The revolutionary Flying Fijian Circus coming to Aotearoa

In a region where young people are often encouraged into careers like law, medicine, or engineering, Fiji’s VOU Dance Company is proving there is another path and it leads to the big top.

The Fijian Flying Circus will make its Aotearoa debut at the Wellington Fringe and Hamilton Arts festivals, showcasing a fully homegrown cast in a production that blends circus, theatre, music, and dance.

Speaking with Elenoa Turagaiviu on PMN Fiji, Vou’s Artistic Director Navi Fong (Taveuni/Kadavu/Chinese) says the show represents nearly 20 years of reimagining what arts education can look like in Fiji.

“In Fiji, you don’t usually have access to formalised arts education in our school system,” Fong says. “But anyone with any inclination towards arts or has any artistic flair, there’s no way to turn that into a career.”

To change that, VOU developed its own accredited tertiary programme, offering a free diploma in dance and the arts.

After two years of study, students graduate and transition into full-time professional performers. Every cast member on stage has come through that system.

Watch Navi Fong's full interview on PMN FIJI below.

Breaking the professional mould

The company’s shift into circus arts came through what Fong describes as a “gift from God” - a chance meeting with Cuban circus trainers who recognised the potential in VOU’s existing infrastructure.

“They saw that we already had a circus tent…and they said, ‘Why don’t we just teach some circus skills and we can try to mesh what we have together’.”

The result is a uniquely Fijian circus company that fuses international technique with local storytelling.

Fully Fijian

While the circus skills have Cuban roots, the heart of the show is entirely homegrown.

All 15 cast members are Fijian - from the country’s first hair-hang artist from Savusavu to a tightrope walker from Naitasiri.

Fong says too often, Pacific audiences assume excellence must come from overseas.

“We expect quality from there not realising the capabilities here at home are just phenomenal,” he says.

“It just takes a bit of guidance and structure and resources…so every single person on the stage is 100 per cent Fijian and it's always so inspiring for me to see that here.”

Sensory storytelling, no animals

Audiences in Aotearoa New Zealand should not expect a traditional circus. There are no animals. Instead, the production delivers what Fong calls a “sensory overload” of aerials, acrobatics, trapeze, tightrope and silk with theatre, music, and dance, with cultural narrative.

The story draws deeply from i-Taukei or indigenous Fijian identity, weaving in legends and mythical figures such as Veli and Tuwawa.

“It’s a circus with a Fijian twist,” Fong says.

Performers speak their own dialects and regularly break the fourth wall, creating what he describes as a “real communal sort of feeling” rather than a distant spectacle.

Speaking on Island Time, Caroline Balenacagi, an aerial and acrobatic performer who has been with VOU for five years, says audiences can expect a dynamic show.

“There's juggling, there's acrobatics, there's trapeze, there's tightrope, there's silk,” she says. “I'm not going to spoil anything else.”

Watch Navi Fong and Caroline Balenacagi's full interview on Island Time below.

Coming ‘home’ to Aotearoa

As the troupe prepares for its Aotearoa tour, Fong describes the journey less as an international venture and more as a family reunion.

“Even though we’re calling this an international tour, it's just coming home all over again,” Fong says. “We’re just coming to meet our own people. We are most excited about being able to meet other Fijians there. We really hope that you can all find yourselves in the performance.”

For VOU Dance Company, the Flying Fijian Circus is more than entertainment. It is proof that Pacific creativity can stand on the world stage. And that young artists back home have a viable future in the arts.

VOU's Flying Fijian Circus cast in Wellington. Photo/Facebook

The Flying Fijian Circus Aotearoa Dates

Wellington Fringe Festival

7.30pm, 17 - 22 February

Hannah Playhouse

Please note that there is no parking at The Hannah, Nearby pay-for street parking is available with varying times and charges.

Hamilton Arts Festival

7.45pm, 27 and 28 February

Hamilton Gardens

BYO seating, no dogs allowed.