Trix Circus

ABOUT US MEET THE TRIX CIRCUS TEAM RODLEIGH STEVENS Director, Head Rigger and Chief Equipment Designer ‘I circus, therefore I am.’ Rodleigh Stevens is a circus rock star! He is the fifth generation circus artist, he has circus running through his veins and has lived and breathed circus as far back as he can remember. Trix Circus was born out of his passion for the circus arts and his vast experience as a highly skilled performer and coach. As a specialised circus equipment designer, he takes equipment manufacturing seriously, because your safety is our business! Technician, Manufacturer, Educator and Visionary Rodleigh’s circus pedigree is undeniable, having worked for all the big name companies like Cirque du Soleil, Ringling Bros. Barnum and Bailey Circus, Pink Funhouse tour, École Nationale de Cirque, Zip Zap Circus School, Flying Fruit Flies, Circa, Circus Nock, Circus Barnum and many more. Through these many years of international performing and coaching he has a profound knowledge of best design practices, as well as design solutions that are inherently flawed.  If you have a novel idea for an original act on unusual equipment, Rodleigh can guide you through the development of that idea, whether it be through creative equipment design or technical coaching. Personal Manufacturing History Rodleigh performed professionally for over 30 years, touring in 25 different countries and performing with 28 of the world’s best circus companies. He built or designed almost all of the equipment that he used throughout his circus career. If something broke, he would not just repair it, he would redesign it so that it would last longer or be safer, or easier to use. Carrying heavy circus equipment around the globe is not fun, so he always looked for opportunities to build his equipment out of strong and light materials, obtaining valuable advice from engineers, welders and mentors. He learned to weld and has spent many hours perfecting this skill and regularly re-skilling in different areas of manufacturing practice. Simplicity and efficiency in presentation and safe application are core elements to his design premise. As a qualified Advanced Rigger, compliancy with human-loading laws and insurance ramifications are always at the fore-front of his thought process. The proof is in the work. Rodleigh has dismantled trapezes, ropes and safety gear after many years of constant use. Each time, he has discovered that Trix Circus equipment is safe, solid, secure and it stands up to the test of time. To read Rodleigh’s CV, click here. Read more Amanda Lynch Operations Manager and Leading Hand ‘I make stuff happen!’ Amanda Lynch graduated with a First-Class Honours degree in Theatre Studies from the University of Queensland in 2002 and used this degree as a platform from which to start her circus journey. She is a trained academic researcher and proof reader and this gives her an unmatched interest in attention to detail and the successful search for information, both skills that she draws on extensively while administrating for Trix and as a circus coach. At Trix, Amanda is the one that makes sure things get done. She is a natural leader and has had years of experience creating shows with small and large groups of artists. Her straightforward attitude keeps Trix running smoothly and her empathetic nature keeps clients coming back. Without her un-waivering attention to detail and fine sense of planning, things like this amazing website would not be here today. With the attitude that no job is too hard or too big, she helps us deliver on all projects, no matter what the size or level of intricacy, keeping the same professional attitude throughout. As well as an administrative genius, Amanda is a motivated and passionate circus coach. In 2020 she completed the ‘Formation de Formateurs’ at École Nationale de Cirque (ENC) in aerial verticals (corde lisse, tissu) with Sarah Poole and duo trapeze with Véronique Thibeault. This course at ENC has given Amanda new modalities for apparatus application and exploration which she is excited to share through her work with Trix Circus. To read Amanda’s CV, click here. Read more Steph Coates Manufacturer/Seamsperson Steph caught the circus bug by kismet. When she was just 19, Steph had a friend who did circus for fun. Curious about such a different activity, Steph asked her friend about it. Her friend, Bree, suggested she do a free trial at Flipside Circus, which Steph did and she was completely hooked! From that first terrifying time hanging from a trapeze, she has never looked back. Now-a-days, Steph trains all kinds of aerial circus including silks, lyra, and swinging, flying and static trapeze. Steph is a bit of a multipotentialite. She’s completed a Certificate IV in Patisserie, pursued a secondary teaching degree as well as a physiotherapy degree. The teaching and physiotherapy study supports her current passion and career as an aerials and circus instructor across multiple Brisbane circus schools. The patisserie course makes her very popular at Trix Circus, especially at morning tea! Steph takes circus teaching very seriously. Inspired to be a dedicated circus arts teacher, not primarily a circus artist who teaches by default, she is enrolled in the Instructor’s diploma at the world’s leading circus school, the prestigious Ecole Nationale de Cirque. In mid-2023 Steph will take the journey to the home of contemporary circus, Montreal, to complete her onsite training at Ecole Nationale de Cirque. Trix is so lucky to have Steph on our team. She brings a willingness, a meticulousness and an eagerness to learn that is invaluable to us. We can’t imagine our workplace without her efficiency, kindness, compassion and care. Owen Leonard Marketing and Circus Consultant  ‘Trix Circus is a home I’ve never even visited!’ Owen Leonard is a creative multidisciplinary circus artist. Due to his extensive experience in youth circus, Owen has developed an eye and a passion for everything circus related. While he started his career in traditional circus, Owen has since trained and performed extensively in contemporary circus and is comfortable across all circus mediums. Owen is also an accomplished lighting designer and operator as well as a marketing genius. His inquisitive nature, alongside his technical and problem-solving abilities, helps Trix Circus to evolve and embrace new circus technologies. While Owen is based in America and has never even been to Trix HQ in Australia, he is a firm believer and advocate for Trix Circus. Owen was taught by both Rodleigh and Amanda for a number of years and has fallen in love with the Trix Circus way of thinking, living and circusing! Trix Circus is lucky to have Owen as part of our family. He pushes us to be better and do better at every turn. Allison Kovacevic Social Media Manager and Events Promoter ‘OMG I wanna do that!!!‘ Allison was born in Sydney and moved to the Gold Coast with her family at 5. She always wanted to get into some kind of performing arts. From young age, she was always asking to do dance, gymnastics, modelling and singing, however living in the Gold Coast hinterland made attending lessons impossible. In early 2014, she searched for a “non boring” way to stay fit and found aerial classes. She was hooked after the first session and hasn’t looked back since. Her desire to express herself creatively and grow as an aerialist led her to Trix Circus… where she quickly became part of the team. Her consistent willingness to ask questions, learn, grow and support the Trix team has evolved into her becoming a part of our working family. Allison loves being a part of the aerial community as a performer and a supporter. She is our live events promoter, chatting with clients, capturing pictures and videos for Trix and she manages our social media pages and other forms of client communications. Talia Donoghue Assistant Manufacturer Also know as “T”! Talia started dancing when she was just 14. One day, she was at Pac Fair watching a flash mob with her mum and decided to throw away a promising tennis career and her hand at the performing arts. Talia studied dance full time on the Gold Coast, achieving her Certificate 4 in Dance at age 19.  Seeking a new challenge, she delved into the world of circus arts. Training full time to be able to be an aerial circus professional.  Talia performs locally as both an aerialist and dancer. She is also a kind and generous performing arts coach.. Teaching at various schools on the Gold Coast for the past 2 years; sharing her passion for movement and creativity with students of all ages. At Trix, Talia is a key personnel. She is an assistant manufacturer and helps in all areas to keep Trix functioning and to be on the top of their game. Working at Trix Circus has brought a lot of excitement and joy into learning about the production, infrastructure and rigging side of circus performance. Having this kind of knowledge helps Talia to keep herself, as a professional aerialist, and her students safe as well being a asset for her future professional career. At Trix, they don’t just teach, they nurture and care for you and your goals. T’s favourite apparatus is STRAPS! T’s favourite colour is ORANGE! Ellie Dunning Assistant Manufacturer Ellie was 10 years old when she first saw Cirque du Soleil in London. From that moment, she became obsessed with joining the circus. With a background in gymnastics, physically it was an easy transition into aerial circus for Ellie. However, coming from a small town in the UK, there weren’t a lot of options for aerial schools. Finally, at the age of 24, a local aerial studio opened up and Ellie was able to dive into her aerial circus journey. In her late 20s, she emigrated to the Gold Coast and immediately started looking for somewhere to train. Aerial Artistry was where she landed and she spent 4 years training there as well as becoming an aerial coach. For the past 3 years, Ellie has been training at Rise Aerial Academy.  With nearly 10 years experience in aerial arts, Ellie wanted to learn more about how it all is made and develop a deeper understanding of aerial rigging and safety. In May 2024, a casual position opened up at Trix Circus and Ellie jumped at the chance to work behind the scenes learning about the many facets of manufacturing for circus arts. And her favorite apparatus is LYRA! And favorite colour is black or purple.