We are super excited to announce that our application to West of England Combined Authority creative freelancer grant was successful! Alice Firefly will soon be designing and creating new interactive circus walkabout act with an environmental theme. The aim is to highlight climate change issues through creating two new endangered species costumes, made from recycled clothing and scrap materials which can be performed at all types of climate action or garden themed events and venues! Watch this space for updates! In other news during the lovely sunny summery weather, we have had all kinds of events and circus entertainment out and about - the wonderful Aelfwyn was out and about performing with Bubbles for Bath Business Improvement District as part of their Summer Sundays programme of entertainment, events and activities for all the family. We also had the lovely Sara performed bubbles and balloons for a church fete near Bristol. We cater for all types and sizes of events and taking bookings for weddings, festivals, school holidays programmes and birthday parties. We have lots of amazing Circus Acts, Circus Performers, Circus Entertainers and Circus Workshops available for hire. We have a diverse array of fabulous circus acts to choose from: Fire Performers, Human Statue, Hula Hoop acts, Stilt Walkers, Aerialists, Acrobats, Balloon Modellers, Circus Skills Workshops.  Our circus performers have captivated audience's worldwide. We have over 25 years of experience and offer bespoke themed circus entertainment packages making your event planning easy.  To keep up to date with our activities you can follow us on our Facebook and Instagram pages. 

Summer is finally here, and we are open for business! We have lots of amazing Circus Acts, Circus Performers, Circus Entertainers and Circus Workshops available for hire. We have a diverse array of fabulous acts to choose from: Fire Performers, Human Statue, Hula Hoop acts, Stilt Walkers, Aerialists, Acrobats, Balloon Modellers, Circus Skills Workshops. Our circus acts have captivated audience's worldwide. We have over 25 years of experience and offer bespoke themed circus entertainment packages making your event planning easy. We recently did an all-day school workshop in Warminster where children learnt circus skills for their Mid-Summer Nights dream performance. Was so good to finally be back to face-to-face teaching again! Skills the children learnt were Diablo, Devil Stick, Juggling Balls, Rings, Scarves, Swinging poi, Balancing feathers, Spinning Staff and Stilts. They also learnt how to do human pyramids and acro-balance tricks. We also did a fun outdoor workshop for an adventure playground in Bristol were the kids had 4 hours of circus play time fun in the sun! Our amazing juggler Marley Jay did a fantastic 40th birthday party and entertained the children and adults with his juggling and magic show and circus workshops! Alongside the bookings Alice has been developing The Circus Wellbeing project, we are so excited! Great to be working with circus director Annabelle Holland and drama therapist Laura Harkett to develop the show and workshop elements. This was only made possible thanks to public funding from the National Lottery through Arts Council England.  To keep up to date with our activities you can follow us on our Facebook and Instagram pages. 

 Its Mental Health awareness week this week 10th – 17th May 2021. Children’s Mental Health has become a key area of concern since the pandemic began in 2020. Children have had to self-isolate and restricted their social fun play times causing social deprivation and mental health issues such as depression, loneliness, anxiety, lack of confidence. They are also under pressure from schools to continue learning even when at doing virtual lessons from home when having to self-isolate. The levels of expectations from teachers have been high and the children have had to still produce work. Some children will be feeling anxious about how much they may have missed The creative play is important to our wellbeing and the art of learning opens up new channels of perceptions and new skills. Young people love to be creative with their bodies and learning new circus skills can bring many benefits. Making time to have fun and develop essential skills of creativity, coordination, teamwork and simply trying something new. Circus skills workshops provide a welcome relief from the academic areas of the school curriculum, it develops children’s hand eye coordination, focus and concentration, problem solving, teamwork and can really boost confidence and self- esteem, especially when they master a simple new circus trick like spinning a plate or balancing a feather. Some children struggle with the academic concepts and subjects, however a learning a new circus skill can really make them feel happy, fulfilled and proud of their new achievements. We have been working with children of all ages for 25 years, so we are adept at making the activities and learning stages really simple. This particularly helps with children who struggle with attention deficit. Quick results from simple and clear instructions encourage greater focus to get the next result. There are no limits or failures to learning circus skills. Through creative play, new tricks can be discovered. It is highly visual and practical activity in which participants can see immediate results and improvements. Circus skills workshops are a multi-sensory experience and some children this is really beneficial. Our circus equipment is all brightly coloured, and we love to teach one handed throwing and catching using scarves. They float in the air, allowing for time for participants to see it visually before catching the soft item. Juggling balls themselves are squishy and is a great sensory experience. Circus Skills Workshops is highly practical activity and gentle exercise, it can relieve stress, and improve concentration and provides a sense of well-being. Areas of the National Curriculum a circus skills workshop links to are Key Stage 1 and 2 - Physical Education. It uses movements including running, jumping, throwing and catching, as well as developing balance, agility and coordination. It also helps to developing flexibility, strength, technique, control, and balance. We have started developing the exciting circus wellbeing project with support from Arts Council England with a view to making our workshops more therapeutic, fun and aim to provide much need social and interactive activities. Follow our progress on our Facebook and Instagram pages. Our favourite inspirational quote is: “Life is a ticket to the greatest show on earth”   

