Performer Biographies
David Leach - Director
David Leach is an energetic and versatile performer with skills ranging from fire and circus to puppetry and magic. Graduating from VUT‘s Performing Arts Course in 1999, David has actively performed throughout Melbourne and Australia for over seven years. During this time David has been recognised as one of Australia’s top fire artists, a sophisticated corporate entertainer and a highly talented children’s entertainer. David performs as a children’s entertainer with his comedic characters at hundreds of events and parties each year. David has also performed over 700 children’s puppet shows at “Hocus Pocus Puppets” where he was a resident puppeteer for four years. His puppetry experience has led him to work with the ‘William May Corporation’ (Producers of ‘The Hobbit’ and ‘The Lion The Witch and the Wardrobe’) on general performances since 2003. David is currently co-owner and director of Cirque Mystique.
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Jo Murdoch - Director
Jo is a dynamic individual who has performed for the last five years, in many countries around the world. Beginning her performance career in New Zealand as a juggler in the performance troupe “Razor Fish”, Jo has diversified to become a multi-talented performer with skills in fire, circus, martial arts and dance. Jo currently specializes in fire performing, juggling, contact juggling, hula hooping and stilt walking. She is also a talented and passionate teacher and enjoys running classes and workshops in circus and fire. Jo is currently co-owner and director of Cirque Mystique.
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Andrew Dyson
Andrew began juggling at aged 12 after seeing a juggler at a traditional circus. Once at home he started practicing and discovered he had quite a talent for manipulating objects. Over the next few years he continued training and started performing around the Gippsland area. He then moved to Melbourne aged 16 to pursue his circus career and study at the National Institute of Circus Arts, which he graduated from in 2005. Andrew is currently the Guinness World Record Holder for the: ‘Longest Duration Juggling 5 Clubs Balanced on a freestanding ladder’.
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Lana Schwarcz
Lana enjoys laughing way too loud, louder than everyone else. She has had a wide range of performance experience, from children's theatre and sesame street puppets, to sideshows and street shows. Lana has performed around the world in her various guises, most recently at the World Buskers Festival in Christchurch, NZ, and as the headline act for the Docklands New Years Eve celebrations 2005. Amongst her other notable achievements are winning runner up award for the Melbourne Short and Sweet play competition, working for Sesame Street in NYC, winning the pitch prize in the Melbourne Buskers competition, performing in the Melbourne Comedy Festival, Zurich Theatrespektakle and World Puppetry Festival - France, and getting her film short listed for Tropfest.
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Mark Myers
Mark is a contemporary circus performer, with over 15 years experience, specialising in comedy routines. Since graduating from the University of Melbourne and The John Bolton Theatre School, he has been performing, writing and teaching clowning and circus skills. Mark’s many skills include slack-rope walking, juggling, unicycling, balancing, fire-eating, whip cracking, masks, knife throwing, character clown, acrobatic balances, archery, didgeridoo and he is a second dan black belt. Career highlights have been touring with Ashton's Circus and Billy Connolly and performing at festivals and parades around Australia, New Guinea and Singapore.
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Ben Hutton
Benjamin was born to be a magician. He first became inspired at the age of eleven, when his Grandmother took him to see a magician perform at a circus. He became a protégé’ of world master magician Raymond Crowe and assisted Ray in many shows, over the years to come. Ben’s ability to perform as various themed characters complimented whatever style of event he was performing at. Ben has performed in a Taiwanese Theme Park, featuring grand illusions. In 2004, Ben had a sell–out season at the Adelaide Fringe Festival, with a show called “Whoton” that he wrote, directed and starred in. In Sept-Dec 2004/05, Ben was reviewed as the ‘standout performer’ in “Vegas Viva Dolls”, a comedy, song, dance & illusion theatre-restaurant show. In 2006 Ben moved to Melbourne to expand his magical horizons. Ben continues to be an entertainer in high demand… and the reason is simple – audiences love his magic.
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Tully Fedorowjtsch
Tully has performed all over the world with the Flying Fruit Fly Circus. In 2001 he came to NICA (National Institute of Circus Arts) on a scholarship where he excelled in all forms of skill-based manipulation, particularly in his specialty, meteor (spinning bowls). Tully has been a regular instructor in NICA’s short course program since graduating with a Batchelor of Circus Arts in 2003. Tully’s years of circus experience has lead him to perform on Broadway (Los Angeles) as well as at the Sydney Olympics.
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Avan Whaite
Orginally from Perth Avan moved to Melbourne in 2001 to undergo studies at the elite circus training school, NICA (National Institute of Circus Arts) where he graduated from in 2003 as one of the top students. Avan is a national and international entertainer and has recently returned from performing in Singapore. Avan has also produced and performed highly successful shows in the Melbourne Fringe Festival for the last two years. Avan specialises in chinese poles, acrobatics and tumbling and is a trainer for Circus Oz where he teaches chinese poles.
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