Big thank you to everyone who came to South Narrabeen SLSC to celebrate Circus on the Sand. Special thanks to Agatha Moura, Catherine Daniel, Charles Allum from Rolling Coaches and our other volunteers who helped to bring the magic. See you again in 2021!

Close but no cigar! We had a fantastic night at the Local Business Awards last night at Dee Why RSL.  Congratulations to all the winners, including Northern Beaches Community College who took out the award in our category - Best Educational Business!

​Thank you to everyone who voted for Swoop! We have some wonderful supporters and appreciate every one of you.

Check out our 'Regular Classes' Page for details on our two new classes, which will be commencing in May: http://www.swoop.net.au/regular-classes.html

Cirque du Solittle: Ages 2-4
10-11am Wednesdays at Collaroy Masonic Hall

STARlets intermediate circus: Ages 10-14
4-5pm Mondays at Collaroy Masonic Hall

Don't forget to like our Facebook page too!
www.facebook.com/swooppt

​xDanielle 

 Compagnie Finzi Pasca's La Verita, Circus Oz's But Wait There's More, Casus Circus' Tolu and Knee Deep, and Circa's What Could Have Been. It has been a great January in Sydney for circus and physical theatre but it was the beauty and originality of La Verita that stole my heart. Finzi Pasca, and that indefinable je ne sais quoi of European circus, has once again taken my breath and replaced it with pure joy. Apart from the aesthetic brilliance of the show (the costumes and props inspired by Salvadore Dali's art were incredible), the flow, the journey and the skill level were supremely impressive.
As much as I love and support Australian Circus, I can't help but notice the somewhat repetitive themes and tendencies infiltrating Australian shows. It is undoubtable that our Aussie artists are highly skilled and talented, however after Gravity and Other Myths' performance of A Simple Space at last year's festival (which was mind-blowing btw), I feel like Im watching attempts at the same rawness, simplicity and stage dynamic, but something is missing. I hate writing that as I know I could never personally achieve some of the physical feats demonstrated by these amazing performers. But simply as an observation, if homegrown shows could capture the magic and whimsy of our European counterparts, Australian circus, with our charismatic artists and great stories to tell, would be taken to the next level.
in contemplation...
​Danielle :-)

Christmas! argh. The silly (sunny, sloshy, sleepy) season is bulldozing towards us. Today was our final STARters class for the year - the little pumpkins have come so far and Im very proud of their commitment to classes.
Most days of late have been filled with hoop making - a lovely big order for 80 hoops has landed in my lap and my house is filled with beautiful, bright circles. 
Schools visited recently include Mercy College Chatswood, Ryde Secondary College, Regional High School (for the mid-north coast drama collegiate), Great Lakes Secondary College and Brigidine College St Ives. I also had the pleasure of holding workshops for 4 lovely groups of kids at the State Drama Festival, held at the Seymour Centre. Watching kids get so excited about circus and physical theatre makes every job a joy :-)
But enough blabbering, I have hoops to tape dammit!
​xD

Well it's been a while (pre motherhood) but holidays workshops are finally back. We're starting off slowly with just two days these school holidays but once back, the only way is up!

Karin Slade from Powerhouse at Ponderosa has kindly offered her space for lease in Warriewood for the two days so we will be setting up the aerial rig and making the most of it.

Venue hunting....YEP. STILL LOOKING. Swoop needs a home people. The Northern Beaches would be the perfect place for a fully decked-out circus training space. And once I find it, ALL ages will finally be accommodated for.

Tonight is the last night of adult classes for the term. Classes resume on Tuesday 13th Oct. 

Until next time,
Peace Out Mother Fathers (and non-parentals of course ;-)

It certainly has been a very busy few weeks for Swoop. Students have been busy creating and devising for their HSC Group Projects and Swoop has been filling their bag of tricks all over Sydney. Marist College North Shore, Epping Boys, Prairiewood High, Danebank, Randwick Boys, Tara, IGS and some great kids at the State Drama Camp have been getting their swoop on and upskilling for the task.

I spent a great day at the Riverina Drama Camp in Wagga Wagga with some lovely teachers and students in late May. Despite an hour delay landing and a 4 hour delay going home (blugh), it was ultimately a successful day for all involved.

Next on the agenda is having a dodgy tattoo repaired (finally got around to having son #2 inked on my arm and it went a bit wrong - he's been trouble since day one that child! ;-), and if I survive school holidays, I have some great workshops booked next term.

For those of you battling through the holidays...hopefully we will have some circus workshops ready to go next hols - stay tuned for details.

Love and mungbeans
Danielle

It has been another busy week - in-school workshops at Cranbrook and St Spyridon and a huge night of circus fun at the North Sydney Regional Drama Camp.
Whilst teaching this week, I started thinking about why Swoop is different to other physical theatre companies.This is what i've come up with so far;
- Swoop uses laughter, fun and games as teaching tools. When kids enjoy themselves, they generally absorb the theory and practice of the lesson. 
- Swoop takes a multi-disciplinary approach to physical theatre. Whilst strongly rooted in circus, Swoop's teachings are also underpinned by the theoretical teachings of various practitioners and international performance companies. Swoop Physical Theatre combines circus, dance, drama studies and vast international experience.
- Swoop classes are generally not pre-planned. Although this may sound strange, we believe it to be the best way to cater workshops to the immediate needs of participants. A general structure and list of appropriate skills will be prepared, but only once the mood, experience, level of focus and physical capabilities of students has been assessed, will the finer details of the workshop be filled in, on the spot. This requires a great level of experience and observation from the facilitator and is why Swoop prides itself on quality delivery of suitable workshops.

In saying all of this, professional learning and development is of utmost importance to Swoop. If you have any feedback on our workshops, please let us know.

Yours in Swooptacularity
Danielle

Swoop has had it's current logo for more than 10 years! It's time for a bit of a tweak methinks. The lovely graphic designer Elana Clark - a fellow Northern Beaches mama, has been working on a few adjustments to help bring our logo up to date. I have posted some choices on our Facebook page - let me know which you prefer.
Peace and inverted shenanigans
Danielle