REVIEW: Collectif Acrobatique De Tangier: Taoub Roundhouse Studios Chalk Farm

Four star rating For a first ever visit to a circus, this wasn t bad at all. And the disappointment of arriving at the Roundhouse to see no trapeze equipment or safety nets was soon fo

Collectif Acrobatique De Tangier: Taoub

Roundhouse Studios

Chalk Farm

Four star rating

For a first ever visit to a circus, this wasn't bad at all. And the disappointment of arriving at the Roundhouse to see no trapeze equipment or safety nets was soon forgotten when the performers started chucking each other about for fun.

In a slow opening, the group deal with the removal of the traditional headscarf worn by the two female members of the troupe. And once our stereotypical expectations of Arab culture had been dismissed, the real show began.

The group was discovered by Parisian director Aurelien Bory as he walked along a Moroccan beach.

And, by the way they clambered all over each other and stood on each other's shoulders for fun, the artists hadn't been told there was no soft bed of sand on the Roundhouse stage.

They also brought with them a huge billowing canvas which they used as a sand dune.

The two women kept the audience chuckling as they scaled the makeshift dune getting a foothold on the shoulders of the men concealed behind the sheet before sliding back down again.

They made their acrobatics look easy enough for the audience to forget about the 'Don't try this at home' tag and start practising as soon as they get back.

This was not a performance to bring gasps from the audience. The closest they got was when the troupe's strongman, dressed in a shirt and tie, supported four others on his head and shoulders.

But a mixture of slapstick humour, agility and strength was much appreciated by those who watched and may tempt some to start building their biceps

right away.