STATE SCHOOLS SPECTACULAR, WHAT’S YOUR STORY?

Students from the Certificate III in Circus Arts participated in the 20th anniversary of the Victorian State Schools Spectacular, the biggest live music production in Victoria of its kind. What’s Your Story? gave these emerging artists an opportunity to work with well-known director and actor Neill Gladwin at the Hisense Arena, with a cast of over 3,000 children, dancers, musicians and a large scale choir. There were two performances on Saturday 12 September featuring aerial tissu, aerial hoop, aerial harness, adagio, juggling, plate spinning and contortion.

Certificate III student Maxx Parsons at the Victorian State Schools Spectacular.

Photo by Kathryn Niesche.

BROOME WA

In June and July of 2015 third year students Miriam Cawley and Jillibalu Riley undertook an internship opportunity in Broome, Western Australia and surrounding communities. Miriam and Jilliy travelled with NICA’s Social Circus Coordinator Andrea Ousley for two weeks. They spent time with Sandfly Circus, Theatre Kimberly and Bayulu Remote Community School (Fitzroy Crossing Community School). They offered train-the-trainer classes, NICA audition preparation workshops, professional development for Sandfly trainers and assisted in a performance at the Bayulu Remote Community School, Upside-down Stories.

KINTORE NT

In July 2015 NICA partnered with Red Dust Role Models for the first time. NICA took part in their Remote Healthy Living Program in Walangkura Primary, Kintore, Walangura NT working with children from pre-prep to junior secondary school. NICA Role Models Andrea Ousley and Christian Schooneveldt-Reid taught a variety of circus skills, and supported teachers and other role models in the classroom and in swimming and softball activities.

PRAHRAN VIC

The Prahran Child and Youth Community Wellbeing Hub is located on the Horace Petty Housing Estate in South Yarra and provides socio-emotional and recreational activities and support for young people from the local area aged 5 – 15 and their families. Stonnington Adventure Playground makes up part of the hub and in 2015 NICA returned to launch a six-month program (running until mid-2016). This program was held at both the Adventure Playground and NICA facilities. At NICA, participants explored both ground and aerial work and at the playground they were able to make use of the much loved in-ground trampoline. This project was able to take place thanks to generous support from the City of Stonnington through a 2015/16 Community Grant.

BENDIGO VIC

NICA collaborated with Circus Oz to deliver a series of workshops in Bendigo on 17 October at the Bendigo and District Aboriginal Co-operative’s Koori Football and Netball Carnival. NICA and Circus Oz delivered workshops in circus skills such as hula hoops, plate spinning, devil sticks and juggling. Over 3,000 Indigenous participants attended the carnival.

In 2015 NICA took part in a number of national and international initiatives.

Participants in the Red Dust Project.

Photo by Andrea Ousley.

MULLUMBIMBY NSW

In September 2015 four NICA students: Keely TylerDowd, Corrie Hurry, Steph Mouat and Jonathan Morgan undertook internships with the Mullum Circus Festival. As well as participating in the festival training, the students worked alongside members of the festival team in stage management, lighting and sound. The internship was an opportunity to meet a broad cross-section of the Australian circus community and learn valuable production skills.

AUS, UK & BELGIUM

During November and December 2015 NICA was very lucky to host two international guests as part of the Suitcase Circus SCREAM (Social Circus; recognising educational activity methodologies) project. In partnership with the organisation Everything is Possible, SCREAM is funded by the Erasmus+ Program of the European Union. NICA’s guests were Rika Taeymans, Founder of Cirkus in Beweging in Belgium, and Beth King, Head of Participation and Outreach at London’s National Centre for Circus Arts (NCCA, previously known as Circus Space). Both guests had a two week stay at NICA and the FFFC.

During her time at NICA Rika delivered a 50 minute workshop sharing the techniques she has developed and published in her book Jack’s Acrobatics. This book is, “A guide to help develop the relationship between kids and parents through challenging games and movement play.” The techniques in the book explore concepts of concentration, strength, coordination, balance and collaboration.

A large focus of Beth’s role at the NCCA is working on youth progression from recreational training to further and higher education circus courses within the UK. Beth was able to facilitate many important discussions and spark conversations around the areas of higher education circus courses and training progression for youth during her stay at NICA.

NICA and the FFFC are the only Australian organisations that are part of the Suitcase Circus SCREAM project, along with a number of circus schools across Europe and South America.

HANOI VIETNAM

In collaboration with the FFFC NICA trainer Tegan Carmichael travelled to Hanoi, Vietnam on exchange to work with the Vietnam Vaudeville and Circus Arts Secondary School. Tegan worked with staff and students to develop their basic and specialty skills. As part of the exchange three young graduates from the school, who are currently training to be teachers, spent November 2015 in Australia working at the FFFC and NICA. This was a fantastic opportunity to build relationships between the international schools and make new friends.

Human pyramid building as part of the Broome project. Photo by Andrea Ousley.

Christian SchooneveltRied and Andrea Ousley, Kintore NT.

The Short Course Community Program attracted over 3,225 participants and included classes for children, teenagers and adults. More than thirty classes were opened to the public each term, offering opportunities to learn and develop skills such as contortion, handstands, trampoline, hula hoops, tissu, tumbling and trapeze at all levels.

The program employed over 30 trainers including second and third year NICA students, NICA graduates and industry professionals.

PROGRAMS

40%

Adult classes

Children’s classes

16%

35% Teen classes

9%

Adult Advanced

Taking a bow at the Youth Circus Finale. Julian Meehan Photography.

Short Course participant. Julian Meehan Photography.

NICA YOUTH CIRCUS FINALE SURF’S UP!

Two shows were presented in the NICA National Circus Centre on Saturday 5 December 2015. Each show included six community circus classes and ran for approximately 50 minutes. Directed by NICA staff Paula McKaskill, Hannah Gott and Andrea Ousley, Surf’s Up! allowed 140 young participants to present their growing circus talents to a supportive audience. The event also featured the NICASparks Youth Performance Troupe and was attended by more than 450 family and friends.

PRIVATE TUITION

As an added service to the public and circus industry professionals, NICA continued to offer private tuition. Private tuition is ideal for those looking to train in a discipline that isn’t covered by a short course or wanting focused training to boost their skills to the next level. In 2015, 91 participants took up the opportunity to learn from NICA’s experienced trainers in personalised sessions for apparatuses such as: aerial straps, double trapeze, roue Cyr, flying trapeze and tightwire.

SCHOOL HOLIDAY PROGRAM AND WORKSHOPS

The popularity of the School Holiday Program continued to grow with specialty shows and activities, as well as fun and active circus workshops. Come and Try classes were offered four times throughout the year for those after a taste of circus. NICA hosted 46 workshops with 1,800 participants throughout 2015, welcoming schools, corporate and private groups into the space. A highlight of the workshop series was hosting 175 international scholarship students from The University of Melbourne as part of their O Week activities in January 2015. The students participated in a morning of games, circus workshops and team building exercises.

OPEN TRAINING

NICA’s Open Training Program continued to provide a safe training space for NICA students, staff, graduates and other circus professionals throughout 2015. Individuals and groups applied to train in the NICA space outside of NICA’s scheduled class hours, including international circus artists visiting Melbourne.

Youth Circus Finale. Julian Meehan Photography.

NICA welcomed major television networks, newspapers, photographers, international film crews and freelance journalists to a range of events throughout 2015. The organisation continued to expand upon its reach and raise brand awareness, securing a diverse range of coverage both nationally and internationally.

Print and radio coverage grew in all Australian states and territories (excluding Victoria) by 20% and 44% respectively in 2015. There was a reduction of 6% overall in print coverage due to the trend towards digital distribution. Stories broadcast nationally on television grew by 30%.

As part of a new initiative, from June to October, NICA ran an auditions and general profile publicity campaign alongside a targeted advertising campaign. This initiative promoted the pre-audition workshops and the audition tour. A good mix of coverage was achieved across both the city and regional centres. Strong television coverage was also achieved with stories on both ABC News Evening and Breakfast editions, and Channel Nine’s TODAY show. As part of the advertising campaign a video was made for release on Facebook. This received 111,858 views and resulted in 18,394 clicks through to the NICA website.

