The National Institute of Circus Arts (NICA) is a non-for-profit training organisation for talented circus performers. Through NICA students are able to complete a three-year Bachelor of Circus Arts course. NICA also offer recreational community programs, and are located in Prahran, Victoria. - National Institute of Dramatic Art The National Institute of Dramatic Art is one of Australia's largest and most revered educational institutions that caters to multiple disciplines of the performing arts. NIDA offer undergraduate, graduate and diploma courses which allow students to specialise in areas such as writing for performance, technical theatre and stage management, acting, stage and screen performance and more. Performing arts organisations as education providers The threat of arts being marginalised in the school curriculum led to increasing pressure on performing arts organisations to be involved as education providers. This is articulated by Letts (1996) that a “classical music audience being fostered through schools is now in serious trouble. Performing arts organisations cannot afford to be passive in the quest to educate young audiences, indeed now more than ever they must share the responsibility equally with other providers of arts education.” Notable Australian performing arts organisations that also act as education providers include the ABC Symphony Orchestra since 1924, and the Musica Viva In Schools program since 1981. Indigenous performing arts education Indigenous Australians have a rich and unique cultural and artistic expression which has a long deep rooted history. According to the Australia Council (OZCO) for the arts, performance in Indigenous cultures is about “expressing cultural belonging”. Performance is a part of several aspects of life in Indigenous culture including ceremony, celebration, storytelling, mourning and coming together to share events of Indigenous people's lives both past and present. In Indigenous culture performance encompasses acting, dancing, directing and dramaturgy. It is often a collaborative process and may integrate other visual art forms. It is through performance that Indigenous culture is transmitted and is seen a primary means of passing on laws and customs and sharing experiences as well as providing entertainment. Indigenous performing arts education in the current Australian Curriculum The Australia Council for the Arts (a government supported unit) have outlined protocols that should be considered and undertaken when educating about Indigenous culture. These protocols are aimed to endorse Indigenous cultural and intellectual property rights. They are based on themes of respect, Indigenous control, communication, consultation and consent as well as interpretation, integration and