Would You Like Fries With That?

Today’s excursion in the pouring rain was to the Danish Circus Museum, which to be honest is aimed at children, not that I let that stop me – why do they get to have all the fun? Also, it sincerely did not cross my mind to grow out of circus. It did not even cross my mind that children would be at a circus museum but holy shitballs was I very quickly corrected. I was easily the oldest patron by about 30 years. I think I was probably older than some of the parents.

The Museum itself was quite interesting and covered the key roles of the circus, the Ringmaster, the clown, contortionists, trapeze artists, animals and oddities. But it also discussed putting on a show – costumes, story-telling, music, choreography and directing. The business management, logistics and life for families on the road. How the language evolved through a mixture of Danish, German, Polish and other European dialects and what that was like for the performers working together and travelling the world.

The real draw card though is a performance hall behind the Museum that is open on Sundays for a kind of open practice. Now I’ve trained pole since 2018 and aerials since 2021 and I have never seen chaos like this in a studio space. 30 odd children, from ages 2-10 maybe running from mat to mat to swing on trapezes, a corde lisse, a lyra with double anchor, rings, silks and a slackwire. There were hula hoops and juggling pins and plates spinning on sticks. It was like kindy at the circus with one clown running the show and parents tottering after their barns, some which were clearly still in nappies.

None of these kids had the faintest clue what they were doing. Most were hanging off the bottom of the apparatus and swinging. Some couldn’t reach the bar at all and stood there looking at it with their hands in the air. Some clambered to the top of the rigging and then just hung there instead. I was gobsmacked. And then I helped a kid reach the bar by hoisting them up under their arms. I showed them how to invert under the bar, how to climb into a hoop or hang like spiderman. I taught two girls a Delilah under the trapeze, and a birds nest.

When I had a chance I practiced an easy flow combo on the lyra which stopped a few of the parents in their tracks to watch. I had a few kids sit on the floor and stare too. So, then I showed them how to do man-in-the-moon and a mermaid. The clown asked me if I can do aerials, which I said yes. And so, he asked me to demo some other positions, stagged legs under the bar, splits under the bar, something I call a fish-flop but I don’t think it’s the actual name. I spotted kids, tapped toes so they would point them, showed them poses, clapped when they got it right and told them they all looked strong and cool.

The clown knew a few poses and taught me and some of the kids a variation of mermaid, flag and I think star or Peter Pan depending. It was very cool experience. I miss aerials so much, I think I’ve convinced myself to go back and when I return to classes to throw myself at it like these kids were. Maybe if I train hard enough, I could join an actual circus or who knows, run one for children.