In 2015 NICA worked again with Mollison Communications and would like to thank the Mollison team for their hard work on several successful campaigns.

HIGHLIGHTS

China Central Television (CCTV) filmed a feature story on Mr Lu and circus in Australia (20 February). Footage included Mr Lu teaching at NICA and students training.

A large colour photograph from PESCADO appeared on the front cover of Melbourne’s MX newspaper (11 May).

ABC News filmed the WA pre-audition workshop. The story included interviews with NICA Instructor Bonnie Blewitt and students (13 July).

ABC News reporter Jordan Hayne and film crew attended the pre-audition workshop in the ACT. Footage was aired on the state-wide news (18 July).

Channel Nine’s TODAY show filmed a segment at NICA. Presenter Elise Baker participated in a range of classes and promoted the auditions (21 August).

Second year student Hugo Bladel featured on the front page of the Tasmanian newspaper, The Mercury (10 August).

ABC News filmed circus training at NICA and interviewed staff and students. The story featured on ABC News Evening and Breakfast editions, and on ABC News 24 around the country (17 August).

Producer Clare Rawlinson from 774 ABC Melbourne attended the NICA auditions in Melbourne. Audio from this was aired on Afternoons with Libbi Gore (23 September).

HOW WE CONNECT

80,324

NICA website received 80,324 visits in total from 50,275 unique visitors.

10,000

E-newsletter – over 10,000 people subscribed.

5,004

NICA’s Facebook grew to over 5,004 likes in 2015.

1,600

NICA’s Twitter account also attracted many new followers.

MEDIA STATISTICS 2015

Second year student Hugo Bladel spinning soccer balls for Nine’s TODAY show. Photo by Georgia Mill.

2015 graduate Erin Murphy. Aaron Walker Photography.

TODAY show presenter Elise Baker learning to Juggle at NICA. Photo by Georgia Mill.

The parade went amazingly last Friday! Ella was incredible. We’ve had feedback saying this parade was the best we’ve ever done… Once again, it was lovely to work with her and the cube performance was an absolute hit.”

– Juliana Mare, Intimo Lingerie

(Fashion Parade, 9 January 2015)

CircaNICA artist and 2003 NICA graduate Avan Whaite performing at the Windsor & Co Block Party. Photo provided by Chapel Street Association Inc.

CircaNICA artist Chris Carlos. Photo provided by the City of Stonnington.

CircaNICA continued to build its reputation as an Australian premier supplier of contemporary circus entertainment. In 2015, CircaNICA secured contracts providing artists and creative services. The agency employed performers, including both NICA graduates and circus industry professionals.

Since 2003, the agency has provided talent for short and long term contracts, produced commissioned performances and secured on-going bookings with corporate and private clients, event management agencies, community organisations and venues across Australia.

A big thank you to Hannah - not only was she a delight to work with, her performance was beautiful! And also a big thank you to you - I love working with NICA and with you!”

– Victor Goldsztein, Victor Goldsztein Event Management (APPEA Conference, 19 May 2015)

CLIENT SECTOR REPORT

CircaNICA artists and 2014 NICA graduates Ella Horner and Olivia Watts performing at the Mortgage and Finance Association of Australia (MFAA) Excellence Awards. Andrew Hobbs Photography.

HIGHLIGHTS

AFC ASIAN CUP OPENING CEREMONY

Twenty CircaNICA acrobats performed in the AFC 2015 Asian Cup Opening Ceremony at AAMI Park on 9 January 2015. The Opening Ceremony featured Australian singer Havana Brown, pop band Sheppard and more than 120 Australian dancers, acrobats, Indigenous performers and football tricksters.

SCIENCEWORKS

CircaNICA produced a 20 minute family show for the July Winter Holiday Program at Scienceworks. The Dinosaur Show was a theatrical and interactive performance exploring the science behind dinosaurs. CircaNICA performers Tom Davis and Elena Kirschbaum went on a trip back in time to investigate the Dino-dominating environment of the Cretaceous period, incorporating lots of fun science facts, circus skills and physical comedy. They presented the show twice daily for the duration of the holidays.

GRAND INDONESIA MALL

Dion and Randall Productions booked CircaNICA artist Daniel Price to perform Cyr wheel in a Venetian themed Christmas show at Grand Indonesia Mall in Jakarta. Daniel was performing with a group of international artists in Indonesia from 8 – 28 December 2015.

BERLEI BOUNCE BRA LAUNCH

Five CircaNICA acrobats launched the new Berlei Bounce Bra on 15 January 2015. They performed a high energy trampoline act to a large crowd outside Myer on Bourke Street. Serena Williams was also present to launch the bra.

SAMSONITE LUGGAGE ACTIVATION

In late February eight CircaNICA contortionists presented performances at Melbourne and Sydney Airports to activate Samsonite’s new range of lightweight luggage. The artists performed a variety of impressive poses, including hand-balancing on top of the suitcases, balancing suitcases on various parts of their bodies and zipping themselves up inside the luggage!

VICTORIAN TRAINING AWARDS

CircaNICA was commissioned by the Department of Education and Training to create a unique opening act for the Victorian Training Awards in collaboration with Patrick Studios Australia. Directed by NICA’s Movement Studies Coordinator Meredith Kitchen, the performance was tailored to an industrial futuristic theme. The act featured an aerial ring duo, Cyr wheel artist and a hand-to-hand duo on a rotating stage, followed by 80 dancers from Patrick Studios. The event took place on 28 August at the Crown Palladium.

Just wanted to say a very big thank you to you for all of your work in the lead up to the Victorian Training Awards. Your performers were outstanding, as always.”

– Zena McManus, Department of Education and Training

(Victorian Training Awards, 28 August 2015)

SUZUKI VITARA LAUNCH

CircaNICA presented a specially commissioned spectacular aerial and acrobatic show for the launch of Suzuki’s AllNew Vitara. Directed by NICA staff member James Brown, the 20 minute performance included aerial ring, adagio, fire manipulation and aerial straps. The event was held at the Peninsula in Docklands on 8 September 2015.

The performance was amazing!! The feedback from attendees was that it was the best launch they’d been to in Suzuki history, so I have to thank you and your team for contributing to that.”

– Ruth John, Suzuki Australia

(Suzuki Vitara Launch, 8 September 2015)

LAUNCH OF MYER CHRISTMAS GIFTORIUM

CircaNICA’s Santa and elves made a special entrance for the launch of Myer’s Christmas Giftorium in Sydney on 14 November 2015. Our amazing aerialists abseiled down the front of the Westfield building on Pitt Street mall, performing a light-hearted aerial routine. CircaNICA also supplied stilt-walking elves and candy canes for a number of Myer Christmas activations in Melbourne and Sydney throughout November and December.

CircaNICA artist and 2007 NICA graduate Luke Ha performing at the Suzuki Vitara Launch. John Palermo Photography.

CircaNICA artists and NICA students Maggie Fayne and Marty Evans performing at the Swinburne University Donor Function. Photography by Mr Ryan Pham and Mr Nam Lee.

CircaNICA stilt walkers performing in the City of Stonnington Glow Winter Arts Festival. Julian Meehan Photography.

DRAGONE

2014 graduates Teame Ersie and Lucas Simonds secured long-term contracts in The Dai Show in Xishuangbanna, China. The Franco Dragone Entertainment Group is an international production company founded by worldrenowned artistic director Franco Dragone. In The Dai Show Lucas performs an impressive high dive and aerial Chinese pole act, alongside ensemble roles within the show. Teame plays one of the lead characters in the show, the hermit crab, specialising in solo contortion and character work. Dragone says, “This Hermit crab is no regular crustacean! Indeed, his contortionist skills will leave you breathless.”

NOFIT STATE CIRCUS

Upon graduating from NICA in 2014, Angelique Ross was offered an emerging artist position at NoFit State Circus, based in Cardiff, UK. NoFit State Circus is the UK’s leading large-scale contemporary circus company. Under the artistic direction of Firenza Guidi, the company are currently touring BIANCO, an immersive promenade experience that takes place above, behind and all around a standing audience.

