Sunday 24th May 2015
Inspiring times at Giffords Circus
This week I was privileged to enjoy two days with Giffords Circus while they visited the beautiful grounds of Sudeley Castle, Winchcombe.
Giffords are a traditional circus company whose creative performances and traditional wagons bring a real feeling of magic to the villages they tour through.
My trip was arranged by my aunt-in-law, sculptor Clare Abbatt, so that we could both gather some material towards our joint exhibition next year.
The two of us were lucky enough to work behind the scenes, watching rehearsals and getting a glimpse of life for a troupe of performers on tour. We were both particularly inspired by the horse performances, and I was able to take a lot of sketches from life.
A huge thank you to Emma, Dan and Danny for allowing us to invade the stables and their training sessions.
It was fascinating to observe them working with the horses, which culminated in watching the 2015 "Moon Songs" show followed by supper at the Circus Sauce touring restaurant.
The circus is touring throughout the South West and London this year, and I would highly recommend catching the show if you can: www.giffords.com