Averley, Helen, Born 1978 (Madame La Bonche)
Dates
- Existence: Born 1978
Biography
Helen Averley was born in Edinburgh in 1965. As a child she lived in Kenya until the family moved to Oxford when she was nine years old and later to Northern Ireland in 1978.
Helen studied to become an illustrator and Graphics Designer at Kingston and did Anthropology of Art at the University of East Anglia. She ran away to the Circus when she started her circus life with Belfast Community Circus in 1994, where she soon became head aerialist. She did an Acro-balance act with Jennifer Dempsey and together they created and performed the 'Beautiful Marias', a synchronised swimming styled static trapeze act. This was performed at Circus Space in London before Helen moved to Newcastle in the year 2000.
Helen re-started teaching circus in 2002 before founding Hang Aerial Dance in 2004, Lets Circus in 2007 and Circus Central in 2009.
Helen is also a costume designer and maker, a rigger, a performer, and is Madame La Bonche of the La Bonche circus family.
Found in 5 Collections and/or Records:
Circus Central Handbill, 2013
Learn circus! Trapeze, Acrobatics, Unicycle, Tight wire, Juggle, Fire skills, Performance, Aerial, Hula hoop. Circus for adults, children and young people, classes, community clubs and courses, skills and fitness, friends and fun!.
Circus Central Poster, 2013
The Home of Circus in Newcastle. Learn Circus! Trapeze, Acrobatics, Unicycle, Tight wire, Juggle, Fire skills, Performance, Aerial, Hula hoop. Circus for adults, children and young people, classes, community clubs and courses, skills and fitness, friends and fun.
Family La Bonche Project Collection
Posters, a book, a postcard, project newspaper and 3 promotional handbills.
Handbills, 2013
Handbills related to the Arthur Fenwick collection, Chipperfield Circus and Circus Central.