Angelique performs dance trapeze in BIANCO and is on stage for the majority of the two hour show. She also performs in ensemble pieces such as rope, trampoline, spinning cages, counterweighting and rigging.

Travelling around the world with an incredible group of people, living in caravans (occasionally a hotel!) and straddling the top of a king pole (13 meters high) overlooking Prague, throwing lines across to the other poles and feeling like a pirate!”

– Angelique Ross

2014 graduate Angelique Ross performing in BIANCO

Photo by Sigrid Spinnox.

CIRCA

2014 NICA graduates Jon Bonaventura, Will Meager and Phoebe Carlson performed with the award winning company Circa, based in Brisbane.

Phoebe performed in Circa’s The Carnival of the Animals, which features whimsical tales of the animal kingdom. She toured to the Gold Coast, Adelaide and Orange NSW over a period of two months.

Will began working with Circa in March 2015 as part of the Capital E National Arts Festival in Wellington, New Zealand, where he performed in The Carnival of the Animals. He then went on to tour with many Circa productions throughout 2015 including Opus, Wunderkammer and S. Will travelled extensively with the company to Turkey, France, England, Belgium and Germany, performing in both city and regional locations.

Jon began working with Circa in May 2015, touring the show Beyond to Tasmania. He then premiered Opus in Ankara, Turkey and performed to a sold-out audience of 1,700 at the Brighton Dome as part of the UK and European tour. Jon also took part in the Australian tour of The Carnival of the Animals and finished 2015 with a two month season of Beyond in Edinburgh, Scotland.

ELIXIR TOUR

2014 graduates Callan Harris and Rowan Thomas, together with 2011 NICA graduate Thomas Gorham, make up the company Head First Acrobatics. They specialise in acrobatic entertainment for theatre, corporate events and festivals. In 2015 they toured nationally and internationally with their show Elixir The performance sees three enthusiastic and acrobatic scientists attempting to create an elixir of life. Head First Acrobatics performed in a wide variety of locations: Western Australian Circus Festival; Perth FRINGE WORLD WA; Adelaide Fringe Festival SA; Melbourne Comedy Festival VIC; Brighton Fringe Festival England; Glastonbury Festival England; Cork Midsummer Festival Ireland; Circus In a Field! England; The Durham Streets Summer Festival England; Byron Bay Theatre NSW; and Woodford Folk Festival QLD. The group were winners of the First & Foremost Entertainment Cabaret Award at Brighton Fringe in 2015. 2014 NICA graduate Luke Hubbard joined the team in December 2015 and has been touring around Australia with the group.

Graduates (from left) Rowan Thomas, Callan Harris and Thomas Gorham (top) performing Elixir

Jon Bonaventura performing in The Carnival of the Animals

Photo by Bruce Jobin.

USA & CANADA

Camp Westmont, Poyntelle, Pennsylvania (teaching)

Cavalia, touring internationally

CC USA French Woods Camp, Hancock, New York (teaching)

Celebrity Cruises

Cirque du Soleil – Amaluna (touring)

Cirque du Soleil – Michael Jackson ONE, Las Vegas

Cirque du Soleil – O, Las Vegas

Cirque du Soleil – TORUK (touring)

National Circus Project, Westbury, New York (teaching)

Royal Caribbean Cruises

UK

Circus Zyair, touring UK NoFit State Circus, Wales, touring internationally

The Chipolatas, touring Australia & internationally

EUROPE

Cirque du Soleil – Allavita, Milan, Italy

Cirque du Soleil – Amaluna (touring)

Cirque du Soleil – Kooza (touring)

AFRICA

Gamo Circus School of Ethiopia, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia (management & teaching)

MIDDLE EAST

Pacha Ibiza, Dubai, United Arab Emirates U Coral Beach Club, Israel

AUSTRALIA

Briefs, touring Australia & internationally

Casus, touring Australia & internationally

Circus Quirkus, touring Australia & New Zealand

La Soirée, Club Swizzle, touring Australia

Giggle & Hoot and Friends (Live Nation), touring Australia

La Soirée, touring internationally

Lennon Bros Circus, touring Australia

Loritz Circus, touring Australia

Silvers Circus, touring Australia

QLD

Circa, touring Australia & internationally

Company 2 – Scotch & Soda, touring Australia

Wilde Applause Creative Productions, Brisbane

NSW

Flying Fruit Fly Circus, Albury (teaching & rigging)

Pacha, Sydney

VIC

Catch Children’s Entertainment Agency, Melbourne (management & performing)

Circus Oz, touring Australia & internationally

Gymsports Academy of Movement & Excellence

KAGE – Forklift, touring internationally

NICA (teaching, rigging & admin)

Showtech Australia (admin)

The Circus Spot, Melbourne (management & teaching)

TAS

Gymsports Management, Kingston Beach (teaching)

Slipstream Circus, Ulverstone (teaching) SA

Cirkidz, Adelaide (management & teaching)

ASIA

Club Med Bali, Indonesia

Franco Dragone Entertainment Group

– The Dai Show, China

Franco Dragone Entertainment Group

– The Han Show, China

Franco Dragone Entertainment Group

– The House of Dancing Water, China

Ikura Circus, Osaka, Japan (management & teaching)

Kinoshita Circus, Japan

The Really Useful Group

– Cats the Musical, touring China

PACIFIC ISLANDS & NEW ZEALAND

Carnival Australia/ P&O Cruises

Circus Quirkus, touring Australia & New Zealand

Kevin & Caruso – Madame Houdini (on-board Carnival Australia cruises)

NICA BOARD OF DIRECTORS

CHAIR

Professor Jennelle Kyd

DIRECTORS

Ms Kirsten Jeffrey

Mr Bryan Rossi (resigned 3/07/2015)

Mr Luke Sheehy (resigned 18/10/2015)

Mr Jeffrey Smart

Mr David Stevens (term ended 27/08/2015)

Mr Robbie Robertson (appointed 25/03/2015)

EXECUTIVE AND ADMINISTRATION

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

Rose Stephens

EXECUTIVE ASSISTANT

Clare Toms

BUSINESS MANAGER

Andrew Simpson

OPERATIONS MANAGER (HUMAN RESOURCES)

Emily O’Connor

MARKETING MANAGER

Georgia Mill

MARKETING ASSISTANTS

Steph Cox

Marisa Cuzzolaro

FINANCE OFFICER

Shashwat Patel

EDUCATION TEAM

ACADEMIC LEADER

Dr Katrina Rank

HEAD OF CIRCUS STUDIES

Lu Guang Rong OAM

HEAD OF CIRCUS STUDIES (ACTING)

James Brown

Vasily Ivanov

Aaron Walker

HEAD OF PERFORMANCE STUDIES

Megan Jones

SENIOR EDUCATOR

Candice Williams

COMPANY SECRETARY

Mr Tom Rowan (resigned 20/08/2015)

Kornel Koffsovitz (appointed 20/08/2015)

SENIOR ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT

Catherine Anderson

ADMINISTRATION ASSISTANTS

Jon Allingham

Hannah Gott

Matt Noone

Cecilia Rossiter

Sophie Winzar

THIRD YEAR COORDINATOR

Aaron Walker

SECOND YEAR COORDINATOR

Vasily Ivanov

FIRST YEAR COORDINATOR

Diana Zhang

CERTIFICATE IV COORDINATOR

Ludwig Schukin

CERTIFICATE III AND SOCIAL CIRCUS COORDINATOR

Andrea Ousley

MOVEMENT STUDIES COORDINATOR

Meredith Kitchen

PROJECT OFFICERS

Jenni Hillman

LeeAnn Di Stefano

Karen Ermacora

TEACHING STAFF

Stephen Burton

Tegan Carmichael

Charlie (Gang) Cheng

Mat Daniels

Liudmila Druzhina

Arturo Gomez

Martine Howard

Kathryn Niesche

Daniel Power

Lu Rong

Tarn Scully

Earl Shatford

Julian Wisdom

Jing Jing Xue

PRODUCTION AND FACILITIES

OPERATIONS MANAGER (FACILITIES AND RESOURCES)

Carmel Duffy

PRODUCTION MANAGER

Eduard Ingles

COMMERCIAL AND COMMUNITY PROGRAMS

CIRCANICA AGENT

Liz Louden

SHORT COURSE COORDINATOR

Paula McKaskill

SESSIONAL TEACHING STAFF

Jon Allingham

Dr Kim Baston

Helene Embling

Carita Farrer Spencer

John Paul Fischbach

Alex Gullan

Luke Ha

Jamie Hensen

Cui Qi Jin

Aurora Kurth

Amy McPherson

Leon Radchenko

Christian Schooneveldt-Reid

Katherine Shone

Jess Smith

Hayden Spencer

RIGGERS

Andrew Bright

Margot Storm

DEVELOPMENT MANAGER

Stephanie Tate

HEALTH

AND INJURY PREVENTION TEAM

PHYSIOTHERAPISTS

Dr David Munro

Penny Dayan

Joanna Rashleigh

SPORTS MEDICAL PRACTITIONER

Dr Kathy Yu

SPORTS PSYCHOLOGIST

Jacqui Louder

STRENGTH AND CONDITIONING COACH

Annie Alderson

Staff and students participated in a number of conferences, presentations and forums in 2015.

