Gifford's Circus

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Gifford's Circus is a traditional English circus which tours the West Country every summer. It includes acts such as a strongman, a clown, horse whispering, a chap who plays jigs on the fiddle while balancing on a rope, dubbed 'the enigmatic kwabana lindsay', dancing, and acrobatics.

Established in 2000, Giffords Circus is a small, stylish circus company that delivers high quality circus / theatre fusion to the villages and market towns of the south west. It combines dance, comedy, horses and live music in a fast paced live one hour show, located on village greens in a small white tent surrounded by hand made burgundy and gold showman’s wagons.

The 2008 tour will be called ‘Caravan’ and will be set in a horse fair in around 1900. The fair at that time would have meant a colourful and eclectic meeting of performers, traders, fair ground people, musicians, gypsies. The fair was a time for meeting, showing off, selling things, exhibiting things – for the best of things to be brought along – your best food, your best animals, your best trick.

The world of the fair - strings of fairy lights, a coconut shy, donkey carts, handfuls of shiny red balloons, stands selling fans, gold china, fabrics and fake flowers. Music will fill the air – fair organs clashing with the vibrant sound of gypsy brass bands. All of society can be seen at the fair – brilliantly dressed gypsies in gaudy furs and gold jewels, policemen, horse dealers, families in their Sunday best, traders, wandering musicians, flower sellers, cattle breeders, town people, country people – all shoulder to shoulder enjoying the throng, the cacophony, the smells of food cooking outdoors, the colourful stands and flickering lights, the exotic creatures and people, and the sense of holiday, of diversion from the day to day.

Rehearsals start in April; we have a new horse trainer from Moscow – Anatoly Kalugin, an eight man hand to hand vaulting act from Russia, world renowned choreographer Molly Molloy, whose credits include Michael Flatley’s Riverdance and The Crazy Horse in Paris.... Harris Hawks, Trained Pigeons, Donkey, a Brass Band and some speak of a bear!!

Tickets are now on sale and can be purchased by calling 0845 459 7 469 or visiting www. giffordscircus. com

The 2006 'Joplin' tour has a 1960's theme reflected in the costumes and music.

Giffords Circus was founded and is run by Nell and Toti Gifford who, when not on the road, concentrate on landscape architecture.

Gifford Circus