As part of the Roundhouse's extravaganza of circus performances, aptly named CircusFest, the Colombian Circolombia were given the first opportunity to perform here in London. My boyfriend and myself casually made our way to northwest London, not having a clue what we were in for...

On entering the Roundhouse, we were greeted by the sounds of samba rhythms and Brazilian beats, with throngs of people gathered around a circus trio from Rio de Janeiro, who were the off-stage warm up act for the night. Two huge black guys (and I mean huge) in leotards were flinging a tiny slip of a girl into the air as she performed a few tricks on a trapeze whilst landing effortlessly back onto the shoulders of her bodyguard-like co-performers.

Inside the auditorium, we were in the front row right next to the stage, the place I love to be at all theatre events, as I want to be able to really analyze the faces of the performers, to the point where I can see the beads of sweat running down their faces. Somehow this makes the performance for me all the more exciting.

Immediately, as they came on stage, you could sense the enormous energy the performers of Circolombia had. The aggression on their faces, a look of cocky self-assuredness stereotypical of so many young men, juxtaposed with the potentially lethal circus stunts they were performing, left you as a viewer literally on the edge of your seat for the whole duration of the performance.

What I particularly enjoyed was that Circolombia remained very faithful to its roots. These performers have trained a the school Circo Para Todos, an organization set up by a British woman, Felicity Simpson, in Cali, a city in western Colombia with a history of violence. Simpson’s aim was rather like that of El Sistema in Venezuela; to offer a direction to children and adolescents that have very little opportunity in life, and help them to excel their talents in spite of their impoverished backgrounds. Knowing this as I sat and watched these young stars perform made the whole experience even more of a treat and even more exhilarating as you felt that the whole show was a celebration of not just how far these guys had come, but also where they had come from.

The music, costumes and set design were all resembling an environment that the performers were clearly comfortable in, understood and had free reign to express themselves in. It was like being transported to a little slice of urban, tropical, contemporary Cali life right then and there in the heart of London.

In one particular scene, all performers were on stage, some performing tricks with a skipping rope, others dancing and others singing and chanting. The stage resembled that of an urban street somewhere in the more tropical parts of Latin America, with the explosion of noise and colours infusing, but at the same time creating a sense of instability and lack of cohesion. Indeed, the more macabre and sinister aspects of Cali life came out in another scene, where the performers all donned rather frightening masks in the shape of skulls, and the singing became harsher and more aggressive.

But bloody hell could these guys DANCE. They infused Latin dance into every circus act they performed, it was just such a pleasure to watch, and also to get a sense from the performers that they were savoring it just as much as you were.

Half way through the performance, it did dawn on me that there weren’t any women in the troupe. In one act, however, you were confronted with a child-like character completely covered in a hoodie-type affair. As the spotlight focused on this individual, the hoodie ensemble was removed to unveil a startlingly attractive girl in a striking turquoise leotard, showing off her enviable Latina curves. It was at this point that my boyfriend sitting next to me seriously perked up. This female performer stole the show, as she displayed serious skill, maintaining a sultry and mysterious air about her even when hanging upside down, her long curly black hair dangling 20 feet from the ground. The highlight of her performance was hanging from a huge metal hoop that was being held perched on the head of one of the other male performers – this is known as the ‘frontal perch’ in the circus world, and is one of the hardest acts to master.

All in all, the night was terrific, the foolhardiness, determination and pure talent of these performers made this a gem of show, and I believe Circolombia will go a long way. Next time they’re in London (and I’m sure there will be next time), I definitely recommend going.

To read more on Circolombia, read the article in the Telegraph: Click here

And for a clip of the group in action in France on youtube: Click here.