Physical Fitness
Many of our students are attracted to circus because of the health benefits. Circus builds physical fitness by encouraging incremental gains in strength, flexibility, stamina, balance, grip strength, and more. You don't have to be fit when you walk in the door; come as you are, and we'll get you moving in a way that honours your current abilities and gently challenges you.
Artistic Expression
Circus is artistic movement. With ample opportunities for our community to perform, every student is welcome to step into the spotlight, whether they're a beginner or a seasoned performer. Our low-stakes, high-energy RAW Student Showcases are a key piece of the professional circus pipeline in Wellington, allowing emerging performers to gain experience with act creation and audience interaction before taking their work to a ticketed context like NZ Fringe Festival.
Community
Circus creates a learning environment that fosters mutual respect, trust, collaboration, and laughter. It's no wonder that over the Hub's 20 year history, countless lifelong friendships have emerged - our community is our greatest treasure. Hub friendships have even spawned other performing and production companies, such as notable locals Colossal (home of Laser Kiwi), Inverted Citizens, Circus of the Night, and Spark & Flare, to name a few.
Common Purpose
When the Hub community get together to make something, the result is magic. Finding a common purpose with others is deeply rewarding. So when people get together to create an act, a show, or simply join one of our Hub Scrubs (where volunteers give our facilities and equipment some TLC), they feel proud of themselves and each other. As a very lean not-for-profit organisation, many of our initiatives are organised and facilitated by our amazing community who volunteer heaps of time, energy, expertise, and enthusiasm to make The Circus Hub a place that truly feels like home.
Charitable Impact
As a charitable trust, Wellington Circus Trust has a vision to "inspire passion in circus arts" and a mission to "grow the thriving professional and recreational circus community". In pursuit of these goals, we run discounted workshops for other registered non-profits, and we're currently in the development season of our Rucksack Circus pilot programme: a tentless tour based entirely on goodwill, bringing a free show to communities in the greater Wellington region who would not otherwise access circus. Our 10-Year Plan (2025-2035) - which will live on this site soon - includes a handful of additional charitable initiatives which will get us closer to our stated aims.
Post-Covid Economy
As Wellington continues to recover from the economic effects of the Covid-19 pandemic, live events help encourage people to spend more quality time together in the city. And with a special focus on creating joyful and awe-inspiring shows to thrill audiences, the circus arts are poised to draw a crowd. Production companies such as Colossal ("IDIOM"), Inverted Citizens ("Revel"), and Athena Rose ("Circus of the Night") rely on The Circus Hub as a key resource for their own sold-out shows across Wellington. The Circus Hub is proud to be a training facility as well as a performance venue in its own right.
Multi-Disciplinary
Circus attracts a diverse range of practitioners from many different artistic and athletic disciplines, such as dance, gymnastics, martial arts, and theatre. This make The Circus Hub a really exciting creative environment, as people from all backgrounds socialise, collaborate, and cross-pollinate their ideas. The Hub community brings together the best of all worlds. Furthermore, since circus is a worldwide practice, the Hub attracts guest artists from all over the globe, whether they're coming to teach a workshop in between tours or just popping in for training while they're in town. Circus is a super-inclusive practice which thrives on diversity.
A Thriving City
All of the prior points lead to this: circus is a hallmark of a thriving city. With its emphasis on personal and community improvement, its commitment to delivering joy and wonder, and its flexibility to fit into many contexts, circus is an extraordinary art form. As we celebrate 20 years of The Circus Hub, we're looking back on our vibrant legacy of supporting circus in Wellington, our status as a centre of excellence for circus in Aotearoa New Zealand, and our bright future - where we continue to do our part to make Wellington a vibrant place to live and a must-visit tourist destination.