Tuesday, July 18, 2006
Zenith Aerial Acrobats return!
Last week I have got an email from Chantal of the Zenith Aerial Acrobats (she appeared in South African film The Flyer) telling me that her god-mother would be popping over to drop off a new DVD showreel because she is coming back to Cape Town from November till about February - depending on how much work we can find her!The thing about Chantal is that Lenny and I met her just after we had settled back in Cape Town in 1995 - she was this young girl who used to come into the Log Cabin in Vredehoek with her mom - and because she knew that I was an active character, we used to talk about 'joining the circus'. She was very interested in performing, and had been training with Zip Zap Circus for 3 years already.
A few years later, while Len and I were on tour with the Engen Summer Series, we stopped off for a few nights at Pilannesberg Nature Reserve to visit our dance friend Bheki Ndlovu, who was dancing next door at Sun City. And there she was - a fully fledged Acrobatic Dancing Flying Trapese artist - dancing with Bheki and Julie, her Zenith partner now, in the Baletsatsi Show.
It had happened - she had run away and joined the circus! Not something that you hear happening too often, and especially not in the successful way that she has either.She and Julie have been 'hanging out' together as partners since 2003, and are just finishing their 5th season with MSC Cruises in the Med on the MSC Armonia. They have been performing a Bar, Scarf, Lyra and Rings act, as well as Acrobatic Characters.
I have added a small promo video to give you a taste of some of the performance styles that Chantal & Julie are doing- enjoy!
Labels: acrobats, Aerial Scarf, circus, Zip Zap
