2007 – 2013 Both from Tokyo, Japan, Chiharu Kunishima “Cheeky” b.1977 and Daiki Izumida b.1978 have performed all over the world. Cheeky was a junior synchronised swimming champion before starting mime in 1998 because she ‘wanted to be like a cartoon’! Daiki was taught to unicycle by his family and was the world champion unicyclist… [Read More]

b. 1980 Chris Cross was born in Newcastle and started performing magic at a young age. As an entertainer and showman he is in turn: Magician, Street Entertainer, Contortionist & Escapologist. He has the necessary gift of the gab and is a self-publicist of note, calling himself the Royal Magician having performed for several members… [Read More]

b. 1979 Nathan (Callitope la Bonche) also known as Luna Tricks, was born in Newcastle, and first started performance skills at 15 when he learnt how to breath fire and eat glass. He later learnt fire poi and fire juggling in the country, then moved back to Newcastle when he was 22. He met some… [Read More]

b.1986 Dan Brown, aka Danny5, started work on a tall ship at the age of 17. He is a Chippy and surfer and started spinning in 2008. He first met Let’s Circus in 2009 at Circadium and came to North Tyneside Youth Circus as an older member in its early days. He has a cheeky… [Read More]

b. 1985 Claire is an Aerial and multi-skilled lady who can do pretty much anything. She is a trained school teacher and dancer too. She combines dance with her aerial and brings her aerial and dance skills to her circus school, Circus Central. She is the lead aerial mentor at Five Ring Circus and is… [Read More]

2009 – date Circus Central is a hub for circus artists and skills training based in Christ Church buildings, Shieldfield, Newcastle upon Tyne.  It is run by a charitable trust, the North East Circus Development Trust (NECDT) it is was founded by Helen Averley and Steve Cousins in 2009/10.  The Board was chaired by Mike… [Read More]

2010 visit In 2010, when Five Ring Circus was finding it’s feet, they invited Australia’s Spaghetti Circus to Newcastle with their show “Teenager”. The Spaghettis were a long established youth circus with lots of high level skills, such as teeter board and acrobatics. They were received at Mansion House by the Lord Mayor and performed… [Read More]

2005 – 2013 In this period there is are several free-lance artists (community, professional or emerging) who are based in Tyne & Wear. These individuals cross over with other entries in this timeline and often work for each other. Many having worked for Circus Central or Let’s Circus. There are 2 clusters 1 in Sunderland:… [Read More]

2010-13 Rob Thorburn (known as Blue Cat in the juggling world) was born in 1979 in Aberdeenshire and two years after learning to juggle he met the Beltane Fire Society crowd in Edinburgh and worked on a circus toy stall in the Edinburgh Fringe. He then moved in with Steve Cousins and joined fire performance… [Read More]

2010 to date Five Ring Circus started in 2010 and was founded by Helen Averley and Steve Cousins, because they wanted to give young people opportunities to enjoy a regular youth circus club and access to structured, ongoing training. It is a Youth Circus which focuses on the five main areas of circus; aerial, acrobatics,… [Read More]