FROM AUSTRALIA

Narre Warren South's Brady runs away with the circus

Brady and Stephanie Wills.
by Sam Landsberger
BRADY Wills grew up a talented gymnast and was destined for glory at national level.

But at 16 the Narre Warren South resident traded in his sporting outfits for circus tights and is now on the cusp of graduating from the National Institute of Circus Arts.

Wills, 22, dreams of opening a circus company of his own and travelling Australia. And he hasn’t looked back since making the switch in 2004.

“When I was 16 I got bored of gymnastics and wanted to find something new to do, so I tried circus,” he said.

“I did that because it had so many similar aspects to (gymnastics) but was different enough at the same time.”

“I loved it straight away because I could have so much fun with it and be a bit more comical, whereas gymnastics is much more serious.”

Wills, and his elder sister Stephanie, will next month graduate from the NICA with a showpiece performance they have been crafting for three years.

The show, which runs from December 1 to 11 at the National Circus Centre in Prahran, is staged to highlight Australia’s top circus talent before they explode on to the world stage.