NATIONAL

MULLUMBIMBY, NSW

Mullum Circus Festival

National Youth Circus Symposium

NEWCASTLE, NSW

Juggling Convention

ALICE SPRINGS, NT

Juggling Convention

BRISBANE, QLD

ACPA ensemble opening night

ADELAIDE, SA

Adelaide Fringe Festival –Honey Pot Program

MELBOURNE, VIC

Australia Physiotherapy Association (APA)

Arts Learning Forum

Deep Dive – Open Education Practice

International Women’s Day with the CommBank’s Women in Focus community and Circus Oz’s Strong Women Program

Roundtable Arts Forum with Senator the Hon George Brandis QC hosted by Kelly Dwyer MP Transforming Learning Conference

INTERNATIONAL

MONTREAL, CANADA

Circus Research Network, Concordia University

WUQIAO, CHINA

International Circus Festival

LISBON, PORTUGAL

European Federation of Professional Circus Schools (FEDEC) Annual General Meeting

Workshop with The University of Melbourne.

Photo by Georgia Mill.

NICA would like to thank The Sun Foundation for its ongoing support.

The National Institute of Circus Arts is supported by the Australian Government.

2015 graduate Callan Beacroft. Aaron Walker Photography.

2015 graduate Steph Mouat. Aaron Walker Photography.

Class of 2015. Photo by Marisa Cuzzolaro.

2015 graduates Adam O’Connor-McMahon and Elke Uhd. Aaron Walker Photography.

Nica Aerial Masterclass 2015. Second year student Sarah Gray. Julian Meehan Photography.

NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF CIRCUS ARTS LIMITED

80 084 913 235 REPORT OF OPERATIONS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2015

General Information

ABN NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF CIRCUS ARTS LIMITED 44

National Institute of Circus Arts Limited (NICA) is an Australian Public Company limited by guarantee, established on 27 October 1998 pursuant to the general authority contained in the Swinburne University of Technology Act 1992, superseded by the Swinburne University of Technology Act 2010 (as amended).

The responsible Minister is the Hon. Steve Herbert MLC, Minister for Training and Skills. Remuneration of the responsible Minister is disclosed in the financial report of the Department of Premier and Cabinet. Other relevant interests are declared in the Register of Members interests which is completed by each member of the Parliament.

NICA is a centre of excellence dedicated to developing and nurturing Australia's most talented young contemporary circus and physical theatre performers. NICA is a member of the Australian Roundtable for Arts Training Excellence.

The objectives of the company are to provide quality education and training in circus arts and physical theatre and thereby enhance the cultural development of the Australian arts industry.

NICA's core program is a three year degree program which equips graduates with the skills to establish successful careers in the national and international circus arts industry. The Company's community and commercial activities increase community, industry and stakeholder awareness of circus arts. NICA is committed to the growth of the industry by identifying new markets, and developing strategic partnerships which will enhance opportunities for performance and circus innovation.

In 2015 NICA offered a Certificate III and Certificate IV in Circus Arts, complementing the Bachelor of Circus Arts. These foundation level programs strengthen the degree program by creating pathways.

In 2015 NICA continued to demonstrate its place as the premier provider of contemporary circus arts training and education in Australia, providing opportunities to students and staff to participate in a study tour to Montreal, Canada. This activity was supported by The Richard Pratt Creative Fellowship, which also supported internationally acclaimed Artistic Director, Gavin Robins to direct the third year students' show.

NICA presented three major performance seasons for the public this year at the NICA National Circus Centre, Last Orders! (graduating students' showcase), Born in Sawdust (graduation ensemble show) and Pescado (second year students' show).

NICA had an eventful 2015 with a number of industry visitors, several visits to interstate feeder and community circus schools and a very full performance program. Highlights include:

1. NICA’s audition tour visited more circus schools interstate than previous years, including Perth, Darwin, Cairns Brisbane, Mullumbimby, Sydney and Adelaide.

2. NICA Student internships were established with Sandfly Circus and Theatre Kimberley in Broome WA, and also the Mullumbimby Circus Festival NSW.

3. NICA received national television coverage during auditions with ABC Channel 7 and Channel 9 filming at NICA.

4. NICA collaborated with the Flying Fruit Fly Circus (FFFC) and the Vietnam Vaudeville and Circus Arts Secondary School (VVCASS), with a NICA trainer spending two weeks teaching at the school, and three students from VVCASS spending one month in Australia training at both NICA and the FFFC.

5. NICA collaborated with the Flying Fruit Fly Circus in an international exchange program entitled “Social Circus: Research, Education and Methodologies”, hosting two international guests; the founder of Cirkus in Beweging Belgium, and the Head of Outreach and Programming at the National Centre for Circus Arts London. Auditions for 2016 were held in Melbourne, Brisbane, Sydney, Adelaide and Perth - an improved response in numbers of applicants and locations.

NICA continued its professional development program and a number of staff completed formal studies and accredited training. NICA Head of Circus Mr Lu Guang Rong was presented with an Order of Australia Medal (OAM) for his contribution to the art form. He also worked closely with the new Dragone Production Company show in China which starred two NICA graduates. NICA wishes to express gratitude to outgoing Directors of the Board, David Stevens, Luke Sheehy and Bryan Rossi for their years of service and their commitment to the organisation.

NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF CIRCUS ARTS LIMITED

ABN 80 084 913 235

REPORT OF OPERATIONS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2015 (continued)

NICA's Future

NICA has secured a six year funding agreement with the Federal Government which places the organisation in a strong position for management and security in the future. Remaining under the umbrella of Swinburne University of Technology also provides stability and clarity.

A six year strategic plan has been developed and submitted to the Board and the Federal Government.

Administrative Structure Directors

The Directors of the company in office during the financial year and at the date of this report were:

Prof. Jennelle Kyd (Chair)

Ms Kirsten Jeffery

Mr Bryan Rossi (resigned 03/07/2015)

Mr Luke Sheehy (resigned 18/10/2015)

Mr Jeffrey Smart

Mr David Stevens (term ended 27/08/2015)

Prof. Robert Robertson (appointed 25/03/2015)

Executive Director

Ms Rose Stephens

Company Secretary

Mr Thomas Rowan (resigned 20/08/2015)

Mr Kornel Koffsovitz (appointed 20/08/2015)

Administrative Structure

The organisation structure of the company is as follows:

NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF CIRCUS ARTS LIMITED

ABN 80 084 913 235

DIRECTORS' REPORT

Your Directors present their report on the Company for the financial year ended 31 December 2015. The financial report has been prepared in accordance with the Swinburne University of Technology Act 2010 (as amended), the Financial Management Act 1994 and the Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission Act 2012.

