Circus Improvisation and Exploration

Delivered by Natalie Oleinik, joined by Joachim Ciocca.

Due to unforeseen circumstances, the Limerick Masterclass has now been rescheduled.
A two hour masterclass will instead take place as part of the NCFI main programme in Tralee

The National Circus Festival of Ireland proudly partners with Fidget Feet, the Irish Aerial Creation Centre and Circus Factory to commit to providing exciting and inspiring professional development opportunities for artists living in Ireland. 

We’re delighted to bring Natalie Oleinik and Joachim Ciocca to Ireland, where they will deliver a Masterclass in Circus Improvisation and Exploration, perform an aerial rope duo and unicycle acts at part of Circus Siamsa in Siamsa Tíre and give a unicycle workshop as part of the circus convention. Proudly funded by the Arts Council of Ireland.

Mini Masterclass – Sense Space

Duration: 2 hours
Capacity: 12 people
Levels: All levels welcome
Schedule: 10:30am-12:30pm

National Circus Festival of Ireland | The Ashe Hotel | Sunday 3rd November | Book Here

Sense Space is open to all disciplines, focusing on circus improvisation and exploration.

Natalie is an experienced artist who works mainly with aerial disciplines, specifically aerial rope. Her workshop is designed to be open to all disciplines and has been followed with aerials, tight wire and ground based work. Natalie created this workshop to focus on the circus artists process, sharing her own experience on making new work, her thoughts and reflections on how material is made.

The masterclass is a culmination of Natalie’s 13-year career as a circus performer and creator,  sharing the tools and techniques that she has learned and developed. The workshop has been delivered in La Volière, Saint-Nazaire, France, Santa Barbara Centre for Aerial Dance, USA and Chapidock, Nantes, France. We’re delighted to bring this Masterclass for the first time to Ireland.

The workshop focuses on creating: 

• a safe space, where experimentation is encouraged
• a shared space, where new discoveries are discussed
• a new space, to let ourselves be surprised by what we find

As part of the workshop materials, you will receive an illustrated and interactive booklet that guides the user through a series of improvisations using movement, objects, space, imagination and drawing to reflect on circus practice and habits.

About Natalie Oleinik and Joachim Ciocca

Their duo rope act, No Longer Strangers, has received numerous awards including the Golden Star and Cirque du Soleil’s Artistic Vision and Innovation Award at the Young Stage International Circus Festival and the National Theatre Special Prize at Budapest Circus Festival. Their act has captivated audiences with its distinctive style and pace. Their research centres around the idea of two bodies moving as one – helping each other climb, descend and hold on, together.

Joachim Ciocca

Joachim has been riding a unicycle since 1994. His unique style mixes acrobatics and dance with the unicycle and has graced multiple stages around the world. He recently won the silver medal in individual expert at the Unicycle World Championship (2024) in the USA with a playful and dynamic routine performed to the famous track “Kiss” from Prince.

Natalie Oleinik

Natalie Oleinik is a circus performer and creator. Her intense examination of visual arts in her youth has influenced her creative trajectory as a circus artist. She specialised in aerial rope at the National Circus School of Montreal and received her diploma in 2011. She has since worked with impactful contemporary circus companies in Canada and France (Les Colporteurs, Cie 111, Vague de Cirque); performed in German cabaret (Palazzo, Urbanatix) and collaborated with aerial dance in the United States (Santa Barbara Centre for Aerial Dance). 

As a coach, choreographer, and assistant director, she has recently been thrilled to share the insights gleaned from her practice with circus students and professionals in France, Switzerland, Ireland, and the United States.

In 2016, Natalie’s personal exploration threaded with two other artists, Rosario Amato and Marina Mezzogiorno-Brown. Their project Amygdala probed the contemporary circus scene by mixing installation, circus and layered contemplative work. 

In 2019, she co-created the gentle and provocative piece Always/Beautiful along with her long term collaborator, circus artist/dramaturg Sebastian Kann. Natalie’s artwork has been featured in the book Thinking Through Circus (Art Paper Editions) and in BUM magazine (Helsinki).