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ex-students

Below are just a few of the students who have trained with Circus Maniacs in the past ten or so years, plus some pupils Jackie Welbourne (nee Williams) taught in the UK prior to this.

Unfortunately we have lost touch with many of our past students, particularly those of you whom we taught before email and mobile phones became common place!

If you are an ex-Circus Maniacs student we would love to hear from you! Please email us to let us know what you are up to!

circus maniacs adult courses

Jane Osborn, aerialist with VIVA & Entwine. Click here to read an interview with Jane. You may recognise Jane from the BBC ident (see photo below). She has also toured with Sheffield's Swamp Circus.

Tony Phipps, artist and agent with Duel Impact / Impact Artists
Shana Kennedy, currently running Air Play Trapeze, her own trapeze school in Philadelphia, USA.
Anja Zuber, Dottja
Jonathan Priest, currently teaching at Cirkus Cirkor
Tanya Scully, aerialist, Reaching Seraphim
Shaena Brandell, aerialist, Cirq-U
Helen Finch, aerialist, Cirq-U
Lyn Routledge, aerialist. Performed with Catrin Osbourne in her own company Aerial Roots. Currently touring with NoFit State Circus, performing in their show Immortal, plus teaching in Cardiff and at Circus Maniacs.
Nix Barnaville, aerialist with Malarkey and Cirque Idyllic
Susie Glatt, aerialist with Malarkey and Cirque Idyllic
Drew Hewett, whose projects include Higher Motion, Plastique & Vertigo Stilts with Luci Daziel
Luci Daziel Vertigo Stilts
Maddy Humberside, aerialist (recently completed a one-year contract at the Friedrichstadtpalast, Berlin)
Annabelle Holland, Frenetic Engineering
Helena Hatstand, artist and agent with Hatstand Circus
Donovan Jones and Rebecca Peache, Crazeehorse (see a photo of their acrobalance act below)

Martin Danziger, Associate Director of Dundee Rep; also runs his own company Theatre Modo
Siw Pederson, theatre/circus performer and director, Lucky Pants Productions & Stella Pollaris
Tove Karoliussen, theatre/circus performer, Lucky Pants Productions & Stella Pollaris
Heidi Lia, theatre/circus performer, Stella Pollaris
John Mead, Director Sardine Circus
Shaun Forde, runs Bezerkaz Circus
Emily Barrett, runs Firestar Circus Arts
Emily Deloge (photo below left - being taught by Jackie Welbourne to walk the tight-wire en pointe)
Billy Alwen, Director Cirque Bijou
Hazel Maddocks, aerialist, Zu Dance-Theatre
Clare Crook, aerialist, known as Mademoiselle Mango
Fluffy, circus performer, Cirque Idyllic
Rob Thorburn, te POOKa
Tree, te POOKa
Hannah Nymalm, theatre/circus performer, Stella Pollaris
Dagfinn Tutturen, theatre/circus performer, Stella Polaris
Tormod Carlsen, theatre/circus performer, Stella Pollaris
Valeria Zurlo, currently teaching trapeze in Naples & Rome
Felix Vandersluis, currently performing with Stomp
Daniel Burston, performs with NoFit State Circus
Haylee-Mai Edwards, aerialist, currently performing at Drayton Manor
Shayna Swanson (see her static trapeze act The Escape on YouTube here)
Kristen White
Felicity Fyr le Fay, aerialist (see photo below)

Ruth Powell Can Can Booty at the Whoopee Club and Lost Vagueness
Lucy Osborne
Vicky Steggles, currently performing with Benchatheater in Holland
Nikki Jeffries currently working as a tutor and rigger with Expressive Feat
Andy Fane, currently studying at Birmingham School of Acting
Gemma Mawson, studied at Circus Space, where she received a Development Award to create an acrobalance act with Amber Noble
Jo Wilding, took circus workshops to children experiencing war and poverty; now works extensively as a Human Rights campaigner
Marc Parrett, co-founder with Jackie Welbourne of Circus Maniacs Youth Circus company (see below), before leaving to concentrate on a career in puppetry. Now works with Stuff & Nonsense Theatre Company and Green Ginger.

circus maniacs youth courses

Russel Erwood, Magician & Escapologist, now known as Roslyn Walker. A blast from the past (photo right) Here you can see Russel, one of our star Youth Circus Company jugglers aged 15 practising during one of our weekly Saturday Circus Club Sessions.
Nicole Pearson, was accepted directly into the Ecole Nationale du Cirque in Canada (without an audition) on the strength of her CV gained through the Circus Maniacs Youth Performance Company. She now primarily works professionally as an aerialist in both Europe and North America.
Laura Kriefman, went on to work for Giffords Circus, Circus of the Streets and Netherlands National Circus, before attending Guildford School of Acting where she was awarded the Tim Combe's Bursary on graduation. She is currently concentrating on acting and directing.
Sasha Tilley, aerialist, acrobat, trampolinist, dancer, actress. A talented all-rounder, Sasha was booked through the Circus Maniacs Agency as an acrobat and wire-walker to appear in adverts for Nike trainers, and Norwich & Peterborough BS. She also worked with another ex-student Emily Woolf (see below) on TV series 1 of Daylight Robbery. Sasha is currently concentrating on her acting career.
Elena Carter
Aaron Hill
Leigh Wilkins, currently studying Psychology at Durham University. She still unicyles, juggles and does aerial skills. She recently begun teaching trapeze & aerial skills part-time as well as circus skills and gets regular bookings, in particular teaching trapeze to a youth group in Straford upon Avon.
Dominic Hosler
Ruben Hosler

The following former members of the Circus Maniacs Youth Circus won one or more medals (or equivalent trophies) representing the UK in various international circus festivals / competitions:

Nicky Pearson (aerialist, see above)
Ria Sullivan (see photo right)
Elena Carter
Marina Ledbury
Lucy Hawkins
Sophia Ortiz
Michelle Harford
Suzanne Scott
Katie Smith
Iara MacDonald
Sasha Tilley (actress, see above)
Kaleigh Grainger (currently studying Law)

other students of Jackie Welbourne (nee Williams)

Tina Clay, aerialist, successfully works not for top corporate events and commercial shows such as Holiday on Ice; also stretches herself artistically working for companies such as Cirque Romanes and Teatro del Silenco.
Sophie Griffiths, formerly working as an aerialist on Momentary Fusion
Isabel Rocamora, aerialist, formerly of Momentary Fusion with Sophie, working now with Infinito
Rod Laver, who has been teaching at Circomedia for the past 10+ years
Jon Durham, previously worked as aerialist with Anna (below) and had a juggling act with Rod (above). They collectively won a special prize at the Piste aux Espoirs Festival in Belgium (1992). He has since been working solo for many years as a very successful street performer in Bath.
Anna Mearns, former aerialist, now works as a school teacher
Paul Taylor, now works both as a circus skills tutor and science teacher, under the name ConFigureEight
Emily Woof, aerialist turned actress, known well by us all for playing Gaz's ex-wife in the film The Full Monty
Flick Ferdinando, Director, Company FZ
Clare Anderson, known for her aerial act Gazzelle, is also an aerial tutor at Circus Space