Circus circus everywhere!

Since the last post, we've been very busy with all things circus, of course! "Funk da Cirque" is shaping up to be very funky indeed- and unlike anything I've ever done or seen before. It's going to be a high-energy show full of hype, funk, breaking, locking, popping and aerial hoop! I'm also doing a hoop solo which I'm in the middle of choreographing to one of the most funky tunes; "Funky Men" by the master of funk, James Brown. This particular tune has been going round and round my head for weeks now- we certainly are the "Funky team"! The only thing that I'm finding a real challenge is doing the aerial hoop moves whilst hitting the beats of the song with a funky freeze. It's really hard! Funky hoop is something I'm not used to at all and is certainly a work in progress...Apart from this we're practicing really hard, the show's looking pretty good and tickets are selling out fast. In fact, Friday's already sold out, but limited Thursday tickets are available here! Grab them while you can!

In other circus news, the weather last weekend was so lovely, so James and I decided to go on a jaunt to the park, equipped with a slack line, a hoop and several juggling clubs. Everyone was out walking their dogs, or playing football, but we had a bit of a different activity planned- and it certainly attracted a bit of attention from fellow park-goers!

We found some sturdy trees and a decent branch, which was too high for me to reach, but James managed to jump up to sling the rope over our chosen rig point and attach the hoop to the tree. Then we strung the slack line between the two trunks until it was daringly high, laid out our juggling toys and began our impromptu practice in the park. It soon became a mini circus show as children and their parents gathered nearby to watch this unusual spectacle. As James cleared the whole length of the slack line, they burst into rapturous applause. A woman pushing an elderly lady in a wheelchair asked if she could take my photo in a pose on the hoop and I happily obliged. "Sometimes she forgets what we've seen during the day, so I like to take photos to remind her," explained the woman. I was overjoyed to form a part of this lady's photographed memories.

What a hat trick!

Our unusual activity was met with such positivity. It inspired conversations with strangers, which wouldn't otherwise have been started and hopefully made people's walk in the park one to remember. It certainly made ours.

I wish trees looked like this!

On March 2nd I had another hoop performance. This time at a theatrical, rave-type event called 'Apocalypse Survival Guide' at the Islington Metal Works in Angel. This was a night full of feathers and face paint, as there were lots of Mayans wandering about doing tribal dancing. There were lots of pretty visuals and sculptures all around too. Unfortunately I couldn't do my performance to the track I'd set it too, so had to adapt it to rave type music, which was interesting. But it was still a great experience and the video will be up shortly! In the meantime have a happy circus Sunday, you beautiful beings!