Circolombia

Soy impresionado! Circolombia packed out the Roundhouse on Saturday night and put on a brilliantly energetic show that had me on the edge of my seat, in awe of the physical capabilities of the human body.

A circus act (sans the elephants and scary clowns), these acrobats come from the Colombian National School of Circo Para Todos, which means “circus for all”.

The school was set up about 13 years ago by a British woman called Felicity Simpson, a former circus performer herself. Many students are recruited from the shatytowns of Cali in southwest Colombia through workshops. It aims to help kids to believe in their abilities and showcase their talents, rather than their poverty. And they certainly have a lot of talent.

Set to a Latin American reggaeton soundtrack, they put on a modern, passionate adaptation of the tragedy Echo and Narcissus with freerunning, dance, flips, tightrope walking, flinging bodies through the air in many different ways and an incredible act that involves a man supporting a giant ring on his forehead, arms outstretched for balance, thigh muscles bulging, while a woman climbs up into the ring and proceeds to maneuver herself around and upsidedown. It is a show of passion, precision and what must be an incredible amount of trust in one another and concentration.

By the end, the crowd was standing with foot-stamping, whistling, wild applause.

There’s no time left to catch them in London, (if there was, I would probably go again…) but I’d highly recommend a trip down to Brighton where they are on as part of Brighton Fringe Fest until 21 May.

Fringe Fest says: “The city’s the thread of the creation, incorporating both joy and violence – a freestyle portrait of a society where dance and music are the great safety valves of everyday life. Volcanic, wild, perfectly mastered acrobatics.”

And – it has to be said – plenty of eye candy.

Find more info on the Brighton show here and an article from the Telegraph following an interview with Simpson here.

Listen to a Londoner: Flora Tonking

Listen to a Londoner. This is a weekly post where people who live (or have lived for a while) in London answer a few questions about the Big Smoke. If you fit the bill and want to be interviewed, give me a shout at littlelondonobservationist@hotmail.co.uk. Always looking for new victims volunteers….

Flora Tonking (aka The Accidental Londoner), 25

Brought up the The Midlands, Flora always vowed she’d never live in London, but somehow after university she found herself job-hunting and flat-hunting in the city. Over two years later she’s still here and secretly loving it.  She works in research for an engineering company, blogs about life in London (http://theaccidentallondoner.blogspot.com/) and fills up her precious free time studying for a Masters degree.

LLO: Best thing about London?
FT: So much to do and see!  You could live here for years and still be surprised and entertained.

LLO: 2012 Olympics – stay or go?
FT: I confess I wouldn’t mind leaving the city for the duration of this event; I dread to think what it’s going to do to our already overloaded infrastructure.  That said, it’s hopefully going to do great things regenerating areas of East London.

LLO:  How do you spend your time on the tube?
FT: Listening to my iPod and people-watching.

LLO: Best place to catch a gig?
FT: The Roundhouse in Camden – fabulous music venue without the sticky floors and sweatiness.

LLO: Best place to spend a Sunday afternoon?
FT: A leisurely (sometimes hungover!) walk down the river followed by a big Sunday lunch at The Sun Inn at Barnes with the newspapers.

LLO: Best museum or gallery?
FT: The V&A, Knightsbridge – great temporary exhibitions and fabulous permanent collections; you always discover something new everytime you go.

LLO: Best London magazine, newspaper or website?
FT: The Evening Standard – even better since it became free!

LLO: If you were to dress up as one of the tube station names for a costume party, which would you be?
FT: My housemates and I once covered ourselves in leaves and green face-paint and went to a Tube station party as “Green Park” – we left foliage all over South West London that night!

LLO: Best time of year in London?
FT: Summer – Wimbledon tennis, Pimms outside the pub and afternoon’s lying in a park somewhere.

LLO: What would you change about the city if you had the power to do so?
FT: Make more of the centre pedestrianised, and maybe create a two-speed pavement system, so people who are late for work don’t get stuck behind lost tourists!

Thanks Flora!

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