Enhancing Our Performance Space at Skylight Circus Arts

Enhancing Our Performance Space at Skylight Circus Arts

by | Mar 9, 2025 | News, Performance, Support

We’re excited to share that we’ve received funding to further enhance our performance space and provide more creative opportunities for the Rochdale community.

Exciting Venue Upgrades

Thanks to funding from the Rochdale Visitor Attraction and Venue Improvement Scheme with Rochdale Development Agency, we have made some exciting upgrades to our venue at Skylight Circus Arts.

Investing in New Equipment 

This funding has enabled us to invest in much-needed specialist circus and performance equipment. Our new black stage mats and stage lighting will enhance our performances, creating a more immersive and professional experience for our audiences. Be the first to see it all in action at our upcoming show, Sky Fi, happening in mid-March!

Expert Training for Our Youth Circus

In addition to equipment upgrades, the funding has also allowed us to bring in Cath, a local creative professional with skills in aerial and circus to work with our Spotlight performance troupe and youth circus.

Working with new creative professionals not only gives our young people new circus skills but it also provides us with new and exciting ideas, inspiration and helps to develop their resilience and team work. 

The training is focused in acrobalance and will further develop their skills, ready for our upcoming show, Sky-Fi.

photograph of three people, two younger boys and one women practising acrobalance. One boy is balancing on the women and the other boy is spotting him.

Sky-Fi

Coming Soon!

Date: Saturday 15th March 3pm & 7pm and Sunday 16th March 11am & 3pm

Location: Skylight Circus Arts, St Chads Fold, Sparrow Hill, Rochdale, OL16 1QT

Tickets: £5 per person (must book in advance)

Contact us for more information

Tickets

Thank You

A huge thank you to Rochdale Visitor Attraction and Venue Improvement Scheme and Rochdale Development Agency to supporting us to further develop our training space and performance venue here in Rochdale. 

Support Skylight Circus Arts

We are working hard to continue to develop our venue, upgrade our equipment and create high-quality performances for Rochdale audiences.

If you’d like to help us and are able to, please consider donating or sharing our stories with your families, friends and networks. Your kindness and support makes a huge difference!

Donate

Contact us to find out more about our projects, join one of our classes and our wonderful Skylight community.

Spotlight Presents: Sky-Fi Circus Show

Spotlight Presents: Sky-Fi Circus Show

by | Mar 9, 2025 | News, Our Team & Community, Performance, Projects, Spotlight

Meet our youth performance troupe, Spotlight and hear about our upcoming space themed circus and aerial show, Sky-Fi!

Spotlight

Originally formed in 2019, made up of a group of young performers from Skylight Circus Arts’ youth circus and aerial classes. They inspired the community and showcased their talent at community events such as Rochdale Feel Good Festival, Middleton Sports and Culture Awards and Darnhill Festival. They were set to debut their first solo show ‘Mammoth’ at Gracie Fields Theatre in March 2020, but the pandemic halted those plans.

Skylight Circus Manchester NW Aerial Silk Performers
Skylight Circus Youth Circus Theatre Performance
Skylight Circus Youth Circus Acro Training
Skylight Circus backstage at Middleton Arena
Skylight Circus NW Acrobatic Artists

While most of the original Spotlight members have moved on to university, one now works with us as a freelance circus and aerial tutor and performer, both here at Skylight and other venues in the North West. She has also worked on the Sky-Fi project and will be performing in the show!

A New Generation

Thanks to funding from Arts Council England, we have been able to reignite Spotlight with a brand new cohort of young circus performers and creatives to create a new circus show Sky-Fi.

The new Spotlight group, formed in January 2025, is made up of 14 young performers aged 12-20 all from the Rochdale and the surrounding areas. They’ve trained with us in Skylight’s regular youth circus classes and have shown a strong interest in developing their performance skills and working within the arts.

“My favourite part of being in Spotlight and creating Sky-Fi has been creating the show with everyone else. Some of us didn’t really know each other that well before January but we’re like a big team now.” 

– Spotlight Member

Spotlight’s Upcoming Circus Show: Sky-Fi

Since January, Skylight have been creating, training and rehearsing with Spotlight to create Sky Fi, an circus show that will take audiences on a journey to explore the curiosity of the vastness of space, the movement of zero gravity, and our connection to the universe.

Expect to step into the abyss with a mesmerising tight wire performance, orbiting unicyclists and aerial acts questioning time and space.

One of the initial sparks of inspiration from the group was the idea of how enormous the universe is, and how tiny we really are here on earth.

 

 

“I like to think about how tiny we are, compared to everything else. Like when you think about life and your problems, but then you zoom out and take step back and think about how big the universe is, it’s actually kind of nice because it makes your problems feel smaller.”

– Spotlight Member

 

Creative Employment Pathways

Skylight Circus Arts is working hard to provide opportunities for our young people in creative employment pathways. With two Spotlight members already working with us, Spotlight’s journey is a testament to that vision.

By giving these talented young performers the opportunity to develop their skills in circus, performance and other areas within the creative industry we hope to inspire and provide more opportunities to the next generation of circus artists and young creatives.

Support Spotlight

Come and witness the magic of Sky-Fi and support the next generation of circus artists! Whether you’re a fan of circus, space, or simply love a good show, this is an event not to be missed.

Date: Saturday 15th March 3pm & 7pm and Sunday 16th March 11am & 3pm
Location: Skylight Circus Arts, St Chads Fold, Sparrow Hill, Rochdale, OL16 1QT
Tickets: £5 per person (must book in advance)

Tickets

Help Shape Spotlights Future

We are working hard to secure funding to keep our Spotlight performance troupe thriving. If you’d like to help us provide opportunities for young Rochdale creatives, please consider donating. Your support makes a difference!
Donate

Contact us to find out more about our classes and our wonderful Skylight community.