Click photo to enlarge
Queenstown Primary School pupil Hannah Ferguson earned a
few moments in the limelight at the Loritz Circus in a hula
hoop competition. Watched by Loritz Circus' Joanne Wilson
and young hula hoop performer Americus Loritz, Hannah
showed her skill spinning six hoops at once. Photo by
Felicity Wolfe.
The spectacle of the circus proved to be a treat for
many, but old-fashioned humour seemed to make the biggest
impression on children at the Loritz Circus' first Queenstown
show.
The Wednesday night show had many drawcards - and most of
them lived up to expectation.
Tiny Americus Loritz, the hula-hooping 6-year-old, is now the
heroine of young Queenstown girls.
Americus' skills were matched by her showmanship - smiling,
and skipping around the arena with hoops spinning, she won
many rounds of deserved applause.
However, it was the gravity-defying acrobatic feats which
were the highlight of the show.
The eight Royal Kenyan Acrobats seemed to be spring-loaded,
jumping and tumbling while literally playing with fire.
Also mesmerising were the acrobatics by a trio of girls
balanced on a bicycle.
Ella Fenwick's solo act on a swing trapeze - and almost over
the heads of those in the front rows - showed her skill and
daring as she flipped and hung by her feet from the ropes and
crossbar.
The inclusion of Jumbo the elephant has stirred some
controversy - a Save Animals From Exploitation protest about
her living conditions is planned for tomorrow - but her brief
appearance was anti climatic.
The elephant appeared content throughout the day on the
Queenstown Primary School playing fields and her cameo lasted
about a minute before she was led away again.
A disappointment was the show's Out of Africa theme which
contained a wafer-thin storyline, which was sometimes hard to
follow.
The impression it left was of the exploitation of the
excellent Royal Kenyan Acrobats.
At the end of the evening it was the clowns who got the
biggest reaction - especially from children.
Many almost laughed themselves out of their seats at the
old-fashioned slapstick antics, gleefully clapping along with
the "good clown" and cheerfully booing the spoilsport.
