The circus family who saved tradit
The day I got in on the act
REPORTER Amanda Killelea describes her day trying her hand at circus skills:
I’m in the big top and all eyes are on me. First I have to learn how to juggle.
Mooky the clown starts me off with one ball, which is as easy as it looks. Then we progress to two balls. “The key is to throw the balls diagonally upwards,” explains Mooky.
He adds, don’t make the mistake most people do of passing the ball from one hand to the other.’
Mooky’s brother and fellow clown Bubu is pleased with my progress. “It takes most people a day to master that,” he says.
Then they hand me a third ball. Things are getting serious.
“Keep throwing the balls upwards and count, one, two, three, one, two, three,” says Mooky.
Balance ance
By some miracle cle I am actually juggling. “The next ext challengeg challenge is to juggle without t ppullingg pulling a funny y face,” laughs Bububu as I grimace with concentration.on.
Next up is whatt the Endreszs call hand balancing. ing.
Cue two very y chiselled, bare- chested acrobats. crobats. I have only just met et Valentin Badea but within thin seconds I have my head ead in his groin and my hand nd on his knees as he hoists sts me up into a handstand.d.
“Use the power wer in your arms and keep ep them straight and very ery still,” shouts Laci. I can’t n’t believe that I – possibly y the least flexible person I know – am holding myselfelf in this position. The onlyy problem is getting down again.
The boys noww decide to up the ante. I have to jump on top off their linked arms as they ey raise me into the airr with nothing to hold on to.
I have visionsns of landing face-downwn but they are experts and once again we manage it.
I am loving every veryy minute of this. But then I draw the line ne at having knives es thrown at me.