Source : the age
Teenagers dreaming of running away with the circus surely don’t tend to factor in their mums or dads. But when Matilda Devine announced what she was determined to do, her parents Nick and Natasha sold the house, closed the family business, and joined her in an extraordinary show of support.
Matilda – known as Tilly – is now a 17-year-old performer with the Flying Fruit Fly Circus. She first encountered the art form aged 11, when COVID restrictions saw Stardust Circus suspend touring and perform for her Blue Mountains primary school instead. Inspired, she enrolled at a local circus academy and tried aerial silks, where performers climb, wrap, and drop from hanging fabric.
“I remember climbing for the first time and being, like ‘… how did I even do that?’ ”
She began letting off steam in the backyard, on silks slung on a tree, until her parents intervened and bought a proper aerial rig. On their sloping mountain property, the rig stood higher than the house so that the Devines – relaxing in the lounge or on the balcony – would be startled by their daughter spinning into view. “It was like dinner and a show,” Natasha says with a laugh.
A few trips to Bunnings later and Nick – a deft handyman – crafted Tilly some balancing canes. In a gift that would unleash her professional specialty, he also made her first aerial pole: a free-hanging, spinning pole for aerial acrobatics, requiring immense core strength and grip control.
“Tilly was always keen to learn new tricks on different equipment and she wanted to try aerial pole,” he explains. “So not knowing much about it, I bought a three-metre galvanised pole and a carabiner clip so she could attach it to her aerial rig at home.”
By age 15, Tilly knew circus was more than a hobby. “We did all these career expos at school, and I remember being, like ‘I don’t find joy in any of this’.” She began asking her circus coaches about a future in their world instead.
Meanwhile, Nick and Natasha recognised her passion was no ordinary teen phase. “We saw Matilda really blossom, really come into her own when she was up on that silk,” Natasha recalls. “It’s the confidence that comes out. Circus gives them such creativity.”
Researching late into the night, Natasha discovered that professional qualifications and circus pathways existed in Australia and she and Nick sat down to discuss the future. They agreed that they could see Tilly “really coming out of her shell” with circus, and decided that they didn’t want to still be “sitting here talking about it in five years’ time”.
“I’m ready for a change if you are,” Natasha recalls telling her husband. “Life’s too short to worry about what-ifs. You’ve just got to go for it.”
After a nerve-racking audition, Tilly was accepted into “the Fruities”: the Flying Fruit Fly Circus, Australia’s national youth circus and only full-time youth circus school. She is currently performing with the company in Pay No Attention, now showing at the Opera House.
But after she was first accepted, the following few months were a whirlwind of packing and farewells. Tilly finished Year 10 while her parents sold the family home, closed the landscaping business they’d run for over 17 years, and searched for a new house and jobs closer to Tilly’s future circus life: the Fruities’ Albury training centre, and Wodonga Senior Secondary College, where circus students attend school.
The transition was challenging – full-time circus demands the discipline of elite sport, far from the casual clowning and juggling Tilly’s friends imagined.
“We are teaching strong technique to prepare acrobats to excel at a high level,” Fruities artistic director Anni Davey observes. Alumni perform in world-leading companies such as Cirque Du Soleil, Circa, The 7 Fingers, and Circus Oz. They need “determination, dedication and a desire to do things differently. A supportive family is also a great thing to have,” Davey notes.
Reflecting on her parents’ unwavering support, Tilly becomes emotional. “It’s so amazing that they’re so selfless that they could sacrifice for me, so I can pursue my career and my dreams.”
Tilly’s day combines school, gym, anatomy lessons, and specialised acrobatic training. Saturdays involve Fruities performances. She is the first Fruity to perform aerial pole, and coaches younger students in the discipline.
Safety instruction is also key. While the Fruities have specialised insurance, they aim to leave nothing to chance, emphasising rigorous safety protocols and training. “We are in the business of making the dangerous things safe, and the safe things look dangerous,” executive producer and deputy CEO Tahni Froudist explains.
“As a parent, I was definitely nervous,” Natasha admits. Aerial neck hangs were especially stressful to watch. “There are some things she does where I just want to close my eyes, but I still want to watch at the same time. It’s like you’re in awe – and you’re super proud – but at the same time you’re scared.”
Tilly, who made her Opera House circus debut this week, finds the journey exhilarating. Stepping on stage is “genuinely just pure happiness. I can’t imagine doing anything else in that moment”.
The Flying Fruit Fly Circus: Pay No Attention is at the Sydney Opera House until July 11.
