Inside the incredible journey of the teenager performing with the Flying Fruit Fly Circus at the Sydney Opera House
Chantal Nguyen
Young people who dream of escaping from the circus are certainly not inclined to take their mothers or fathers into account. But when Matilda Devine announced what she was determined to do, her parents Nick and Natasha sold the house, closed the family business and joined her in a remarkable show of support.
Matilda, known as Tilly, is now a 17-year-old artist. Flying Fruit Fly Circus. He first encountered the art form at the age of 11, when Stardust Circus suspended touring and performed at a Blue Mountains elementary school instead due to COVID restrictions. Inspired, he enrolled at a local circus academy and tried aerial silks, in which performers climb, reel and fall through suspended fabric.
“I remember climbing for the first time and wondering, ‘…how did I do that?’ I remember thinking. ”
He began sweating on silks hung from a tree in the backyard until his family intervened and purchased proper aerial gear. On the sloping mountain terrain, the equipment stood higher than the house, so the Devines relaxing in the lounge or on the balcony would be startled when their daughter turned and came into view. “It was like dinner and a show,” Natasha says with a laugh.
A few visits later to Bunnings and Nick, a master mechanic, made Tilly balance canes. As a gift that would reveal his professional expertise, he also built her his first aerial pole: a free-hanging, rotating pole for aerial acrobatics, requiring tremendous core strength and grip control.
“Tilly was always keen on learning new tricks on different equipment and wanted to try the aerial pole,” he explains. “So since I didn’t know much about it, I bought a ten-foot galvanized pole and a carabiner clip so he could attach it to his aerial rig at home.”
By the time Tilly turned 15, she knew the circus was more than just a hobby. “We did all these career promotions at school, and I remember saying, ‘I’m not enjoying any of this.’ Instead, he began asking the circus coaches questions about the future in their world.
Meanwhile, Nick and Natasha realize that his passion is not an ordinary adolescence. “We saw Matilda really blossom, really come into her own when she was on that silk,” Natasha recalls. “What comes out is self-confidence. The circus gives them great creativity.”
Researching late into the night, Natasha discovered that professional qualifications and circus pathways were available in Australia, and she and Nick sat down to discuss the future. They agreed that they could see Tilly “really coming out of her shell” with the circus and decided they did not want to “sit here and talk about it in five years.”
“If I’m in it, I’m ready for change,” Natasha remembers telling her husband. “Life is too short to worry about what ifs. You just have to go for it.”
After a nerve-wracking audition, Tilly was accepted into “Fruties”: The Flying Fruit Fly Circus, Australia’s national youth circus and only full-time youth circus school. Currently performing with the company Don’t Pay Attentionnow showing at the Opera House.
But the few months after she was first adopted were a whirlwind of packing and goodbyes. Tilly finished Year 10 while her parents sold the family home, closed down the landscaping business they had run for over 17 years, and looked for a new home and job closer to Tilly’s future circus life: the Fruities’ Albury training center and Wodonga Senior Secondary College, where circus students went to school.
The transition was difficult; full-time circus requires elite sports discipline, far from the casual clowning and juggling that Tilly’s friends dream of.
“We teach powerful techniques to prepare acrobats for high-level success,” says Anni Davey, Fruities’ artistic director. Graduates perform with the world’s leading companies such as Cirque Du Soleil, Circa, The 7 Fingers and Circus Oz. “They need determination, dedication and a desire to do things differently. It’s also great to have a supportive family,” says Davey.
Seeing the unwavering support of her parents, Tilly becomes emotional. “It’s amazing how selfless they are, how they can sacrifice for me so I can pursue my career and my dreams.”
Tilly’s day combines school, gym, anatomy lessons and private acrobatic training. Saturdays feature Fruities performances. He was the first Fruity to perform an aerial pole demonstration and coaches young students in this discipline.
Safety instruction is also important. While Fruities has private insurance, they aim to leave nothing to chance and emphasize strict safety protocols and training. “We are in the business of making dangerous things safe and safe things looking dangerous,” explains executive producer and deputy CEO Tahni Froudist.
Natasha admits: “As a parent, I was definitely nervous. Watching the lanyards in the air was particularly stressful. “He does some things where I want to close my eyes but also want to watch. “It’s like you’re in awe and you’re so proud, but you’re also scared.”
Tilly, who made her debut in the Opera House circus this week, finds the journey very enjoyable. Getting on stage is “really pure bliss. I can’t imagine doing anything else in that moment”.
Flying Fruit Fly Circus: Don’t Pay Attention At the Sydney Opera House until July 11.
