Review: Hailsham circus act stuns crowd

A new circus act in Hailsham left spectators wanting more after showcasing a number of jaw-dropping stunts.
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A new circus act in Hailsham left spectators wanting more after showcasing a number of jaw-dropping stunts.

I attended East Sussex School of Circus Arts (ESSCA) for the Acting Moon Circus show on Wednesday, August 18.

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While approaching the venue you are instantly immersed in the performance as a woman on stilts greets you in the carpark.

Acting Moon Circus at East Sussex School of Circus Arts. Picture from Neil Garrett SUS-210819-121400001Acting Moon Circus at East Sussex School of Circus Arts. Picture from Neil Garrett SUS-210819-121400001
Acting Moon Circus at East Sussex School of Circus Arts. Picture from Neil Garrett SUS-210819-121400001

As the show begins viewers are treated to a bombardment of talented performers with a number of skills including tightrope-walking, walking on exercise balls and balancing a ladder on their chin.

ESSCA consists of performers from a range of exotic regions of the world including Brazil, Chile, Barcelona and Hailsham.

The performers are introduced to the crowd by the ringmaster who uses light-hearted humour to present his team.

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An ESSCA graduate from Hailsham kicked-off the string of individual acts by showcasing her acrobatic ability while hoisted in the air via a forklift vehicle.

A 17-year-old tightrope walker also performed for the crowd of parents and children while a fellow Portuguese exchange student humoured the audience with his mime-esque antics.

The performer often sparked a wave of laughter across the groups in attendance due to his continued banter with the ringmaster as well as when he comically exposed his boxer shorts to the crowd – much to the amusement of the children in the audience.

Another acrobat, who is also from Portugal where ESSCA has a twinned school, impressed the crowd with her aerial flexibility that included doing the splits while hanging from a rope that was held in the air by the JCB vehicle.

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The cast also had a multi-talented trio who stunned the crowd with their jaw-dropping trapeze skills.

The group, who call themselves volem volar which means ‘we want to fly’ in Catalan, performed a number of trapeze tricks up to 10-meters in the air as they left spectators on the edge of their seats.

A moment that will stand out in the audience’s mind will be when one of the trapeze artists flipped blind-folded before being caught in the air.

The ringmaster said, “There are not a lot of people who can do this.

“Nowhere in the world will you see three people like that.”

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To conclude the show, which is produced and directed by Renato Pires, visitors were treated to a fire-breathing and dancing display that left spectators wanting more.

As the show is hosted outside, alongside a traditional circus tent, it allows the audience to socially distance if they choose.

Acting Moon Circus is running everyday until Sunday, August 22 and between Wednesday, August 25 – Sunday, August 29 at ESSCA in Hailsham by Knockhatch Adventure Park.

Review by Jacob Panons.