The Women's Circus

Leaping Off the Edge

Design by Lin Tobias ©

Have you ever wanted to run away to join the circus? Perhaps you've wondered what goes on behind the scenes? Do you know what trapeze artists think about as they swing through the air or how fit you have to be to be a performer?

The Women's Circus was established by Donna Jackson in Melbourne's western suburbs in 1991. Women who were survivors of sexual assault were particularly encouraged to join, along with other women from a variety of different backgrounds, cultures, with different body shapes, sexual preferences and ages. In 1995 the Women's Circus toured to the Fourth UN World Conference NGO Forum on Women in Beijing to highlight the strength of women in the face of human rights abuses against women from around the world.

The Women's Circus is a community-based theatrical group structured around feminist principles. One hundred women are actively engaged in training workshops throughout the year, learning music, circus skills and ways of regaining control over their bodies. They are jugglers, aerialists, acrobats, technicians, musicians, designers, trainers and administrators who come together for the major annual performance each November.

Whether you want to join the circus or be simply an armchair acrobat, the women in this book can tell you how it's done from women involved in every area, photographs, recipes, poetry, diagrams and much more.

The project of writing this book begun in 1993, initiated by Adrienne Liebmann, co-odinator of the circus bookgroup who was supported by a committed team: Jean Taylor, Deb Lewis, Patricia Sykes, Louise Radcliffe-Smith and Jen Jordan (deceased).

This is a big, rowdy, colorful, three-ring circus of a book, packed with death-defying feats and acts that will thrill and amaze - not the least of which is their breathtaking commitment to feminist process. One of the Circus's first never-before-attempted acts of derring-do was to give priority status to recruitment of women who were survivors of sexual abuse.

Carolyn Gage, The Lesbian Review of Books/ Vol. V, No. 1/ Fall 1998

Full Review

1875559558 non-fiction 256pp 205x138
Territories: World All rights: Spinifex

women@spinifexpress.com.au