CASE STUDY
North Queensland Residency Tour
June/July 2018
Bajool, Hughenden, Charters Towers, Ayr, Rockhampton
1,014 Participants
51 Workshops and community engagements
1,041 Audience Members
Number of participants who rated the residencies good or excellent = 99%
The 2018 North Queensland residency tour visited 5 communities with different, individual needs. The tour was tailored to meet the needs of each of these communities and was put together through a patchwork of relationships with local presenters/venues, schools, community groups, and councils. The tour was supported by the Queensland Government through the Playing Queensland Fund and the Bajool leg was supported by Senator Chris Ketter, Senator for Queensland.
Hughenden
This tour was Flipside’s first visit to Hughenden, so local infrastructure and demand were untested. Flipside engaged with a number of local champions (including the Hughenden Gymnastics Club) to help create relationships and promote the programs locally. Flipside worked with the local community to arrange short intensive workshops in both local schools, as well as the Hughenden Library in the lead up to the residency. These short workshops were extremely effective in helping to create interest in the longer residency, which was very popular.
Following the success of this program Flipside Circus partnered with the Hughenden Gymnastics Club to submit a joint application to the Foundation for Regional and Rural Renewal to expand the residency program into 2019 – this application was successful and with the support of the Shire of Flinders Flipside will return to Hughenden twice in 2019.
The value of a relationship with a great local champions in developing a residency program like this can’t be overstated and is perhaps be best summed up with an anecdote …
“We were in the planning stages of the tour when I called one of our local champions to ask for help connecting Flipside with one of the local schools. The response was – ‘well the principal’s standing in front of me ordering a sandwich. Hold on, I’ll introduce you and put you on.’ ”
Bajool
In 2017 Flipside visited Bajool State School as part of a larger regional tour backed by Rockhampton Regional Council. In late 2017 Flipside entered into an informal relationship with Bajool to work together to run programs “everytime Flipside is travelling past.” In 2018 Flipside returned to Bajool as part of our North Queensland residency tour and again ran a short intensive residency. Bajool has incorporated circus skills into their arts and physical education programs and as a result, the students have continued to advance their circus skills between visits.
The students’ skills are developing much faster than anticipated and when Flipside returns in 2019, we will be moving onto more advanced skills and aerial apparatus.
Tour Gallery
