Adie Delaney

Educator/Teacher

I create work in the intersection of my three roles; directing a community circus program, teaching consent with a sexual harm prevention perspective, and as a multidisciplinary artist. I've travelled the world since 2006 performing as a circus artist but have been based in Tasmania since 2015. I founded The Circus Studio and still pop up on stage as an aerialist, storyteller, actor and more. I am also a primary prevention educator at the Sexual Assault Support Service, and frequently apply my creative process to the intersection of these issues in all areas of my work. I identify as a 'multipotentialite' and have not ruled out any possibilities of what I might do when I grow up.

Community, taking risks, meaningful performance, circus, sustainable living, play, empowering youth, my dog, storytelling, board games, surfing

Consent is a verb!

Body autonomy, Circus, Consent, Education, Performance

I have had a long and circuitous path to the TED stage. In May 2019 I submitted a one minute video pitch, filmed in my walk-in wardrobe with the phone propped up with a stack of scarves. I was then able to expand my thoughts to a two minute video, then to speaking in front of a panel on the other side of the world, the first of many times I would set my alarm for the dark hours of the morning. I stared at my emails in disbelief when Cloe invited me to speak in Vancouver in April, but it was true! The 'got nothing to lose' attitude I'd been carrying suddenly solidified into 'I actually get to tell the world this' in the space of a few short minutes. Cloe and I honed the draft over 27 times, the flights were booked, then a pandemic arrived. Ever the collaborators, TED asked the conference attendees if we'd prefer to move online, or to delay until July. No-one had fully grasped the extent of what COVID-19 meant yet (it's not like we had prior experience) so of course we voted for in person in July. The flights were booked again! I started looking at whale-watching tours, it was the perfect time of year to see the orcas, but we all know how this ends. The conference is moved online, over 8 weeks, and my talk is temporarily sidelined so current issues can be addressed. A blessing in disguise, I was able to enjoy 8 weeks of 2-4am starts (for which I received WAY too much praise...) as part of the first ever online TED cohort, one of my most positive and engaging experiences of 2020. Shout out to team snacks. Week 8 passed, Cloe and I turned our focus back to the opportunities filming my talk now presented. No longer restricted to standing on a stage, and living on an isolated island at the end of the world, we were able to incorporate two locations, elements of physical performance, and include some of my students to help deliver the message. My talk was released as part of TEDWomen 2020, and in 2022 attended the in-person conference as a Speaker Ambassador.n. I'm delighted to return in 2023 to share a Discovery Session with TEDsters!

Reversing trailers, opening packaging, remembering silly games, and eating disproportionate amounts of chocolate for my size.