Brighton Dome: Catch me!

Canada’s cool kids of circus at Brighton Dome

Whether it is twirling twelve hoops, dancing with diabolos, or soaring through the air, cutting-edge Canadian circus crew Flip FabriQue brings a truly joyful show to Brighton Dome this month with Catch Me! (Attrape Moi).

Fearless and fun-filled feats are all in a day’s play for Flip FabriQue, the artist-athletes launching themselves into adrenaline-filled extreme acrobatics, dramatic turns on a trampoline wall, and inventive parkour – a crowd-pleasing spectacle for sure, and a prime example of nouveau cirque.

The show’s six young performers are at the top of their game. These are the original members who formed the company five years ago, all circus enthusiasts from an early age. In Catch Me! each is given the chance to show off their skills. They make it look easy, but the amount of work that goes into producing a finished show is phenomenal, equating to around 40 hours practice a week for three months.

The amount of work that goes into producing a finished show is phenomenal

The six have been friends for 10 years, since they attended the Quebec Circus School together, where the foundations were laid with training that ran into 25-30 hours a week. After graduating, they went their separate ways before being brought back together by artistic director Bruno Gagnan who suggested forming a company of their own. In the meantime, they had individually honed their skills touring with high-profile companies such as Cirque Éloize and Cirque du Soleil.

Artistic director Bruno has been a circus performer for 17 years, having started at the age of 12. He has never looked back, touring the world from the age of 18. Acrobatics, clowning and juggling are his specialities. The other members of Flip FabriQue have had similar career trajectories.

Catch Me! has been performed more than 400 times in North America and Europe, but this will be the first time the Canadian company has performed in England.

This summer Flip FabriQue took the show to Edinburgh International Festival, where it was given five stars by Edinburgh Guide and described as: “One of the most exciting nouveau cirque performances you will ever see… A performance to fill you with wonder and amazement, completely invigorating and totally mesmerising.”

Packed full of fun as well as physical feats, this sensational show has plenty for the whole family to enjoy.

Catch Me! (Attrape Moi) comes to Brighton Dome 26-30 December. For tickets visit brightondome.org or call 01273 709709. Images credit: Vic Frankowski