photo © Annabel Carberry

 


Norwich born and based circus performer Natasha Rushbrooke, is looking forward to performing at London’s Natural History Museum, in front of a VIP audience, in a special event on 9 January. The event will launch Circus250, marking 250 years since the very first circus performance was staged.  
 
The Creative Industries Federation, the national organisation for all the UK’s creative industries, cultural education and arts are celebrating their own anniversary at the South Kensington museum. They have invited Natasha, of Norwich’s Lost in Translation Circus, to be one of the headline attractions to mark the launch of Circus250.
 
Nineteen-year-old Natasha will perform a specially created act, ‘Handstand of Hope’, for the 600 guests, which will include many VIP’s, a senior Government Minister, Tom Watson (Deputy Leader of the Labour Party), Kwame Kwei-Armah (incoming Artistic Director of Young Vic Theatre) and others.
 
She said ‘It’s great to be asked to perform at this anniversary event and to be the national focus for the opening of Circus250. I’m really looking forward to coming back to perform to a home crowd along with as part of Lost in Translation for the Norwich celebrations. We’re also taking our show Hotel Paradiso on tour so 2018 is set to be a busy year’.
 
Circus250 Director Dea Birkett said ‘We’re thrilled that such a prestigious high profile event has offered to host the first Circus250 performance. When they did, we knew that we wanted Lost in Translation to be one of the featured acts as they have been so supportive of the celebrations from the word go – and represent the best of what they call ‘proper old fashioned contemporary circus’.
 
Natasha was born and educated in Norwich. She began her performing career as an acrobatic and artistic gymnast, training at The Norfolk Academy of Gymnasts in Attleborough while studying at Thorpe St Andrew High School. She moved into circus as a teenager and has now been performing professionally for 5 years. So far Natasha has appeared in shows at a variety of venues including Norwich Theatre Royal and Great Yarmouth’s Hippodrome Circus and she joined the cast of Lost in Translation’s Hotel Paradiso last year.
 
On 9th January 1768, in the heart of London, entrepreneur and showman Philip Astley drew out a ring and filled it with astonishing acts – tumblers, horses, acrobats, jugglers, clowns. He created the first circus. Every circus, anywhere in the world, began at that moment. Circus250 will celebrate 250 years of this remarkable art form in a year-long UK and Ireland-wide programme of astounding events.
 
Here in Norwich on 9th January the Circus 250 logo, designed by Sir Peter Blake will be spectacularly projected onto Norwich Castle to celebrate the 250th anniversary of that very first circus and to announce the city’s status as an official City of Circus.
 
Norwich is one of the six UK ‘Cities of Circus’ and will present a series of high profile events as part of the July Lord Mayor’s Celebration, including a circus-themed parade with life-sized elephant puppets winding through the streets and Lost in Translation’s Big Top circus festival in Chapelfield Gardens.
 
www.circus250.org <http://www.circus250.org>
www.lostintranslationcircus.com <http://www.lostintranslationcircus.com> 

Circus 250 logo projected on Norwich Castle – photo © The Eye Snapper