Sunday 24 April sees Assembly Roxy host the return of Scotland’s iconic Circus Cabaret Night created by Edinburgh-based company Delighters, with Cirqulation: Future – a celebration of life, growth, survival, change and perseverance.
The line-up, curated by founder Jusztina Hermann, seeks to represent a new wave of circus acts emerging alongside international touring talents that rarely take to Scotland’s stages for a night of immersive family-friendly entertainment.
Hermann said, “There is an ever-growing circus scene in Scotland all year-round that stays hidden from the larger public. As well as providing performance opportunities to established and emerging circus performers, the event aims to attract new audiences that appreciate contemporary circus. We were performing the first six editions of the show in Muirhouse and Granton to bring circus to areas where people wouldn’t otherwise have the chance to attend such events. With the seventh edition at Assembly Roxy in Edinburgh’s city centre we are making the show available for a larger audience. The fact that all our previous shows sold out demonstrates the need for this artform. The plan is to bring Cirqulation to other parts of Scotland in the future, we are currently working on the touring version of the show.”
The event showcases various disciplines, from ground-based acts to aerial performances, bringing the best of professional contemporary circus under one roof to give audiences a chance to see leading circus artists outside of August’s Edinburgh Festival Fringe.
The show comprises:
Matthew Keys, also known as Matt Von Trapp, will compere and display his skills as a clown, juggler and magician while Edinburgh based aerialist, acrobat and dancer Amy Longmuir will perform a new silks act.
Melanie Jordan and Alice Langley will be inviting audience members to witness their circus theatre piece Gwyn’s Garments in development, while North East based circus performer Emma Robbie performs her new act Heavy Metal.
Eric Munday and Alix Bailie will be presenting PhDistractionand Edinburgh-based aerialists Blaise Donald and Kate George will be performing a lollipop hoop piece highlighting the importance of human connection.
Rachael Macintyre, an aerialist based in Forres, is co-founder of Moray Flying Circus and artistic director of Jabuti Theatre and Gemma Simpson, also known as As Above, established Adventure Circus in Perth in 2015 and will be performing on aerial hoop.
Sally Fyfe will be performing her first dance trapeze act; Elsa van der Wal will be exploring the changing of seasons and Edinburgh-based performer and teacher Robert Gallagher-Lyall will be juggling,
Each Cirqulation event is themed differently to inspire the creation of something new. Cirqulation offers mentoring to artists in the creation process of their new acts and the chance to show work to a live audience, as well as providing a great networking opportunity for artists within the industry, whether they are performing or coming to watch the show. Although currently performed in Edinburgh, the aim is to take the show on tour, making the artform available for communities across Scotland in the future.
Irene Brown
Radio Summerhall Arts 