Circa Cairns
Harley Mann
Artistic Director
Harley Mann, is a Wakka Wakka man from Queensland, he grew up on Gadigal country NSW. Drawing on his own Aboriginal heritage as inspiration Harley founded Na Djinang Circus in 2017. Harley has since worked with some of Australia’s leading contemporary circus companies including Circa, Circuz Oz and Casus.
Under Harley’s guidance, Na Djinangs highly successful work Common Dissonance was nominated for a Green Room award for Best Circus. In 2021 Na Djinang premiered a sold-out season of Arterial as part of the Yirramboi Festival.
Harley was also honoured with the 2018 Melbourne Fringe Award for Best Emerging Circus Artist. He was also chosen as the youth representative for the 2018 circus talk as part of the Sydney Festival. He is a current member of the CaPT Advisory board for circus and was recently a recipient of the Circus Oz Fellowship program 2021.
Harley is ensuring that he upskills while he tours, creates, and develops what he hopes is a significant contribution to Australia’s circus industry.
Ally Humphris
Circa Cairns Ensemble Member
Ally is a proud Wakka Wakka woman with a strong commitment and connection to her Aboriginal culture. Ally has studied dance and fitness with professional experience as a circus performer. Ally joined the BlakFlip program at Circus Oz in 2013, which led her to be in the 2014 production of Corked Up. In 2017, as part of BlakFlip, she had the honour of being in the cast of Chasing Smoke, which continued with Casus.
Ally showcases her skills through power tumbling, acrobatics and movement and continues to perform with Circa Cairns.
David Kila Biondi-Odo
Circa Cairns Ensemble Member
David Kila Biondi-Odo is an First Nations independent contemporary artist of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Island descent. David is a proud Aboriginal man who people are Mamu and Kalkadoon from Queensland, and a proud Torres Strait Island man from Mer Island’s in the Torres Strait.
David studied at ACPA (Aboriginal Centre of Performing Art) graduating with a Advanced Diploma in performing Arts in Dance in 2016. He further went on to study at Naisda developing his language and art of dance, graduating with a diploma in dance in 2019.
David has worked with many renowned artists and choreographers throughout his career and hopes to continue to develop and grow his relationship with dance and movement during his time with Circa Cairns.
Edan Porter
Circa Cairns Ensemble Member
Edan Porter is a proud Gomeroi man from North-West NSW. Edan’s dance journey started at the age of six with Traditional Aboriginal dancing learning from his family in Moree, NSW. Edan started his professional dance training in 2016 with NAISDA Dance College and graduated in 2019 with a Diploma of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Practice. Over the course of his studies, Edan worked with choreographers like Craig Barry, Frances Rings, Pamela Williams and other incredible people that have shaped him as an artist. Edan has worked with companies including Sydney Dance Company, Bangarra Dance Theatre, Marrugeku, Opera Australia, Brown’s Mart Theatre, NT Dance Company and KARUL Projects. Edan danced in Canada as part of the Intercultural Creation Lab at Banff Centre of Creative Arts and hopes to travel more internationally. This year Edan joins Circa Cairns and is also working with choreographer Jacob Boheme. Through this time, Edan is continuing to hone his choreographic development and creating more work that he hopes will resonate with audiences to continue to share his story.