Dr. Lesya Melnychuk — researcher, publicist, philanthropist, and long-time advocate of Ukrainian culture and academic cooperation between Australia and Ukraine — will present her new book “Circus Art History. Trauma Therapy for Children.” The publication explores the history of circus art and highlights its power as a tool of support and therapy for children living in wartime conditions. The book features extensive materials from CircusLife media.
A special part of the program will be the premiere screening of the short film “A Delicate Balance” by Chris Mayhew — founder and director of the children’s circus school The Circus Centre in Perth. Between September and December 2024, Chris visited Ukraine for the first time. In Kyiv, he studied the teaching methods of equilibristics and other circus disciplines at the “Ale-up” circus school, led by Oleh Kurinskyi. In December, he attended Ukraine’s leading circus arts festival “Yaskrava Arena” in Lviv, where, as a jury member, he praised the high level of children’s circus development in Ukraine.
Chris’s film tells the story of the children and coaches at “Ale-up” school who continue their training and maintain their love for circus despite the war.
Another screening during the event will feature the Oscar-nominated documentary “Porcelain War”, which focuses on Ukrainian artists who continue to create amid the war.
Throughout the event, attendees will also enjoy photographs (by Nikita Delyukov, CircusLife) and learn the stories of young circus artists — children who have become symbols of resilience, faith, and artistic strength.
These photographs have previously been exhibited: in October 2024 in Berlin and from December 2024 to January 2025 at a major public exhibition in Taras Shevchenko Park in Kyiv. Both events attracted significant media and public attention.
After the screenings and presentations, there will be an open discussion with Lesya Melnychuk and Chris Mayhew. Together, they aim to share with the Australian audience the beauty and inspiring strength of the Ukrainian circus and the children who, despite war, continue to dream and achieve greatness in circus arts.
Chris Mayhew is already planning to return to Ukraine in fall 2025. Together with the CircusLife team, he intends to launch the next ambitious project — the production of a full-length documentary about the Ukrainian circus during the war.
Background Information
Lesya Melnychuk is an author of academic and literary works, recipient of international awards including the IPPY Gold Award for her book about the Holodomor “Silenced Voices of the Starved Children.” Born in Australia to a family of Ukrainian refugees, Lesya has dedicated her life to preserving and promoting Ukrainian heritage.
Chris Mayhew is an Australian circus educator, former performer with Circus Oz, and founder of the children’s circus school The Circus Centre in Perth, where over 200 children are enrolled. In fall 2024, he spent three months in Kyiv studying Ukrainian teaching methods at the “Ale-up” circus school under Oleh Kurinskyi’s guidance. Deeply moved by what he saw, Chris created the short film “A Delicate Balance” about the strength and resilience of children training during wartime.
Watch the interview with Chris Mayhew on our channel: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i2NrePwJeEg
CircusLife is an independent Ukrainian media outlet about circus art, founded by Max Sidorenko (editor) and Nikita Delyukov (photographer). Its mission is to tell the world about Ukrainian circus and support the circus community through interviews, photo reports, exhibitions, and podcasts. In 2024–2025, CircusLife launched a major project — the photo exhibition “Ukrainian Circus During the War”, which has already been presented in Berlin and Kyiv and has become an important cultural testimony to the resilience of Ukrainian artists.
