Dust Palace Charitable Trust / Ellerslie Arts
A 10-week part-time residency at Ellerslie Arts supporting circus artists to develop new or existing works, with three residencies available across 2027.
Ellerslie Arts — home of the Dust Palace — is offering three 10-week part-time residencies across 2027, open to circus practitioners at any stage of their career.
Each residency supports the creation of new work or the development of existing work, with residents gaining access to Te Whare Maninirau (the Dust Palace's dedicated space), full membership, and mentorship from the core Dust Palace team of directors throughout the 10 weeks.
The programme wraps up with a relaxed showing of the work in development — a low-pressure opportunity to share what's been explored.
Importantly, this residency isn't about building circus technique. It's about everything that shapes circus skill into performance: movement generation, artistry, theatricality, and creative process. The goal is to nurture these practices in a way that ripples outward into the broader circus community in Tāmaki Makaurau.
Dust Palace Charitable Trust has a long history of growing circus as an art form in Aotearoa, increasing accessibility through residencies, scholarships, and subsidised space. They also deliver Te Kura Maninirau — Aotearoa's first kaupapa Māori circus school — making circus arts approachable for tangata whenua through a kaupapa Māori pedagogy.
If you have any access needs with your application, get in touch with Eve at eve@thedustpalace.co.nz or 0221221076 — they're very happy to help.
Applications close at 5pm on 30 November 2026.
