Australian dancer lives childhood dream in Cirque du Soleil lead role
Chasing a life beneath the big top was an unusual career choice for these Australians but they’re back touring with Cirque du Soleil’s extravaganza. Here’s how they help bring the magic to life
READING LEVEL: GREEN
Some of us are dreamers, others are living the dream.
Australian-born Cirque du Soleil* dancer Mitch Wynter is the latter*, now living his biggest goal.
“I knew I wanted to be a part of Cirque, specifically as a character,” the 27 year old said. “I had seen a video when I was 15. I was like, ‘I want to be him’. And here I am.
“I had been dreaming about this for a long time. I had my goals set on this – I didn’t want anything else – and I got it. It is crazy.”
Wynter is one of 53 artists representing 19 nationalities in the latest Cirque du Soleil production set to tour Australia: Kooza.
Kooza is the 11th Cirque big top show to visit our shores in 26 years, with a crew of 120 people. Since launching in 2007, the production has welcomed more than 10 million people to 5500 performances across 24 countries and some 87 cities.
Kooza’s Australian season kicks off in Melbourne on Wednesday 20 May, followed by stints in Brisbane and Sydney.
Originally from the Gold Coast, Mr Wynter trained as a dancer in Brisbane and Sydney and said while Cirque was the “really big thing” that he wanted to do, he “never thought it would actually happen”.
But five years after his first Cirque audition*, he got the call-up in 2021 to play one of Kooza’s two lead roles: the Trickster.
“I always wanted to do a job that excites me and that pushes me to the next level, and when I came here I was just a dancer,” Mr Wynter said. “Now I would consider myself an actor, a character, an acrobat.
“I’ve learnt so much here and you’re surrounded by people that constantly inspire you, and there’s so many different nationalities, so you learn a lot about the world.”
THE COACH AND THE CHEF
Mr Wynter is one of several Australians working on Kooza but is the only performer – the rest work behind-the-scenes.
Sydney’s Cherie Walker is Kooza’s head coach, while her husband, James McCollum, is the production chef.
“I did a lot of study in sports science and worked in the sports industry back home in Australia, and then watched many Cirque shows and it always fascinated me,” Ms Walker said.
“I saw a job advertisement, applied and ran away (to the circus) not that long after that.
“I wanted to understand the human body more and understand human performance more.”
THE HEAD OF AUTOMATION
Simon Clark, originally from Adelaide, has travelled with Cirque du Soleil for more than 20 years.
Now head of automation*, Mr Clark is an electrician by trade.
“I fell in love with this whole thing,” he said.
“Automation was, I guess, relatively new in that concept of theatre. Having so much motorisation and stuff, and industrial control systems, electrical systems.
“It’s all the same – theatre, industry, factory and everything – so it was a really good fit.”
THE STAGE MANAGER
General stage manager Nicholas Cooper-Brown, 41, is originally from Melbourne and describes his Cirque job as “a bit like air traffic control*”.
“Throughout the performance, when you see aerialists* fly in the air or the set moving, we’re kind of controlling that and making sure that every move that happens on stage is done
safely and then done artistically as well, to keep the vision of the directors ongoing,” Mr Cooper-Brown said.
During the show, his team is also responsible for the safety of the artists and technicians.
“Once you get in here, it’s a really good, fun lifestyle,” he said. “It has its ups and downs, but travelling the world, and the places that I’ve seen and got to experience, and the community that we have here on tour, is a really nice thing.
“And it’s really a joyous kind of job to have … a bit of a strange job but it is a lot of fun.”
WHERE TO START?
Lead performer Mr Wynter’s advice for one day running away to the circus was to “follow your heart”.
“I know it sounds clichéd, but follow what you want to do and everything will lean into the right lane,” he said.
Information on Australian tour dates and ticketing is available at cirquedusoleil.com/kooza
POLL
GLOSSARY
- latter: the second of two people, things, ideas or groups previously mentioned
- Cirque du Soleil: renowned Canadian entertainment company and the world’s largest contemporary circus producer, founded in Quebec in 1984
- audition: a short performance given by an actor, dancer, musician, or other performer that tests whether that person’s skills are suitable for the job
- automation: using machines and computers that can operate without needing human control
- air traffic control: managing aircraft from the ground as they take off, fly and land, or the people who do this
- aerialists: trapeze artist, someone who performs and specialises mid-air tricks
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QUICK QUIZ
- What was head of automation Simon Clark’s original trade?
- General stage manager Nicholas Cooper-Browns likens his Cirque role to what crucial aviation career?
- What is the size of the Cirque crew about to start the Australian leg of their tour and how many different nationalities do they represent?
- How old was Mr Wynter when he first began dreaming of joining the Cirque?
- What was head coach Cherie Walker’s academic background and how did she come to run away to the circus?
LISTEN TO THIS STORY
CLASSROOM ACTIVITIES
1. Goal ladder
What is your dream for the future? What steps can you take to achieve it?
Reflect on this for a few minutes before creating your own goal ladder.
- How I could achieve my dream career
- List your big dream
- List small steps needed to help you achieve it
- What skills do you need to practise
- What challenges may you face along the way
Time: allow 15 minutes to complete this activity
Curriculum Links: English, Personal and Social, Critical and Creative Thinking
2. Extension
In the circus, what job would you like to do the most?
Which one sounds the hardest?
Which job may be the most dangerous?
Which job might pay the most?
How do you think they feed and house all the circus employees?
Time: allow 10 minutes to complete this activity
Curriculum Links: English, Personal and Social, Critical and Creative Thinking
VCOP ACTIVITY
Exercise the body and the mind
Exercise is not only important for the body, but it’s a lot of fun as well. Let’s bring more exercise into classroom learning by creating a VCOP PE game.
You can add a VCOP challenge to pretty much any game, and it’s a great way to encourage the teacher to let the class play more games.
Here is an example to get you started, then you create one of your own.
VCOP dodgeball
The normal rules of dodgeball apply. Two teams throw soft balls at each other and if you get hit, you have to sit out. The team who knocks out all the players on the other team, wins.
VCOP challenge: when you get eliminated, collect a mini-whiteboard and a basic clause from the sidelines. Up-level the sentence (make it better) by adding VCOP. When you show the teacher your completed sentence, you can return to the game.
Play for a set amount of time and the team with the most players left on the court wins.
Support: use the “Up-Level It” card set – players have to complete one card from the set instead of completing all VCOP challenges.
What can you come up with?