Jon Burtt is an artist, teacher, and scholar working across dance, theatre, and circus studies in the performing arts and entertainment industries. He is a Senior Lecturer in the Department of Media, Communications, Creative Arts, Language, and Literature (MCCALL) at Macquarie University in Sydney. In 2016 he was recognized with a Vice Chancellor’s Citation for Outstanding Contribution to Student Learning. 

Jon is an ex-performer and director and enjoyed considerable success performing in and directing works which toured widely across Australia and Asia. He publishes across a number of research areas, including social circus, circus training and creative practice. His Masters thesis, based on fieldwork, was an investigation into the practice of rope and pole Mallakhamb in India. His Doctorate was based on an in-depth study of new cognitive approaches to circus training at the National Circus School in Montreal where he was Researcher-in-Residence.  He publishes in academic journals such as New Theatre Quarterly; Theatre, Dance and Performance Training; and the Journal of Arts and Communities.

Jon Burtt's co-authored book, Contemporary Circus, was published in 2019 by Routledge. Jon is currently researching and writing a new book on circus for social change drawing on his background in social circus, in particular, his time working for Cirque du Monde in far-North Canada.