Blush – Circus for Grown Ups

Audiences appear to have an endless appetite for human circus and Blush – Circus for Grown Ups is feeding that hunger with their sexually charged, adults only show. It’s a glorious blend of cabaret, opera, and circus crafted just for those who are 18 and over. The show includes death defying acrobatics, graceful aerial acts, hilarious clowning, and fearless fire eating. There’s also juggling, diablo, hoop work, modern dance, singing, burlesque style strip tease, and balancing acts.

Blush features a pumping modern soundtrack full of club bangers, juxtaposed with live opera singing that’s beautifully delivered by Aurora Kurth. The thrust stage allows the performers to dazzle the crowd up close, adding to the excitement. The stage is lacking any distraction or artifice, making the performers the main focus at all times.

There’s a fair bit of male and female nudity in the show. Whether naked or wearing clothes, the performers always look sexy, vibrant, and strong. Costuming commits to a cohesive colour palette to great effect. Particular favourites are the BDSM inspired pieces, Kurth’s spiky crowns, and the hilarious lampshade headwear.

All of the performers are passionate, agile, graceful, and dedicated. They show one another endless trust and respect during the performance.  Siân Brigid is fearless and fierce, with highlights being her fire work and whip cracking skills. Leigh Rhodes makes a great host of the show, and also impresses with his juggling, comedy, and his hooping duet with Harley Timmemans. Entertaining us all with his acrobatic skills, Timmeman is nimble, elegant, and strong. Jordan Twartz also shows great strength and agility and performs the most jaw-dropping diablo tricks. Lizzie Patterson is brilliant at acrobatic balancing, flipping, and flexibility, also showing amazing might and courage. While she’s a seriously good singer, Aurora Kurth injects plenty of hilarious comedy into her work too, especially when interacting with the crowd.

Blush is billed as ‘outrageous’ and ‘subversive’ possibly because it is so *gasp* inclusive. The show is a powerful expression of feminism – the belief all genders and sexualities are equal and should be treated as such. It’s a non-stop entertaining celebration of love and sexuality across the spectrum. Same sex, fluid and heterosexual romantic relationships are all on show and kink is embraced without shame or judgement. If you take a moment to scratch the sexy surface of Blush you’ll find beneath the kink, sweat, and naked flesh, a beautiful beating heart.

Kitty Goodall

Photography by Late Cut Media