It takes a lot of balls to push the boundaries of juggling… but world renowned company Gandini Juggling, masterminded by Sean Gandini whose juggling career spans more than 30 years, has succeeded in filling venues around the world with spectacles that delight the senses.

Gandini have continuously reinvented the art-form of juggling with their cleverly choreographed shows, drawing influences from the world of dance. Here are our top five moments when Gandini Juggling broke the mould…

1. WHEN THEY SMASHED THE CROCKERY… ON PURPOSE

As it says on the tin, Smashed literally ends with a thrilling and climatic finale in which an afternoon tea party goes rogue. Each performance demands four crockery sets destroyed by nine jugglers. Juggling balls are also replaced with 80 red apples. This multi-layered show is an homage to the late German choreographer Pina Bausch, and is scattered with subtle nods to her work.

2. WHEN THEY COMBINED JUGGLING WITH INDIAN CLASSICAL DANCE…

Created in collaboration with choreographer Seeta Patel, Sigma fuses juggling with the language of the Indian classical dance style of bharatanatyam. The mirrored set adds layers of symmetry and pattern to distort these intermingling styles.

3. WHEN THEY JUGGLED WITH LIGHT…

In this highly technical feat of ingenuity, ten jugglers create an impressive visual display using the latest light technology. The company can programme up to ten million different colours to any kind of music, ranging from the elegant classic Mozart’s Symphony No. 25 to trendy electronica and upbeat Black Eyed Peas

4. WHEN JUGGLING GOT A ROCK AND ROLL MAKEOVER…

With a soundtrack that includes The Beach Boys, The Rolling Stones, Velvet Underground and Bowie, 8 Songs pays tribute to musical legends. With each song, the choreography enters its own micro-universe, layered with meaning. Plus, it ends with a clever send-up of silent disco!

5. WHEN THEY JUGGLED IN THE FOUNTAIN AT SOMERSET HOUSE…

When there’s water involved, juggling balls get slippery, so this outdoor spectacle was a risk to take for Sean Gandini and his company of 27 jugglers ( not that you could tell – the performance was seamless). But risk-taking is exactly what circus is all about so what better way to celebrate the 250^th anniversary.

6. When dancers became jugglers and jugglers became dancers…

In their latest work, Spring, Gandini Juggling join forces with Alexander Whitley, a choreographer at the cutting-edge of contemporary dance, to experiment with kaleidoscopic colour. It’s set to a baroque-meets-techno score by leading composer Gabriel Prokofiev.

Spring comes to Sadler’s Wells as part of London International Mime Festival from 31 Jan – 2 Feb. Tickets are priced from £12. To book, call the Ticket Office on 020 7863 8000 or book online.

“The circus is the only fun you can buy that is good for you.” Ernest Hemmingway.

Roll up! Roll up! Ahead of the anticipated return of Cirque Éloize to The Peacock this February, we’re looking back at some of the most memorable circus moments in the weird and wonderful history of both Sadler’s Wells and The Peacock, going all the way back to when we first opened our doors!

Old dogs, new tricks

Man’s best friend, and an array of other creatures have featured in productions dating right back to the beginning of Sadler’s Wells’ circus history. While we now have very strict regulations when it comes to using animals on stage, in days gone by these rules were sparse, and rarely even considered. Some of the fantastic animals to grace our stages as far back as the early eighteenth century included Scaglioni’s troupe of performing dogs, a singing duck, swimming horses (I  kid you not, Aqua Drama was a thing) and a very clever pig whose repertoire included telling the time and distinguishing colours. There’s also a pair of particularly naughty dolphins which we’ll come on to later…

Clowning around

Along with animal rights rules, child labour laws are also a missing feature in early circus history. In 1780 Jospeh Grimaldi, or “Joey” as this fabulous toddler clown was professionally known, made his debut on the Sadler’s Wells stage when his performative father took him on stage for his first “bow and first tumble” (We remember doing this in our living rooms performing as the Spice Girls.) By 1782 he was known as London’s leading clown and comic entertainer, enjoying success during residencies at both Sadler’s Wells and Covent Garden Theatres. In one particularly memorable moment in Sadler’s Wells’ history, Joey was flung from the stage by his father whilst playing the part of a monkey, hanging onto his father’s waist by a chain and landing face down in the orchestra pit. 

Considered to be the original coiner of the pantomime catchphrase “Here we go again!” Joey leaves behind an extensive legacy of character acting, harlequinade and sheer youthful ambition in the most extreme form.

Here he is, looking like his best self.

Ghostbusters

Her Majesty’s Theatre has Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree (great name, just saying), Theatre Royal Drury Lane has The Man in Grey – some frightening kind of knife-wielding skeleton – and the Adelphi Theatre has William Terriss, a celebrated actor murdered by a disgruntled co-star (brutal). But who has the most impressive theatre ghost in all of the West End? We do, we do! The Peacock has Flipper (not the Flipper, but an actual dolphin) embodying the dear departed spirits of Pennie and Pixie, two dolphins that lived in tanks beneath the stage with the sole purpose of jumping up to disrobe female performers in the then infamous nude revues.

Allegedly the ghost of Flipper haunts the hallowed halls of The Peacock in search of retribution for his untimely death at the hands of his negligent carers but there’s also a strange argument suggesting the dolphins were sold to a theme park in Yorkshire – we’ll let you make up your own minds. Either way, keep an ear out for Flipper’s strange squeaking on your next visit to The Peacock, apparently not dissimilar to that of a crying baby… spooky!

In recent years

Fast forward to this century and Sadler’s Wells is transformed into an international hub of dance performance in all its many malleable forms. With the root of circus in celebration of the body and its many marvellous capabilities, it seems the perfect companion for an organisation that rejoices in movement. We have had the pleasure of working with some incredible circus companies on an array of brilliant shows which look at the fantastic relationship between circus and dance. Some of our recent highlights include James Thiérrée – Au Revoir Parapluie, 2007, The 7 Fingers – TRIPTYQUE, 2016 and the smash hit from returning company Cirque Éloize – iD, 2016.

Don’t miss the incredible Cirque Éloize return to the Peacock with their spectacular new show, Hotel, in celebration of the company’s 25^th Anniversary. For more information and to book tickets visit our website.

Cirque Éloize – Hotel, The Peacock, 20 Feb – 9 March.

Tickets from £15.