Tumble Circus

It was cold and damp when we made our way to Town Hall Square to see the latest act in the All Irish Street Showcase, a two-day open-air Tallinn Fringe event. We arrived in time to catch the end of Shiva Grings’ act, The Pigeon Chaser, which was greeted with raucous applause. The clouds broke up just in time for Tumble Circus to mark out their stage area along the cobblestones, turning a small corner of the medieval square into their own personal playground.

The two-man show featured Ken and Tina, the founders of Tumble Circus. Ken bravely stood at the front of the makeshift stage, beckoning the audience of locals and tourists to come closer to the flying clubs. Behind him, Tina sabotaged his every move, setting up a skillful slapstick performance.

She pirouetted through his act as he stomped his large clown shoes in frustration. The battle led to laughter and gasps as they continuously one-upped each other. The sheer glee in Tina’s face aggravated Ken’s frustration as she took over his act.

“Jesus, he could lose an eye,” exclaimed an onlooker even as their slapstick antics displayed perfect precision despite their feigned incompetence. Though they pretended to get in each other’s way, their comfort working with each other shone through. The laughter and raw energy drew more spectators in to watch.

The tumbling became more intense, the number of juggling clubs flying through the air increased, and the banter turned into silence as their concentration intensified.

The audience leaned in as Ken added more clubs to the mix, four then five and six. They tossed the clubs back and forth. With a shake of his head, he told the crowd he couldn’t add the final club or keep up with the speed with which Tina was tossing the clubs back. Instead, he kicked it to Tina. She stopped it like a soccer ball, and with a twist of her ankle, flung the club into the air. The two clowns juggled seven clubs, their hands a blur, and even the reserved Estonian audience burst into applause.

The clowns’ controlled chaos clearly delighted the crowd, and they juggled, climbed, tumbled, and hula-hooped their way through the performance.

At one point, the play fighting became uncomfortably violent but, tuning in to the mood of the crowd, the two made up and worked together as a team for the rest of the show. For the finale, Tina kept over a dozen hula hoops swinging around multiple parts of her body while balancing precariously on top of Ken.

The troupe is advertised as Belfast’s answer to Cirque du Soleil (Bono is quoted as adding “if Cirque du Soliel were hit by a bus”) bringing humor and street smarts to the traditional skills of the big top. The performance was very physical, with interactions and emotions that could be easily understood by everyone, no words needed. Adults and children swarmed the performers after the show, eager to ask questions and get a better look at the tools of the trade.

In the end, we left feeling like we had added a bit of extraordinary to our everyday. Keep an eye on the streets of Old Town—if Tumble Circus offers a repeat performance at Fringe, you won’t want to miss it.

Author: Sylvia

Sylvia Spruck Wrigley obsessively writes letters to her mother, her adult daughter, her accountant, as well as to unknown beings in outer space. Only her mother admits to reading them. Born in Heidelberg, Sylvia spent her childhood in California and now lives in Estonia. You can find out more about her https://intrigue.co.uk.