Directors

The names and details of the Directors of the Company in office during the financial year or at the date of this report are:

Name:

Qualifications:

Prof. Jennelle Kyd (appointed 01/07/2013) Doctor of Philosophy, Bachelor of Science

Experience: Director since July 1 2013 (Chair)

Senior Deputy Vice-Chancellor and Provost, Swinburne University of Technology

Mr Luke Sheehy (appointed 01/07/2013) (resigned 18/10/2015)

Experience: Advisor - External Engagement, Swinburne University of Technology

Name:

Qualifications:

Experience:

Name: policy advice

Advisor to Commonwealth Minister

Mr David Stevens (appointed 28/08/2012) (term ended 27/08/2015) BCom (Melb), FCPA, CTA

Experience in the public and private sectors providing fiscal/economic reform and public

Qualifications:

Experience:

Name: Director since August 2009

Mr Bryan Rossi (appointed 10/08/2009) (resigned 03/07/2015) BEc(La Trobe), Grd Dip BIS(Swin), MMT(Melb), CPA, GAICD

Chief Financial Officer and Vice-President (Planning and Performance), Swinburne

University of Technology

Extensive experience in financial management in Higher Education

Name: Mr Jeffrey Smart (appointed 01/07/2013)

Qualifications:

BA(Hons) (Melb), MA (Communications and Media Studies) (Monash)

Experience: Vice-President (International and Future Students), Swinburne University of Technology

Extensive experience in education

Name: Ms Kirsten Jeffery (appointed 01/07/2013)

Qualifications:

BBus (Accounting) (Swinburne University of Technology), CPA

Experience: Director, Facilities and Services Group, Swinburne University of Technology

Name:

Professor Robert Robertson (appointed 25/03/2015)

Qualifications: PhD (Otago)

Experience:

Head of School, Arts & Social Sciences, (James Cook University)

Director, Institute of Development Studies, University of the South Pacific

Extensive experience in education in NZ, Fiji and Australia

NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF CIRCUS ARTS LIMITED

ABN 80 084 913 235

DIRECTORS' REPORT (continued)

Company Secretary:

Mr Thomas Rowan (appointed 26/10/2006) (resigned 20/08/2015)

Qualifications: BA, LLB (Melb)

Mr Kornel Koffsovitz (appointed 20/08/2015)

Qualifications: Bachelor of Commerce, Bachelor of Law (B. Com / LLB)

Principal Activities

The Company provides training in circus arts. It was incorporated on 27 October 1998 and commenced operations in 1999. It is a company limited by guarantee.

Directors

Prof. Jennelle Kyd (Chair)

Ms Kirsten Jeffery

Mr Bryan Rossi (resigned 03/07/2015)

Mr Luke Sheehy (resigned 18/10/2015)

Mr Jeffrey Smart

Mr David Stevens (term ended 27/08/2015)

Mr Robert Robertson (appointed 25/03/2015)

Events Subsequent to Balance Date

There has not arisen in the interval between the end of the financial year and the date of this report any item, transaction, or event of a material or unusual nature likely, in the opinion of the Directors, to affect substantially the operations of the Company, the result of those operations, or the state of affairs of the Company in subsequent financial years.

Likely Developments and Expected Results of Operations

The company expects to return a positive result in 2016.

Environmental Regulation

The Directors are of the opinion that the Company has complied with all relevant environmental legislation so far as it concerns the operations of the entity.

Indemnifying Officer or Auditor

The company has not, during or since the end of the financial year, in respect of any person who is or has been an officer or auditor of the company or a related body corporate: indemnified or made any relevant agreement for indemnifying against a liability incurred as an officer, including costs and expenses in successfully defending legal proceedings; or paid or agreed to pay a premium in respect of a contract insuring against a liability incurred as an officer for the cost or expenses to defend legal proceedings; with the exception of the following matter: During or since the financial year the Company has paid premiums to insure each of the responsible persons, which excludes the external auditor, against liabilities for costs and expenses incurred by them in defending any legal proceedings arising out of their conduct while acting in the capacity of an officer of the Company, other than conduct involving a wilful breach of duty in relation to the Company. The amount of the premium was paid as part of an overall insurance charge by the Company's parent entity, Swinburne University of Technology.

Directors' Benefits

No Director has received or become entitled to receive any benefit (other than a benefit included in the aggregate amount of emoluments received or due and receivable by Directors shown in the Company's accounts, or the fixed salaries of Directors who are full-time employees of the Company or a related corporation) by reason of a contract made by the Company or a related corporation with a Director or with a firm of which he/she is a member, or with a company in which he/she has a substantial financial interest.

Whistleblowers Protection

The Company complies with the policies and procedures in relation to the protections provided under the Whistleblowers Protection Act 2001 and also the Protected Disclosure Act 2012 , which superseded this act as at 10/02/2013. The Company received no applications in 2015 (2014: nil).

NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF CIRCUS ARTS LIMITED

ABN 80 084 913 235

INCOME STATEMENT FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2015

The above Income Statement should be read in conjunction with the accompanying notes.

NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF CIRCUS ARTS LIMITED

ABN 80 084 913 235

STATEMENT OF COMPREHENSIVE INCOME FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2015

The above Statement of Comprehensive Income should be read in conjunction with the accompanying notes.

NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF CIRCUS ARTS LIMITED

ABN 80 084 913 235

STATEMENT OF FINANCIAL POSITION AS AT 31 DECEMBER 2015

The above Statement of Financial Position should be read in conjunction with the accompanying notes.

NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF CIRCUS ARTS LIMITED

ABN 80 084 913 235

STATEMENT OF CHANGES IN EQUITY FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2015

The above Statement of Changes in Equity should be read in conjunction with the accompanying notes.

NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF CIRCUS ARTS LIMITED

ABN 80 084 913 235

CASH FLOW STATEMENT FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2015

The above Cash Flow Statement should be read in conjunction with the accompanying notes.

NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF CIRCUS ARTS LIMITED

Notes to the Financial Statements for the Year Ended 31 December 2015

Note 1: Statutory Reporting Requirements

The financial report of the National Institute of Circus Arts Limited for the year ended 31 December 2015 has been prepared pursuant to section 44 of the Swinburne University of Technology Act 2010 (as amended), the Financial Management Act 1994 and the Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission Act 2012.

Note 2: Summary of Significant Accounting Policies

The National Institute of Circus Arts Limited is a company limited by guarantee, incorporated and domiciled in Australia. The accounting policies have been consistently applied, unless otherwise stated. The following is a summary of the material accounting policies adopted by the company in the preparation of the financial report.

(a) Basis of Preparation

This general purpose financial report has been prepared in accordance with Australian Accounting Standards, and Interpretations, other authoritative pronouncements of the Australian Accounting Standards Board, Swinburne University of Technology Act 2010 (as amended), the Financial Management Act 1994 and the Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission Act 2012.

Historical cost convention

The financial report has been prepared on an accrual basis, under the historical cost convention, as modified by the revaluation of certain classes of property, plant and equipment to fair value.

Critical accounting estimates

The preparation of the financial report in conformity with Australian Accounting Standards requires the use of certain critical accounting estimates. It also requires management to exercise its judgement in the process of applying the National Institute of Circus Arts accounting policies. The areas involving a higher degree of judgement or complexity, or areas where assumptions and estimates are significant to the financial report, are the valuation of non-current assets (such as building improvements). The company obtains external advice in the calculation of these estimates.

(b) Revenue Recognition

Revenue is measured at the fair value of the consideration received or receivable. Amounts disclosed as revenue are net of duties and taxes paid. Revenue is recognised for the major business activities as follows:

- Government financial assistance revenue is recognised in the year to which funding relates as determined by the bodies providing the financial assistance.

- Interest revenue is recognised on an accrual basis.

- Fees and charges include amounts received or receivable in respect of consulting and course delivery. Consulting revenue is recognised after completion of the service and clients have been invoiced. Fees relating to course delivery are recognised in the year in which courses commence.

(c) Cash and Cash Equivalents

Cash and cash equivalents includes cash on hand, deposits held at call with financial institutions, and bank overdrafts. Bank overdrafts are shown within borrowings in current liabilities in the statement of financial position.

(d) Other Financial Assets Receivables

Receivables are measured at amortised cost. Receivables are non-derivative financial assets with fixed or determinable payments that are not quoted in an active market. They arise when the Company provides money, goods or services directly to a debtor with no intention of selling the receivable. They are included in current assets as receivables in the statement of financial position.

Trade receivables are recognised initially at fair value and subsequently measured at amortised cost less provision for doubtful debts. Trade receivables are due for settlement no more than 30 days following end of month of invoice.

