I must admit to not being much of a circus fan โ I remember going many years ago as a child and not liking seeing animals in cages made to perform tricks to entertain and amuse the audience and feeling terribly sorry for them.
Fortunately things are very different nowadays and most circuses do not include animals in their shows, in fact most of Europe has banned the use of animals in travelling circuses.
Last Sunday was really wet so I took a chance and headed down to Hendra Park in Truro to attend a performance of Circus Funtasia with 5 children under 10 in tow. Their website and Facebook pages gave a real flavour of what to expect and I had high hopes that or age range of 3-69 were all going to be happily entertained. I neednโt have worried as the show was absolutely brilliant. The big stripy red top beckoned us in and we had ringside seats, close to the action and really comfortable. We bought a couple of tubs of popcorn (cinema and circus must haves) and waited excitedly for the show to begin.
The first act was a young french clown, Anthony Lefort. ย He entertained us with mime, juggling, slapstick and incredible plate spinning on several occasions throughout the show, a real visual comedy artist and funny modern day clown. Following him was a Spanish couple who did high speed roller skating and acrobatics on a tiny raised circular platform. How they managed to create such speed on such a tiny space was beyond me and very exciting to watch.
A Bulgarian couple then entertained us with acrobatics, whirling and twirling from dangling cables and ribbons, their bodies lithe, fit and flexible โ ballet in the air! Elodie demonstrated incredible tightrope and juggling skills as she danced to music on a skinny bit of wire suspended 6 feet from the ground. She even walked backwards along the wire with hoops spinning on her body.
14 year old Nia, daughter of the circus directors has a promising career. She had the children spellbound as she span around the ring on a Segway whilst juggling rings to music. The grand finale was something I had never seen before. The Globe of death. Motorbike riders are locked in a giant metal spherical cage where they ride in incredibly tight formations in a tiny space. The lighting and music, coupled with the loud revving of the bikes is truly something to behold and I was on the edge of my seat, as were the boys!
The show lasted 1.5 hours with an interval and I didnโt hear a squeak out of the children, they were all totally spellbound, open mouthed a lot of the time, immersed in the spectacle before them. I can honestly say that we all had a brilliant time and would highly recommend a visit. Circus Funtasia work incredibly hard โ they have been nonstop touring in the UK for months and are dedicated to providing live entertainment for everyone, not just young children. With the modern day onslaught of TV and tablet based entertainment, it was so refreshing to go and be properly entertained by real artists with a range of talents, who in true circus style doubled up as ushers, candy floss sellers, scenery shifters, floor sweepers and face painters to keep the show on the road.
We all loved it and can highly recommend a visit.
They are in Cornwall for another month:
Bodmin 23rd-28th August
Hayle 30th August – 2nd September
St Austell 13th – 17th September
Pool 20th-24th September
Enjoy a break in Cornwall
If you would like to enjoy a ย break in Cornwall, weโve got a range of cottages which sleep 4-12 people โ find out more andย check availability.
Have you discovered any Cornish experiencesย that youโd like to share? Weโd love to hear from you on ourย Facebook page, or tweet @ActionNan
