Gasping And Giggling At SpiegelCircus

On a rare family Bank Holiday outing, we decided to rock up to the Spiegeltent to snag last minute tickets to the half-term show of SpiegelCircus. A combination of the talented Melbourne troupe Head First Acrobats and the highly skilled Les Femmes Circus the kids were left gasping and giggling from the moves and slapstick.

Stacey from Head First Acrobats mingles with the crowds as people start to take their seats in the iconic Spiegeltent venue. He’s very quick with his banter and gentle when he singles out people to banter with. This is the first time our girls have been here. With our youngest about to turn 4, we are finding a greater variety of choices for events the whole family can easily enjoy. My eldest is taking a shine to gymnastics, so an acrobatic show was just the ticket.

Courtesy of: photosbydavid.org

With an amazing random act of kindness from a lady about to queue, giving us two tickets, another gentleman sold us his spare and then it was only me who had to wait to see if there was an ‘on the door’ space. There was so I excitedly took my seat next to my husband and kids and started to take in the scene. There was an aerial silk hanging from the top of the tent, a twee 1950s breakfast scene set up the on stage.

First up we are treated to a balance defying introduction from the three young men from Head First Acrobats who are performing excerpts from their show Elixir. The premise is they are scientifically exploring their agility and strength with a tolerable amount of slapstick in between.

Following their routine is Heidi from Les Femmes Circus on the silks. The girls were immediately mesmerised. She hoists her way to the top to the tune of Diamonds Are A Girls Best Friend, then gracefully contorts and glides through her number. Les Femmes’ act is 1950s themed, which adds a touch of glamour mixed with cheekiness to the performance.

The acts continue to alternate (thankfully, as they need a little respite after putting their bodies through extreme tests). We see the Head First chaps do headstands on each other’s heads, throw themselves around in a big metal hoop and keep the kids giggling in a ladder routine. Les Femmes treat us to more ‘wow’ moments on the ropes and hand rod thingies (Google failed me on that one) and their finale (which was fun but didn’t go as they planned) baking a cake half way in the air.

The day before we had been practicing our handstands and Arab springs. So it was great to be able to show the girls what is possible with the human body and how skillful these performers are. The show is great fun and worth every £! So get down there before the week is out.

Photos provided by Les Femmes Circus courtesy of Brighton-based photographer www.photosbydavid.org