There's a sense of wonder about the circus whether you're an adult or a child. If you're a child you believe that one day you too may do a pirouette on a tight-rope. While as an adult you marvel at the feats of a well-trained human body when you know you have trouble staying upright all day on a pair of high heels. But I found my youthful expectations aren't the only thing to have moved on during my visit to Great Yarmouth's Hippodrome Christmas Circus. Animals are no longer a staple of circus productions and the musty smell of their offerings has been replaced by the sweet scent of popcorn. Oh, how things have changed! It's the fourth year a Christmas circus has been held at the 101-year-old Hippodrome building. The production opened with Bulgaria's six-strong Vrim Troupe. On a trampoline which spans the length of the ring, the gymnasts somersaulted back and forth, in formation and over the top of one another. But the men really showed off their skill, co-ordination and split-second timing when one of the troupe catapulted himself onto one of his team's shoulders. The magic of the circus lies in acts just like this one - where you're incredulous at what you've just seen and can't believe it's possible. Homegrown talent Thankfully, some people don't put up barriers to what they can achieve, much to the joy of the rest of us who aren't so flexible or brave! They include people like 17-year-old Zoe Fausto, from Bradwell, near Great Yarmouth, who is the gem of this production. Whereas most circus bills include acts from more far-flung places than a holiday brochure, it was a delight to see a homegrown talent in the line-up. The teenager joined the circus dance school four years ago where her potential was spotted. She's been training with the ring manager and ex-circus performer Tony Rossouw ever since and made her debut to a paying audience last summer. While her mum was selling popcorn in the foyer, Zoe was suspended from a rope for her aerial act.  | | Henri clowns about with the dancers |
She twizzled around upside down faster than a spinning top with amazing grace. She has talent and stunning looks in equal parts and I'd pin good money on her having a successful career in a variety of shows. Young dancers Grooming new talent appears to be part of the circus' mission. Zoe also performs in Estelle Clifton's Hippodrome Dance Company, which includes some tiny dancers taking their first steps in front of a big crowd. These children's beaming faces as they danced around the ring provided as much of a feelgood factor as any of the professional acts. Henri The Clown's antics with children also gave the audience plenty of Christmas cheer. During a game of musical chairs one little boy was collected from the ring by his brother, while another ran off back into the crowd. These unscripted moments received the same howls of delight as the choreographed scenes. The comic refrains provided by the clown were actually good - particularly when a food fight erupted. However, the length of the dancers' and clown's performances were too long and felt, at times, like over-stuffed padding. I would prefer to see less from these performers and more from the rest of the acts, particularly the Vrim Troupe. Water spectacle The second-half of the show centres on the water spectacle. After the ring was filled with water, the synchronised swimmers dived in and were then joined overhead by Bulgarian aerial artist Nikolay Nikolov. As he glided around the ring supported on a pair of straps, he skimmed the water only to then zoom to the top of the ring while doing the splits and other seemingly impossible acrobatics. His act was quickly followed by the Los Alyalas tight-rope walkers from Colombia. The trio displayed masterful co-ordination and balance as they jumped over one another, rode a unicycle and skipped on the high wire. More oohs and aahs came from the audience when the Lamarti Trio performed their feats. These statuesque men were covered in gold paint from head to toe to show off their muscle definition as they held one another aloft. They fitted together like a kit of parts as they used all their strength to balance in an array of inconceivable poses. Ring master absent Although the production has more than 50 performers, an essential element was missing: a ring master. The ring master's announcements run like a thread through a performance and without them you don't know, at first, who you're seeing, what they do or where they're from. All in all though, this show is a great way to spend two-and-a-quarter hours and will keep the whole family spellbound. The Hippodrome Christmas Circus runs until Sunday 9 January, 2005. For performance times and ticket prices call the box office on 01493 844172. Picture credit: Neil Watson. | 