Collectability of trade receivables is reviewed on an ongoing basis. Debts, which are known to be uncollectible, are written off. A provision for doubtful receivables is established when there is objective evidence that the entity will not be able to collect all amounts due according to the original terms of receivables.

Notes to the Financial Statements for the Year Ended 31 December 2015

Note 2: Summary of Significant Accounting Policies (continued)

(e) Trade and Other Payables

These amounts represent liabilities for goods and services provided to the entity prior to the end of the financial year, which are unpaid. The amounts are unsecured and are usually paid within 30 days following end of month of invoice.

(f) Employee Benefits

(i) Wages and salaries, annual leave, and sick leave

Liabilities for wages and salaries, including non-monetary benefits, annual leave, and accumulating sick leave expected to be settled within 12 months of the reporting date are recognised as a liability at their nominal values using the remuneration rate expected to apply at the time of settlement. Liabilities which are not expected to be settled within 12 months are measured at the present value of the estimated future cash flows to be made by the Company in respect of services provided by employees up to the reporting date. As it is probable that leave entitlements, which are non-vesting, will exceed leave taken, no liability is deemed to have existed as at 31 December 2015 (2014: nil).

(ii) Long service leave

The liability for long service leave is recognised and is measured as the present value of expected future payments to be made in respect of services provided by employees up to the reporting date. The company determines that portion expected to be paid in the year which is measured at nominal value and the remainder measured at net present value. Consideration is given to expected future wage and salary levels, experience of employee departures and periods of service. Expected future payments are discounted using market yields at the reporting date on national government bonds with terms to maturity and currency that match, as closely as possible, the estimated future cash outflows.

(iii) Performance bonus

A liability for employee benefits in the form of performance bonuses is recognised in employee entitlements when there is no realistic alternative but to settle the liability and at least one of the following conditions is met: there are formal terms for determining the amount of the benefit;the amounts to be paid are determined before the time of completion of the financial report; or past practice gives clear evidence of the amount of the obligation. Liabilities for performance bonuses are expected to be settled within 12 months and are measured at the amounts expected to be paid when they are settled.

(iv) Superannuation

The amount expensed in respect of superannuation represents the contributions made by the entity to the superannuation plans in respect of current entity staff. Superannuation contributions are made to the plans based on the relevant rules of each plan.

(v) Employee benefit oncosts

Employee benefit oncosts, including payroll tax and workcover, are recognised and included in employee benefit liabilities and costs when the employee benefits to which they relate are recognised as liabilities.

(g) Property, Plant and Equipment

National Institute of Circus Arts does not own Land. Building improvements are measured at the amounts for which assets could be exchanged between knowledgeable willing parties in an arm’s length transaction.

The Company has adopted the Valuers approach for the classification of building components which are based on specifications issued by the Australian Procurement and Construction Council. The building and building components have been classified under the following categories:

Structure/Shell/Building Fabric: inclusive of substructure, columns, floor, upper floors, staircases, roof, external walls, windows.

Site Engineering Services and central plant: inclusive of roads, footpaths, paved areas, boundary walls, covered ways, fencing, gates, outbuildings, landscaping improvements, external stormwater drainage, external water supply, external gas, fire protection, electricity, communications, and special services.

Fit out: inclusive of external doors, internal walls, ceilings, fitments (including wall and floor coverings), sanitary fixtures and special equipment.

Trunk Reticulated Building Systems: inclusive of lifts, escalators, walkways, cranes, hoists etc., centralised energy, and other.

Leasehold Improvements are reviewed annually and written off over the term of the lease or 10 years, whichever comes first.

NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF CIRCUS ARTS LIMITED

ABN 80 084 913 235

Notes to the Financial Statements for the Year Ended 31 December 2015

Note 2: Summary of Significant Accounting Policies (continued)

The Company incorporates different depreciation rates, based on estimated useful lives, for items of plant within buildings as follows:

Gains and losses on disposals reported in the income statement are determined by comparing proceeds with carrying amount. When revalued assets are sold, it is company policy to transfer the amounts included in the relevant asset revaluation reserve in respect of those assets to retained earnings.

Leasehold improvements are measured at fair value.

Plant and equipment is measured at fair value.

Depreciation is calculated using the straight line method to allocate the cost or revalued amounts, net of their residual values, over their estimated useful lives, commencing from the time the asset is held ready for use. The assets’ residual values and useful lives are reviewed, and adjusted if appropriate, at each balance date.

Revaluations

The Company revalues its building improvements every three years, with the last scheduled independent revaluation completed in December 2015. The fair value of the asset class is reviewed on an annual basis and amended if any material variations exist. Revaluation increments or decrements arise from differences between an asset’s carrying value and fair value.

Revaluation increments are credited directly to an asset revaluation reserve in equity, except that, to the extent that an increment reverses a revaluation decrement in respect of that class of asset previously recognised as an expense in determining the net result, the increment is recognised as revenue in determining the net result.

Revaluation decrements are recognised immediately as expenses, except that, to the extent that a credit balance exists in an asset revaluation reserve in respect of the same class of assets, they are debited to the revaluation reserve. Revaluation increments and revaluation decrements relating to individual assets within the same specific class of property, plant and equipment are offset against one another within that class but are not offset in respect of assets in different classes.

(h) Acquisition of Assets

The purchase method of accounting is used to account for all acquisitions of assets (including business combinations) regardless of whether equity instruments or other assets are acquired. Cost is measured as the fair value of the assets given, shares issued, or liabilities incurred or assumed at the date of exchange plus costs directly attributable to the acquisition.

(i)

Impairment of Assets

All assets are assessed annually for indicators of impairment. If there is an indication of impairment, the asset concerned is tested as to whether its carrying value exceeds its recoverable amount. Where an asset’s carrying amount exceeds its recoverable amount, the difference is expensed, except to the extent that the write-down can be debited to an asset revaluation reserve applicable to that class of asset.

(j) Income Tax

The National Institute of Circus Arts Ltd is exempt from income tax pursuant to section 23(e) of the Income Tax Assessment Act 1936 (as amended).

(k) Lease of Non-Current Assets

Operating lease payments are recognised as an expense in the income statement in the years in which they are incurred as this represents the pattern of benefits derived from the leased assets.

(l) Commitments

Commitments include those operating, capital and other outsourcing commitments arising from non-cancellable contractual or statutory source and are disclosed at their nominal value, inclusive of GST payable.

NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF CIRCUS ARTS LIMITED

Notes to the Financial Statements for the Year Ended 31 December 2015

Note 2: Summary of Significant Accounting Policies (continued)

(m) Contingent Liabilities and Contingent Assets

Contingent liabilities and assets are not recognised in the statement of financial position, but are disclosed by way of a note (refer note 17) and, if quantifiable, are measured at nominal value. Contingent liabilities and contingent assets are presented inclusive of the GST receivable or payable.

(n) Goods and Services Tax (GST)

All items in the financial statements are stated exclusive of GST, except for receivables and payables which are stated on a GST inclusive basis. The net amount of GST recoverable from, or payable to, the Australian Taxation Office (ATO) is included with other receivables or payables in the Statement of Financial Position. Cash flows are presented on a gross basis. The GST components of cash flows arising from investing or financing activities which are recoverable from, or payable to, the ATO, are presented as operating cash flows.

(o) Rounding of Amounts

The Company is of a kind referred to in Class Order 98/0100, issued by the Australian Securities and Investments Commission, relating to the “rounding off” of amounts in the financial report. Amounts in the financial report have been rounded in accordance with that Class Order to the nearest dollar.

(p) Australian Accounting Standards, Amendments and Interpretations issued but not yet effective

The AASB has issued new and amended Accounting Standards and Interpretations that have mandatory application dates for future reporting periods and which the company has decided not to early adopt. A discussion of those future requirements and their impact on the company is as follows:

AASB 9 Financial Instruments

Applicable date: 1 January 2018

The key changes include the simplified requirements for the classification and measurement of financial assets, a new hedging accounting model and a revised impairment loss model to recognise impairment losses earlier, as opposed to the current approach that recognises impairment only when incurred.

