I have always loved the circus! I have been meaning to go to an international circus festival held in Prague every summer, but somehow I always managed to miss it for one reason or another. The summer of 2011 has been the summer of stress and was overdue for some magic. This happened when I finally actually did go to Letní Letná, the international contemporary circus and theatre festival. It is held at the end of August in Letná park, near Prague Castle. This is the seventh year of the festival and long may it live! We were even more lucky to attend the Swedish circus company Circus Cirkör's production of "Wear it Like a Crown". The show is directed by Tilde Björfors. The music in the show is composed by Rebekka Karijord and the title, "Wear it Like a Crown" is taken from her album The Noble Art of Letting Go. "Wear it Like a Crown" is a show about wearing your fears and failures with pride.
We watched this show and it transported us to different realities and I have to say, I have never seen performances that take such extreme risks and it is really fun to see them to succeed in what looks like impossible feats. There were two particular performers that caught our eyes and made us laugh. David Eriksson and Fouzia Fofo Rakez do things with pingpong balls that are beyond this world. And I am not talking about Thailand! They must have gone to another dimension to get these pingpong balls and studied with pingpong ball alien creatures to accomplish all that they do as a human couple with these pingpong balls. As a performing couple, they have a dynamic natural romantic chemistry that takes away your breath and also makes you laugh at the sheer wonder of it all. I should stress that they do not only work with pingpong balls! They are circus artists (of the highest order) that perform with juggling, acrobatics and trapeze work. They create acts with oddness and deliver them with fun high energy. Over the many years, they have worked in circus shows, varieties, cruise ships and dinner shows.
David is a juggler from the north of Sweden and Fofo is half Finnish and Tunisian who started her career as a troupgymnast in Sweden. Both of them were infected by the circus at an early age and has certainly not lost any of their enthuasim for it. David has been rewarded numereous prizes such as "The Herald Angel" at the Edinburgh Festival and "Prestigue du Music Hall Argent" at Les Feux de la Rampe.David is dedicated to praciticing and honing his circus skills in totally odd and humorous ways. Fofo is now specialised in aerial acrobatics and tumbling. She has also developed into an accomplished juggler. Please click on the highlighted words above for further detailed information.
Ladies and gentlemen! May I have your attention! Marvel at the wonder of David throwing Fofo in the air from a spinning midair trapeze and see how he easily catches her. Be amazed when Fofo throws David through the air and skillfully catches him with one hand. Watch in awe, as dozens of pingpong balls rocket back and forth out of David's mouth into Fofo's mouth and then back to David's at rapid speed. How do they do this? Come and see the show for that and much more!