A traditional form of entertainment in which visual spectacle and physical skill combine, modern UK circus encompasses a wide range of work - from the traditional travelling circus in a big top tent to shows that are played in theatre spaces and are as influenced as much by performance art, dance, rock music and theatre as by traditional circus. Animals are no longer a feature of UK circus. Many UK companies are experimenting with taking the trick or physical feat beyond the stunt into the realm of the metaphysical, emotional and psychological. There are also many increasingly successful attempts to marry circus skills both to devised narrative and to classical texts.

Lyn Gardner, The Guardian