Impact on entity financial statements

The assessment has identified that the financial impact of available for sale (AFS) assets will now be reported through other comprehensive income (OCI) and no longer recycled to the income statement. While the preliminary assessment has not identified any material impact arising from AASB 9, it will continue to be monitored and assessed.

AASB 15 Revenue from Contracts with Customers

Applicable date: 1 January 2017

(Exposure Draft 263 – potential deferral to 1 Jan 2018)

The core principle of AASB 15 requires an entity to recognise revenue when the entity satisfies a performance obligation by transferring a promised good or service to a customer.

Impact on entity financial statements

The changes in revenue recognition requirements in AASB 15 may result in changes to the timing and amount of revenue recorded in the financial statements. The Standard will also require additional disclosures on service revenue and contract modifications.

A potential impact will be the upfront recognition of revenue from licenses that cover multiple reporting periods. Revenue that was deferred and amortised over a period may now need to be recognised immediately as a transitional adjustment against the opening retained earnings if there are no former performance obligations outstanding.

NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF CIRCUS ARTS LIMITED

ABN 80 084 913 235

Notes to the Financial Statements for the Year Ended 31 December 2015

Note 2: Summary of Significant Accounting Policies (continued)

In addition to the new standards and amendments above, the AASB has issued a list of other amending standards that are not effective for the 2015 reporting period (as listed below). In general, these amending standards include editorial and references changes that are expected to have insignificant impacts on entity reporting.

• AASB 2010-7 Amendments to Australian Accounting Standards arising from AASB 9 (December 2010).

• AASB 2013-9 Amendments to Australian Accounting Standards – Conceptual Framework, Materiality and Financial Instruments

• AASB 2014 1 Amendments to Australian Accounting Standards [Part E Financial Instruments] [Applicable date: 1 January 2018]

• AASB 2014 3 Amendments to Australian Accounting Standards – Accounting for Acquisitions of Interests in Joint Operations [AASB 1 & AASB 11]

• AASB 2014 4 Amendments to Australian Accounting Standards – Clarification of Acceptable Methods of Depreciation and Amortisation [AASB 116 & AASB 138] [Applicable date: 1 January 2016]

• AASB 2014 5 Amendments to Australian Accounting Standards arising from AASB 15

• AASB 2014 7 Amendments to Australian Accounting Standards arising from AASB 9 (December 2014)

• AASB 2014 8 Amendments to Australian Accounting Standards arising from AASB 9 (December 2014) – Application of AASB 9 (December 2009) and AASB 9 (December 2010) [AASB 9 (2009 & 2010)]

• AASB 2014 9 Amendments to Australian Accounting Standards – Equity Method in Separate Financial Statements [AASB 1, 127 & 128] [Applicable date: 1 January 2016]

• AASB 2014 10 Amendments to Australian Accounting Standards – Sale or Contribution of Assets between an Investor and its Associate or Joint Venture [AASB 10 & AASB 128] [Applicable date: 1 January 2016]

• AASB 2015 2 Amendments to Australian Accounting Standards – Disclosure Initiative: Amendments to AASB 101 [AASB 7, AASB 101, AASB 134 & AASB 1049]

• AASB 2015 3 Amendments to Australian Accounting Standards arising from the Withdrawal of AASB 1031 Materiality

• AASB 2015 6 Amendments to Australian Accounting Standards – Extending Related Party Disclosures to Notfor-Profit Public Sector Entities [AASB 10, AASB 124 & AASB 1049] [Applicable date: 1 January 2016]

The Company does not anticipate early adoption of any of the above Australian Accounting Standards or Interpretations.

(q) Australian Accounting Standards issued and adopted early As at 31 December 2015, the following standards and interpretations have been issued and adopted early. They were not mandatory for the reporting period 31 December 2015.

• AASB 2015 7 Fair Value disclosures of Not-for-Profit Public Sector Entities.

NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF CIRCUS ARTS LIMITED

ABN 80 084 913 235

Notes to the Financial Statements for the Year Ended 31 December 2015

Note 3: Income and Expenditure from Continuing Activities 3.1

Note 4: Cash

a) Reconciliation to cash at the end of the year

The above figures are reconciled to cash at the end of the financial year as shown in the cash flow statement as follows:

b) Cash at bank and on hand

Bank accounts consist of an investment account, a high interest bearing account, operating accounts and Public Fund account all of which generate interest. The Public Fund is a specific purpose account, approved for the purpose of holding donations. Interest on average credit balance in the bank is calculated at the prevailing bank rate at 1.35% (2014: 1.73%).

NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF CIRCUS ARTS LIMITED

ABN 80 084 913 235

Notes to the Financial Statements for the Year Ended 31 December 2015 Note 5: Other Current

(a) Movements in carrying amounts

Movement in the carrying amounts for each class of property, plant and equipment between the beginning and the end of the current financial year:

NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF CIRCUS ARTS LIMITED

ABN 80 084 913 235

Notes to the Financial Statements for the Year Ended 31 December 2015

Note 6: Property, Plant and Equipment (continued)

Notes

Note

The following assumptions were adopted in measuring the present value of long service leave entitlements:

The Annual Leave liability is calculated at the nominal value of the wholly payable amounts to be made in respect of services provided by employees up to the reporting date. Where employees have significant annual leave balances, an estimate is made of the probability of leave to be taken within 12 months and beyond 12 months. The amount of annual leave estimated to be taken beyond 12 months is discounted.

The liability for Long Service Leave is calculated as the present value of expected future payments to be made in respect of services provided by employees up to the reporting date. Long Service Leave is available to be taken after 10 years of service but is historically taken much later. However, the company allows for long service leave to be taken on a pro-rata basis on termination after 7 year of service.

The asset revaluation reserve is used to record asset revaluation increments and decrements in the value of non-current physical assets.

NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF CIRCUS ARTS LIMITED

ABN 80 084 913 235

Notes to the Financial Statements for the Year Ended 31 December 2015

Note 12: Segment Information

The Company operates in the educational sector in the State of Victoria.

Note 13: Company Structure

The Company's ultimate parent entity is Swinburne University of Technology.

Note 14: Related Party Disclosure

(a) Directors

The names of the persons who were directors of National Institute of Circus Arts Ltd during the financial year were:

Prof. Jennelle Kyd (Chair)

Ms Kirsten Jeffery

Mr Bryan Rossi (resigned 03/07/2015)

Mr Luke Sheehy (resigned 18/10/2015)

Mr Jeffrey Smart

Mr David Stevens (term ended 27/08/2015)

Prof. Robert Robertson (appointed 25/03/2015)

Income received or due and receivable by the directors of the company, including amounts received, or due and receivable from related corporations.

Included in the number of directors, whose remuneration bands are disclosed below, are six directors who are employees of Swinburne University of Technology and thus their salary is paid by the University.

Number of directors whose remuneration was within the following bands:

There were no other transactions with directors, or other related parties of a director during the year (2014: nil).

NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF CIRCUS ARTS LIMITED

ABN 80 084 913 235

Notes to the Financial Statements for the Year Ended 31 December 2015

Note 14: Related Party Disclosure (continued)

(b) Minister

The name of the person who was the Responsible Person during the financial year was: - Hon. Steve Herbert, MLC Minister for Training and Skills Remuneration of the Minister is disclosed in the financial report of the Department of Premier and Cabinet. Other relevant interests are declared in the Register of Member’s Interests which each member of the Parliament completes.

(c) Executive officers’ remuneration

The number of executive officers, other than responsible persons, whose total remuneration falls within the specified bands above $100,000 are as follows:

(d) Related party transactions

Other transactions and loans have been considered in terms of the disclosure requirements specified under the Directions of the Minister for Finance these are as follows:

Note 15: Reconciliation of Cash

(a) Reconciliation of cash

Cash at the end of the financial year, as shown in the cash flows statement, is reconciled to the related items in the balance sheet as follows:

The Company has no credit stand-by arrangements or loan facilities at 31 December 2015 (2014: nil).

Note 16: Reconciliation of Net Operating Result for the Year to Net Cash Flows from Operating Activities

NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF CIRCUS ARTS LIMITED

ABN 80 084 913 235

Notes to the Financial Statements for the Year Ended 31 December 2015

Note 17: Contingent Liabilities and Contingent Assets

Quantifiable contingent liabilities

There were no quantifiable contingent liabilities as at 31 December 2015 (2014: nil).

