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Circus is a 'high flying rebellion against ageism'

Louise Parry
BBC News, Hertfordshire
Andy Holloway A woman swings from a trapeze by both hands, with a screen behind her showing a film. She wears a sparkly white long sleeved top with transparent sleeves, and a pink vest underneath. She wears black knee boots and shiny maroon leggings. On her left is a man holding a sword to his mouth. He wears an orange polo neck sweater, pink breeches, beige trousers and a flat cap. He has a bushy white beard.Andy Holloway
Members of the troupe, who have no previous circus experience, have been training for a year

A "unique" circus show whose youngest performer is 52 and oldest is 77 hopes to "defy expectations" about age.

Will You Still Love Me? takes place in Ware, Hertfordshire, on 14 and 15 June and promises a "joyful performance" from the amateur troupe.

Carol Masson, 69, will perform a trapeze routine and said: "Our bodies are ageing, but it's sparked off that inner child in us all."

The show, put on by Generation Circus and Can Do Circus company, is a fusion of aerial and ground-based circus as well as film, movement and storytelling.

"We're not just telling stories — we're reclaiming space. This is a high-flying rebellion against ageism," said director Emma Taylor.

Joel Matthews Two women hang upside down from a trapeze by their knees, holding hands as they face away from one another. Joel Matthews
People from local schools and care homes helped to devise stories that will be told during Will You Still Love Me?

Emma, who lives in Harlow in Essex, set up Generation Circus with her daughter Masie. They both have a long background in "social circus" - which uses performance skills to help people and communities.

She decided to run an "experiment" using funding from the National Lottery.

"I thought, if we train a group of people who are over 50 for a year in aerial circus, rope, silks, hula hoop - can they make a show at the end of it?

"Actually, the skill and professionalism of these ordinary people – who've never done anything like it – the standard is incredible," Emma said.

Circus show 'high flying rebellion against ageism’

Carol, who lives in Cheshunt, joined the project after seeing a notice on Facebook.

"I thought, what the hell, I'm just going to go for it. Why should we feel that at our age it's too late to learn something new?

"At the time I was in a very, very bad place so I knew I had to wade my way out of it somehow – this was the perfect opportunity."

Ms Masson had lost her daughter two and a half years earlier, and said joining the circus "helped me to navigate my way through a journey that's never going to end".

"It's given me back the zest for life," she said.

Waiting for a hip replacement did not put her off, nor did her fear of climbing.

"Before I started this, I felt nervous standing on a chair to get something out of the kitchen cupboard.

"At first, I tried the lower trapeze. When I did it, it was like a two fingers up to those who thought I wouldn't do much in life.

"Now I'm performing on the next one up – I'm like 'Feel the fear and just do it'," she said.

Andy Holloway Carol does the splits on the stage and holds her right arm aloft, to make an upside down T shape. She wears bright pink leggings, an orange ruffled blouse, and has long purple hair in a ponytail. She smiled directly at the camera. In the background an image is projected onto the screen of a purple night sky with tree branches.Andy Holloway
Carol says she has "always been extremely supple" and the circus acts have helped to keep her body in good shape

Claire Howard, 53, performs hula hoop from her wheelchair.

"I saw the advert and said to my husband 'I'm going to run away with the circus'.

"I think I wanted to prove to myself that I wasn't useless. I'm disabled, in a wheelchair, and I had stopped believing in myself."

Mrs Howard suffers from a number of medical conditions and has had 120 strokes, leaving her partially paralysed.

She said: "At first I didn't think there was anything I'd be able to do.

"Everyone else was going up on the trapeze, ropes and silks, and I just sat there.

"But I started to juggle with the silk scarves, and then I happened to pick up a hula hoop.

"It was exhilarating, spinning this plastic thing around you."

Andy Holloway Claire sits in her wheelchair on stage, while spinning a hula hoop over her head. She wears blue leggings and a bright pink top. Andy Holloway
Claire Howard says the show "will give you goose bumps, it will make you laugh, make you shocked - there are so many emotions"

The social side had been "phenomenal", after Mrs Howard found friends "dwindled and disappeared as my health got worse".

"I pushed myself to go to the circus and now I have a whole group of friends," she said.

"It's given me a reason to get to out.

"It's an amazing show. The fact that we're all over 50, it doesn't seem possible."

Will You Still Love Me? is at Ware Drill Hall on Saturday 14 and Sunday 15 June.

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