We are absolutely thrilled to announce that we have been awarded Project Grant funding support from Arts Council England This money will support our artistic director, performer and circus skills teacher Alice Newton to research and develop a new solo family circus show using circus, street theatre and storytelling and explore mental health and wellbeing themes. Alongside creating a new show, Alice will be developing educational and therapeutic circus and theatre workshops for outdoor events, festivals and schools and a series of online digital activity videos for children to have fun and learn new skills at home. This will bring new opportunities and new circus acts and workshop offers for our clients as we transition out of lockdown. Alice said: “I’m delighted to be receiving this funding which will improve my creative practice and skills as a circus performer and circus skills teacher. My research will involve collating information on children’s mental health and wellbeing by discussing and talking to lots of people and organisations about children’s mental health and wellbeing. Many young children may be experiencing feelings of isolation and creative and social deprivation due to the Covid-19 lockdown restrictions. I want to create a new fun, educational family show and therapeutic circus and theatre workshops which will include developing of a series of activity videos which will provide a positive, creative focus and encourage and build self-esteem for children. Developing a new solo family friendly circus show that is both educational and inspiring to younger generations and families will expand my capabilities as a solo circus/ street theatre performer. The show will be adaptable for both indoor, outdoor and online settings. This project will build on my teaching skills to create therapeutic workshops. I will be supported by a registered drama therapist Laura Hurkett (Bristol Dramatherapy) who will provide supervision and guidance on developing the workshops content and also look to adapt them to fit in with the school PSHE curriculum subject at key stages 1 and 2. I will produce a series of 6 digital workshop videos which can be offered to schools and families as part of their homeschooling activities during lockdown periods. This project will provide me an opportunity to establish myself as a solo female artist in the creative, outdoor street arts and educational sectors and provide new revenue streams for my freelance work. The developmental work will be enhanced by working with Annabelle Holland (an award-winning director) who has directed and facilitated many indoor and outdoor shows/ projects for 28 years. Her specialism in making strong female and issue-based work, pushes boundaries and her experience of combining circus skills with narrative, characters, comedy and theatre will strengthen and deepen my theatrical devising capabilities. Annabelle’s credits include Kecca Rocca (Jeunes Talents Cirque Europe winner 2010), Circus Ricardo, Bassline Circus, Frenetic Engineering, Glorious Productions, The Social Club plus many others. Working collaboratively with circus, clown and street theatre professional Joseph May will enhance my circus, object manipulation, equilibristic and physical performance skills. Joe has over 30 years’ experience, trained at the Lecoq International Theatre School and has developed many outdoor shows that combine topical narratives with theatre and circus skills. Jo has performed internationally at street theatre festivals which include Edinburgh (UK), Adelaide (Australia), Aurillac (France), Koblenz (Germany), Weinfelden (Switzerland), Accroche Coeurs (France)”. To follow Alice’s creative journey for the circus wellbeing project, follow Circus Antics on Facebook or Instagram