Unquantifiable contingent liabilities

There were no unquantifiable contingent liabilities as at 31 December 2015 (2014: nil).

Quantifiable contingent assets

There were no quantifiable contingent assets as at 31 December 2015 (2014: nil).

Unquantifiable contingent assets

The company had no unquantifiable contingent assets as at 31 December 2015 (2014: nil).

Note 18: Operating Lease Commitments

Non-cancellable operating leases contracted for but not capitalised in the financial statements:

later than 1 year

later than 1 year but not later than 5 years

Note 19: Capital Commitments

There are no capital, operating or other outscourcing commitments as at 31 December 2015 (2014: nil).

Note 20: Superannuation Funds

The National Institute of Circus Arts employees are member of various superannuation funds. Employer contribution rate is 9.50% (2014: 9.50%). In 2015 contributions paid and payable were $302,792 (2014: $281,771).

Note 21: Company Details

The registered office of the National Institute of Circus Arts Ltd is: John Street

Hawthorn VIC 3122

Note 22: Events Occurring after Balance Date

No other matters or circumstances have arisen since the end of the reporting year which significantly affect or may significantly affect the operations of the entity, the results of those operations, or the state of affairs of the company in future financial years.

Note 23: Economic Dependency

The Company's principle source of funding is grant revenue from the Federal Government Arts Portfolio. The Commonwealth Funding Agreement that was signed in 2014 and had a duration of three years which was valid till 30th June 2017 was waived in favour of a new six year agreement that will commence in July 2016 and will be valid till June 2022.

ABN 80 084 913 235

Notes to the Financial Statements for the Year Ended 31 December 2015

Note 24: Financial Risk Management

The Company's financial instruments primarily comprise of:

- Cash and cash equivalents;

- Receivables; and

- Payables.

Market Risk

(i) Interest rate risk

The Company's exposure to market risk for changes in interest rates relates to cash at bank. All cash deposits held by the company are available for immediate access.

(ii) Equity Market risk

The Company is not exposed to equity market risk.

(iii) Foreign Exchange risk

The Company generally is not exposed to foreign exchange risk, however it is possible that purchases

may occur of specialised equipment from overseas which would expose the company to this risk.

Credit Risk

The Company does not have any material or significant credit risk exposure to any group of receivables.

Liquidity Risk

The Company's objective is to maintain a level of liquidity in relation to the funding of its operations.

(a) Financial Risk Management Objectives and Policies

Details of significant accounting policies and methods adopted, including the criteria for recognition and the basis for measurement, are disclosed below:

Recognised financial instruments Note

Cash and Cash Equivalents

Accounting policies

4 Cash at bank is carried at the principal amount. Interest received on any bank balance is recognised as income when the bank account is credited. Interest receivable at balance date is accounted for by crediting revenue and debiting accrued income in the statement of financial position.

Terms and conditions

Interest is paid monthly, at the prevailing bank rate, based on the average credit balance in the bank account.

Receivables – debtors

Payables

7 Debtors are carried at the nominal amounts due less any provision for doubtful debts and impairment. A doubtful debts provision is made for any amounts which are considered unlikely to be collectable, or are impaired.

9 Payables are recognised for future amounts to be paid in respect of goods and services received, whether or not billed to the company.

Credit is allowed for a 30 day term from end of month.

Settlement of payables is normally effected 30 days after the end of the month the debt is incurred.

NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF CIRCUS ARTS LTD

ABN 80 084 913 235

Notes to the Financial Statements for the Year Ended 31 December 2015

Note 24: Financial Risk Management (continued)

(b) Interest Rate Risk Exposures

The following table summarises the exposure of interest rates on the Company's financial assets and financial liabilities.

NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF CIRCUS ARTS LTD

ABN 80 084 913 235

Notes to the Financial Statements for the Year Ended 31 December 2015

Note 24: Financial Risk Management (continued)

(c) Summarised sensitivity analysis

2015

The following table summarises the sensitivity of the Company’s financial assets and financial liabilities to interest rate risk.

2014

The following table summarises the sensitivity of the Company’s financial assets and financial liabilities to interest rate risk.

(d) Credit risk ageing analysis

Credit Risk

The Company does not have any material or significant credit risk exposure to any group of receivables.

Ageing analysis of contractual financial assets

The following table summarises the ageing analysis of contractual financial assets.

NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF CIRCUS ARTS LTD

ABN 80 084 913 235

Notes to the Financial Statements for the Year Ended 31 December 2015

Note 24: Financial Risk Management (continued)

(e) Liquidity Risk

The Company's objective is to maintain a level of liquidity in relation to the funding of its operations.

Ageing analysis of contractual financial liabilities

The following table summarises the ageing analysis of contractual financial liabilities.

Note 25: Fair Value Measurements

a) Fair Value Measurements

The fair value of financial assets and financial liabilities must be estimated for recognition and measurement or for disclosure purposes.

Management consider that the carrying amount of financial assets and liabilities approximate their fair values because of the short term nature of the financial instruments and the expectation they will be paid in full.

The carrying amount and aggregate net fair values of financial assets and liabilities at balance date are:

NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF CIRCUS ARTS LIMITED

ABN 80 084 913 235

Notes to the Financial Statements for the Year Ended 31 December 2015

Note 25: Fair Value Measurements (continued)

The carrying amounts and aggregate net fair values of non-financial assets at balance date are:

The company measures and recognises the following assets and liabilities at fair value on a recurring basis:

• Property, Plant and Equipment

b) Fair Value Hierarchy

The Company categorises assets and liabilities measured at fair value into a hierarchy based on the level of inputs used in measurement

Level 1 - quoted prices (unadjusted) in active markets for identical assets or liabilities

Level 2 - inputs other than quoted prices within level 1 that are observable for the asset or liability either directly or indirectly

Level 3 - inputs for the asset or liability that are not based on observable market data (unobservable inputs)

Fair value measurements recognised in the Statement of Financial Position are categorised into the following levels at 31 December 2015.

ABN 80 084 913 235

Notes to the Financial Statements for the Year Ended 31 December 2015

Note 25: Fair Value Measurements (continued)

(c) Valuation techniques used to derive level 2 and level 3 fair values

(i) Recurring fair value measurements

The fair value of financial instruments that are not traded in an active market is determined using valuation techniques. These valuation techniques maximise the use of observable market data where it is available and rely as little as possible on entity specific estimates. If all significant inputs required to fair value an instrument are observable, the instrument is included in level 2. If one or more of the significant inputs is not based on observable market data, the instrument is included in level 3.

The Company uses a variety of methods and makes assumptions that are based on market conditions existing at each balance date. Specific valuation techniques used to value financial instruments include:

- The use of quoted market prices or dealer quotes for similar instruments

- Other techniques, such as discounted cash flow analysis, are used to determine fair value for the remaining financial instruments

(d) Fair value measurements using significant unobservable inputs (level 3)

The following table is a reconciliation of level 3 items for the periods ended 31 December 2015:

NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF CIRCUS ARTS LIMITED

ABN 80 084 913 235

Notes to the Financial Statements for the Year Ended 31 December 2015

Note 25: Fair Value Measurements (continued)

(i) Transfers between levels 2 and 3 and changes in valuation techniques

(ii) Valuation inputs and relationships to fair value

The following table summarises the quantitative information about the significant unobservable inputs used in level 3 fair value measurements. See (c) above for the valuation techniques adopted.

Description

Fit Out

Trunk Reticulated Building Systems

Depreciated Replacement Cost

Depreciated Replacement Cost

Depreciated Replacement Cost

Depreciated Replacement Cost

NICA Short Course participant performing in the Youth Circus Finale. Julian Meehan Photography.

First year showing Death is not the end Aaron Walker Photography.

STREET ADDRESS

39 – 59 Green Street

Prahran VIC 3181 Australia

MAILING ADDRESS

PO Box 1277

Windsor VIC 3181 Australia

T +613 9214 6975

F +613 9214 6574

E info@nica.com.au

ABN 80 084 913 235

WWW.NICA.COM.AU