list.co.uk/festival UniverSoul Circus | FESTIVAL FEATURES
Colombia, Guinea and the US – as well as the aforementioned Trinidad and Tobago crew, whose i re work will have you clamping your legs shut. Straddling a burning pole before dancing underneath it, six inches above the l oor, the dancers keep on smiling. ‘They don’t get hurt,’ assures Cheyenne Rose- Dailey, a member of the Caribbean Dynasty act, and the show’s co-host with ringmaster Lucky Malatsi. ‘There’s a technique called bongo dancing, where you dance over the i re before going under it. So you’re taught specii cally where to place your feet and how not to get burnt. Usually you start learning when you’re very young, about four or i ve, because your bones have to get used to going under.’
Rose-Dailey and Malatsi are responsible for building, and maintaining, the party atmosphere inside the UniverSoul tent. A member of the
troupe since he was nine, Malatsi previously performed as an acrobat, contortionist and trapeze artist before they put a mic in his hand to ‘see what I could do’. What he does, is get us all up on our feet. ‘We’re known for being the most interactive circus in the world,’ says Malatsi. ‘We consider this a show for the people – and not just for you to watch, but to be a part of. We get everyone dancing, throwing beach balls around and having fun. That’s what it’s all about at UniverSoul, we create the atmosphere of a family reunion.’
One act we won’t be joining in with is the contortionism (although the incredible Mongolian acrobat team and Colombian tight-rope walkers probably wouldn’t have us either), which almost beggars disbelief. When a performer from the Guinean Bone Breakers
walks into the ring with one half of his body round the wrong way, it’s just the start.
‘Different parts of the world present different types of abilities and artists,’ explains Walker. ‘So when I’m looking for contortionists I go to Ethiopia or Guinea, and we use an African trainer because he understands their bodies.’ As with the rest of the cast, the contortionist group was found during one of Walker’s regular global searches. ‘We travel around and have agents in Paris and China that keep an eye out for us,’ he explains. ‘Our show is based on hip hop culture and urbanness, so we look for acts that i t that energy and can perform at that tempo.’
UniverSoul Circus: Hip Hop Under the Big Top, Underbelly’s Circus Hub, until 25 Aug, £19.50–£21.50 (£18.50–£20.50).
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With acts from around the globe under one canvas roof, the UniverSoul Circus is bringing an urban edge and a whole lot of joy to Edinburgh, fi nds Kelly Apter 15–27 Aug 2018 THE LIST FESTIVAL 11