SAGE BACHTLER CUSHMAN
NoFit State Archive
Oliveira & Bachtler Archive
Ginger Cat Photography
National Institute of Circus Arts archive
Education
A 2010 alumna of the National Institute of Circus Arts (AU), Sage specialised in Dance Trapeze under trainer Helene Embling, with a secondary discipline combining balancing, supple acrobatics and movement (Leilisha Marning, Xing Xing, Vasily Ivanov). Through NICA’s Bachelors of Circus pedagogy she also studied circus basics, performance (Megan Jones, John Bolton), dance (Meredith Kitchen), partner acrobatics, knock about and general aerial. Sage was awarded a scholarship for the final year of her studies at NICA for her dedication and work ethic. Her extracurricular studies include classes at the International School of Corporeal Mime (UK), Chunky Move (AU), Velocity Dance (USA), Rubicon (UK), Wild Light Yoga Center (USA), and Urban Element (CA) among others. Sage has participated in workshops and masterclasses with Thomas Prattki, Norman Taylor, Firenza Guidi, Maxim Komaro, Rasposo, Mimbre, Hofesh Shechter Dance Company and CIRCA as well as private lessons with Irina Naumenko (Cirque Du Soleil). Sage is also qualified and certified as a Tattooist, Community Mediator and Juvenile Justice Mediator. She has been a member of UK Equity, ACDC and En Piste.
Performance
Hired for the creation of NoFit State’s multi-award winning show Bianco, Sage worked closely with director Firenza Guidi to create and perform the finale of the show. She toured with the production extensively through the UK, Europe and Australia for three season as an ensemble acrobat and the closing number including such prestigious seasons as The London Roundhouse, Wales Millennium Centre, Edinburgh Fringe Festival 2013 & 2014, Les Tombées de la Nuit, Biennale Internationale des Arts Du Cirque and Perth International Arts Festival among many more.
Sage collaborated with Tick Tock Aerial Dance, devising solo acts as well as co-choreographing and performing ensemble work in their production Domestic Variations. She was featured in several seasons of Domestic Variations including Ally Up and The New Orleans Fringe Festival. Sage has also performed for companies such as The Aerialistas, Teatro ZinZanni's Mezzo Lunatico, Citrus Arts, Chivaree Circus and Carousel Circus among others. Through creation, development and performance Sage has worked in France, England, Scotland, Wales, Ireland, Denmark, Netherlands, Italy, Portugal, Egypt, Australia, Turks and Caicos, Canada and the United States of America.
Creation
Supported and funded by the Wales Millennium Centre’s creative development program, Incubator, Sage co-created and presented a collaboration called Portas which led to the beginning of Company Oliveira & Bachtler. This stage of development was then presented at the Wales Millennium Centre in 2014. Chapter’s creative producer of dance programme, Coreo Cymru, in association with Chapter and NoFit State Circus subsequently selected the company to create work in two stages of development. The first stage presented a second collaboration called Desert Trees to an international panel at the 2015 Wales Dance Platform. Upon presentation, Company Oliveira & Bachtler were offered continued support and funding through Coreo Cymru and Arts Council of Wales to develop a full-length production entitled OTUS. Company Oliveira & Bachtler also received support from The Black-E, CASE Cultural do Porto and Cia UmporUm, as well as funding from the Arts Council of England. In 2016 they presented the company’s first tour of OTUS at the Dance House Wales Millennium Centre, Festival De Novo Circo, The Riverfront, The Black-E and Theatre Brycheiniog with support from Coreo Cymru, Chapter and the Arts Council of Wales Lottery Scheme. In 2018 Festival Vaudeville Rendez-Vous commissioned Oliveira & Bachtler, co-producing Kadok which was presented in Braga, Guimarães and Famalicão for the festival. In the same year Oliveira & Bachtler was asked to collaborate with Grandpa's Lab, a video mapping company, to create and perform Lenda Da Moura which was presented in front of 10,000 people in Chaves. OTUS continues to be well received and was presented in Teatro Viriato in 2019. In 2020 Oliveira & Bachtler received a grant for creation from Gestão dos Direitos dos Artistas for creation and presentation of their new work Cir-k. The following year, festivals Biennale Internationale des Arts du Cirque (FR), Vaudeville Rendez-Vous and Dynamo (DK) selected the company to participate in Circuslink representing work from Portugal in 2021 through 2022.
Through 2023 and 2024 Sage has co-created and co-directed shows for company Oliveira & Bachtler which were performed by students participating in their Oficina de Circo program. These presentations ran in the Oliveira & Bachtler Studio as well at R.I.J.U. in Coja. Oliveira & Bachtler’s community project LOGOS, incorporates community workshops leading into a production directed by the company, created and performed by the local public, professionals and students. LOGOS was first produced by Teatro Das Figuras (PT) in 2022 for their professional performance students, the general public as well as Oliveira & Bachtler performers and students. In 2024 the Municipal of Celorico commissioned the company to build LOGOS to be presented as a promenade performance in a converted warehouse. This version of the production was built with the Celorico community, several international performers and Oliveira & Bachtler students. Teatro Municipal de Ourem also produced LOGOS to present in their 2024 MOSTRA DE CIRCO CONTEMPORÂNEA festival for their local community as well as Oliveira & Bachtler students to perform. Sage continues to build Oliveira & Bachtler as they present their work throughout Portugal and abroad.
Teaching
Sage has taught workshops, classes and private lessons on three of the continents around the world. NoFit State Circus, The School of Acrobatics and New Circus Arts, A-WOL Dance Collective, The Circus Project, Versatile Arts, The Black-E and Echo Theatre have hosted Sage for Dance Trapeze, Performative Aerial Creation and Active Flexibility among others. The workshops at NoFit State Circus and Echo Theater sold out with requests for additional classes to cover those on the waiting list. Sage has also taught varying degrees of skill levels in aerial, active flexibility, balancing and general circus (handstands, flexibility, strength and conditioning, basic tumbling, aerial, partner acrobatics).
Sage taught ongoing curriculum at The National Institute of Circus Arts Community Program (two years), at The School of Acrobatics and New Circus Arts (one year), NoFit State Circus Community Program (three years, between Bianco tours) and assisted at Do Jump Echo Theatre. Most recently she has been running and facilitating a small circus program, Official De Circo, which holds over a 100 participations in classes per week at the Oliveira & Bachtler studio space in rural Portugal. For these Institutions, she has taken classes from term to term as well as bringing groups through several years of training. With ongoing classes, Sage works to meet students in their own capability and bring them forward both through individual aims and in group dynamics.
2021-2022 Circuslink - Festival Vaudeville Rendez-Vous, Dynamo, Biennale Internationale des Arts du Cirque - Presentation
2020 - Gestão dos Direitos dos Artistas - Grant
2015 Wales Dance Platform - Coreo Cymru, Chapter, NoFit State - Grant
2015 - Coreo Cymru, Chapter, NoFit State - Grant
2015 - Arts Council of England - Grant
2014 - Incubator, Wales Millennium Centre - Grant
2010 - National Institute of Circus Arts - Bachelors Of Circus
2010 - National Institute of Circus Arts - Scholarship
ACDC, En Piste, UK Equity
Licensed Tattooist
Certified Community Mediator
Certified Juvenile Justice Mediator