The wonderful Nomads of Zippos Circus find a home in Elgin for a few days
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I DEFY anyone to leave Zippos Circus without a smile on their face.
An excited opening night crowd soaked up the fun, artistry and sheer power of a live performance.
Thursday night in Elgin and the circus presented the Nomads – an eclectic mix of acts and routines with a real international flavour.
Ringmaster, clown and acrobat Paulo dos Santos was sensational and brought Brazilian exuberance to everything he did.
He and traditional clown Whimmy Walker went down a storm with the young ones in particular, with great slapstick humour.
I loved it when Paulo had a giant balloon on his head which he then disappeared inside. It was an oversized balloon but when you stand just one metre tall, that helps as well.
Paulo and Whimmy are clowns, but the level of skill in their routines was first class, and Whimmy's juggling routine with tennis rackets and balls was superb, and very timely with Wimbledon just round the corner.
The Globe Riders, from Brazil, Argentina and Paraguay, provided a mechanical adrenaline rush with their amazing high speed set inside a giant metal globe. You quite literally held your breath when the three motorbikes were whizzing round in such a confined space.
And then there was Victor and Bismark and their awesome Wheel of Steel. Nerves of steel were required to perform the set and watch it.
I'm not sure what Toni Novotny is like in the kitchen, but I would be more than happy to put him in charge of the knives, just be careful if you ask him to pass one to you.
Moroccan-born Ibrahim had a six pack to die for. I thought I was doing pretty well with my Body Pump classes at Moray Leisure Centre, but this lad's core strength on the vertical pole was something else.
The Mighty Mongolian Warriors' skipping and acrobatic tumbling, was mighty indeed and Ludvik Novotny's balancing skills on the rola rola were incredible in a wobbly kind of way.
To say she does aerial loops doesn't really do Jackie Louise justice, and the highlight of her routine was when she spun furiously by the neck from great height. I'm not sure if the circus has a resident chiropractor or not, but it might be a wise HR investment.
And to say Khulan does hula hoops, really does the Mongolian performer a disservice. She does hula hoops amazingly well and lots of them at the same time.
The Timbuktu Troupe from Kenya oozed fun and good times with their hoop diving and limbo party, with flames thrown in for a little extra sizzle.
Ukrainian dancers Sofia Dobrovolska and Diana Muminova provided a touch of elegance throughout the evening.
Last but by no means least, trapeze artist Alexander Lichner – making his debut with Zippos –risked the need for some serious dental work with his entry, and then delivered a breathtaking set.
Zippos Circus is at the auction mart site in Elgin until Tuesday, July 4, with two performance every day Friday, Saturday, Sunday and Monday, and a closing performance on Tuesday
You can get tickets throughout the day at the box office on site or online at zippos.co.uk/
