Our aims
Moray Flying Circus aims to promote mental and physical wellbeing in children and adults, of all backgrounds and abilities, through the joy of aerial and circus. Circus connects education, physical art and social development, empowering people to engage, learn, play, connect with others, and share skills.
Crossing social boundaries, circus is a transformative tool for building confidence and resilience through play and creativity. Using a combination of both funded and paid for opportunities, we offer trainings, performances and sessions in a welcoming and inclusive environment. We aim to, wherever possible, specifically reach marginalised groups that may not otherwise have such opportunities.
What we do
Moray Flying Circus teach regular aerial and circus skills classes at Dyke Village Hall and Forres Community Centre for a range of ages and levels. We lead workshops for school groups, youth groups and other organisations. We provide events packages ranging from stilt-walking to fire performance to aerial shows and family circus-prop sessions. We offer private aerial tuition, and host workshops with specialist circus teachers.
Meet our directors
Moray Flying Circus was founded by Ruaraidh Milne and Rachael Macintyre in 2019, joined shortly after by Emma Robbie. In 2024, Moray Flying Circus was granted charitable status.
Our three directors are professional circus artists with a range of qualifications and experience. We are first-aid and safe-guarding certified.
Ruaraidh Milne
Ruaraidh has been teaching and performing circus for over twenty years as an individual and with his performing arts company, Fly Agaric. He has trained and performed Capoeira, aerial, fire, drumming, stilts and more all around the world, though predominantly in Scotland, with various groups.
Performing with the Beltane Fire Society since 1998 was his first experience of large scale performance and was soon producing and directing as well. Working and performing with the indefatigable tePooka gave him great inspiration, training, experience and passion for the circus arts.
He also helps run the charity Nature 4 Health and enjoys working with animals.
Rachael Macintyre
Rachael has a background in puppetry, raised by a family of puppeteers in Edinburgh. She started training aerial as a hobby back in 2011 and it started a love of movement and physical expression, which she has incorporated into her work ever since.
Rachael is a teacher, performer and director, creating her own work under the name Rachael Macintyre Creative. She has taken her work to theatres and village halls across Scotland, the UK and Europe. Her speciality is aerial silks and rope, although she dabbles in most aerial and has also found a new love of poi and fire. She is passionate about connecting people through creativity and is deeply rooted in the Moray community and how circus and art can bring people together.
Emma Robbie
Emma came to one of Ruaraidh’s aerial classes in 2016 and has been hooked on circus ever since. She performs stilts, fire and aerial, and is our resident chains enthusiast.
Emma is also a youth worker and especially enjoys teaching our kids’ classes and holiday camps. She is passionate about keeping circus inclusive, and has completed training in autism awareness, mental health first-aid, and coaching aerial for plus-sized students.
