Trick Shots Show Review

Come to The Circus....

Roll up! Roll up! So I did! Sheffield's Greentop Circus put on a great show for ‘The Snooker City’ on 3rd and 4th of May 2008 and I was totally enthralled. Being somewhat vertically challenged... (4'9" without my stilettos), and not wishing to miss anything, I sat, cross-legged, at the very front, soon to be joined by several dozen two to three year-olds...nothing new there then. I heard several kids asking their dads where the snooker table was, as the show was entitled ‘Trick Shots’, and snooker shots were what they were anticipating. However, I am certain that they were not disappointed.

The show was introduced by Greentop Circus’ Event Manager James Harkness, looking very smart and official, in black pin-stripes, and futuristic head-phones. James also produced the show and managed the event on behalf of the circus.

The Winter Garden is a spectacular glass dome - the highest such structure in Europe - and was a perfect setting for what was to come. The show was themed around Snooker, and used snooker cues and juggling balls, skilfully handled by jugglers, Bill and Dan. Janine Ebnöther rolled a red ball around her head and neck. (I am reliably informed this is called a 'contact ball' piece.) She rolled along the ground and stood and balanced in every conceivable position, all the while balancing the ball with such amazing dexterity it appeared to be taped to her, but of course it was not. Janine also demonstrated many other disciplines which involved not only circus skills but also dance, tumbling and great strength and agility.

The tumblers/acrobats Sammy, Kate and Tedros were joined by Jeanine and Tammi. They threw themselves into their act with flair and abandon, seemingly having springs glued to their feet; such was the height of their leaps.

The trapeze act, by Tammi Brown and Nikki Warwick was breath-taking in its skill and daring. No safety net or even mats were used, which put these women in great danger. They betrayed no fear however. They placed their trust, not only in one another, which was essential, but also in the stability of the rig, which was provided by Dan, assisted by Kurgan and Paul...who all deserved a special round of applause, but did not get it, because the background boys never do, do they? Sally Miller, a waif-like vision in shocking pink took my breath away, as she balanced one-handed on what appeared to be extremely wobbly, twigs! As if all her mid-air splits and contortions were not sufficient, she then produced a Perspex cube, no more then twenty inches by twenty, and eased herself inside. Like a tiny hermit crab retiring into its shell, she locked the door behind her and was carried off, by two of the male members of the troupe.

Of course, the intense and exciting atmosphere of the event would have been impossible without music. The soundtrack to the event was a dance-remix of the BBC Snooker theme. The remix was done by DJ orange Source AKA Gordie, who also engineered the music for show. He may have melted into the background, but again, he deserves applause for a job well done.

Many other people pitched in to do their bit. Among them, Katherine, Jon and Caroline, to whom we say thank you!

Sheffield City Council and 888.com did a great job in funding this project and obviously recognise a good thing when they see it! The council is also to be congratulated for allowing The Winter Gardens to be put to such innovative use. 

A montage of sequences from the Saturday afternoon show was broadcast by BBC2 in the interval between the O'Sullivan vs. Carter showdown on Sunday evening. I hope this will give an extra boost of awareness as so the existence of Greentop Circus, and thus encourage people to discover more about the wonderful work they do as a charitable trust. The people of Sheffield have reason to be extremely proud of their own...their very own Greentop Circus.

This event appeared so seamless. It was as though it just, merely, 'happened' but had actually taken around six months of very hard work to co-ordinate. So Congratulations to one and all!

Well done!