Nik Litton

Operations Director - Rigger - Trainer - Performer

Originally from Manchester, Nik was always a sporty child - climbing trees and jumping off them! He spent most of his youth playing and coaching squash, and later juggling on a beach in Kefalonia, renting mopeds for income!

Nik found his way to the circus world quite late, at age 32, where he ran away to London to study a degree at the National Centre of Circus Arts. Graduating in 2001, specialising as an aerial cradle catcher and acrobalance base, Nik teamed up with Lucy Francis and joined 'The Flying Dudes' for a summer season of flying trapeze in 2002. Nik also worked as a unicylist and juggling mad hatter with curious company; and as a kids entertainer with Alex Frith.

Since Nik spent a lot of time climbing as a youngster it wasn't long before he naturally gravitated towards the technical and rigging side of circus. This committment to circus arts has been maintained ever since, in several disguises. Alongside performing and teaching at the National Centre for Circus Arts, mainly with London Youth Circus and corporate workshops; In 2002, he and Alex Frith co-founded a circus training space in Stratford, called 'The Hangar' 2002-2007. With the Olympics coming to London it was necessary to relocate this school and the second incarnation became the 'Hangar Arts Trust' 2007-2017 which was co-directed by Alex and his wife Moira Campbell, and now also Lucy.

After Alex and Moira departed for a new life in Australia in 2017, Nik and Lucy founded the third incarnation of the school, now called 'AirCraft Circus Academy'; a not-for-profit circus school in 2018. Nik mainly focuses on the technical direction of the building, although still performs his acrobalance act with Lucy from time to time and teaches flying trapeze and juggling.

Some career highlights include teaching celebrities Sadie Frost, Penny Smith and Charlie Dimmock to fly on the trapeze; performing acrobalance in front of Prince Charles and Lady Sarah Ferguson at the Golden Jubilee at Buckingham Palace; juggler in Pagliacci at the Royal Opera House; Teeterboard base for Willy Wonka's Chocolate Factory; Rigging on Britain's Got Talent; Rigging London 2012 Closing Ceremony; performing and rigging for Secret Cinema Moulin Rouge and circus trainer for Esther Benjamin's Trust in Kathmandu.