{"id":19954,"date":"2021-12-16T11:05:40","date_gmt":"2021-12-16T10:05:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/whatsonni.com\/news\/?p=19954"},"modified":"2021-12-16T11:06:27","modified_gmt":"2021-12-16T10:06:27","slug":"tumble-circus-tina-segner-promises-circus-skills-with-comedy-and-theatre-at-this-years-winter-circus","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/whatsonni.com\/news\/2021\/12\/tumble-circus-tina-segner-promises-circus-skills-with-comedy-and-theatre-at-this-years-winter-circus\/","title":{"rendered":"Tumble Circus\u2019 Tina Segner Promises \u201cCircus Skills With Comedy, and Theatre\u201d At This Year\u2019s Winter Circus"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"\"<\/a>
Tumble Circus co-founder Tina Segner<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Belfast\u2019s Writers\u2019 Square will see the Big Top being raised aloft for Tumble Circus\u2019 Winter Show, and co-founder, Tina Segner promises that audiences need to prepare to be surprised, and amazed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Running from December 17 to January 3 the all-human performances combines acrobats, aerial artists and jugglers in an hour-long fun-filled show.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For Tina, a skilled acrobat, aerialist and juggler, the journey to co-found Tumble Circus began in her native Sweden.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI was 17 or 18 and my friend had just come back from an Interrailing trip around Europe and she\u2019d learnt to juggle and I thought it was really cool,\u201d she explained. \u201cShe taught me how to juggle and after that I practised a bit and I thought it was great fun and I joined a little juggling school.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

From there a plan to see more of the world saw her \u201cstuck in Ireland\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe were meant to stay for three months but that was 1995 and during that time I ended up meeting lots of people who could do circus skills and I was enthralled,\u201d she said. \u201cI loved what they were doing.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As performers put the final touches to the extravaganza in Belfast\u2019s Writers\u2019 Square co-founder of the troupe, Tina explained that the skills the troop will showcase are very demanding and require extensive training, something which drew her into the circus.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI think it was a bit of a challenge that made me see it as something that I could pursue,\u201d she said. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt is using my brain as well as my body, especially with juggling and using patterns.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYou had to use your brains as well as your physical skills. It was challenging, and all the people who were doing it were really great. I loved the environment and I loved everything about it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

With the planned stay in Ireland extended she met Tumble Circus co-founder Ken Fanning.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI lived in Dublin for two years and by this time Ken and I had met and we were doing shows together,\u201d Tina explained.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cLots of people started contacting us and asking us to do shows and how much do you charge?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe didn\u2019t really know that much but we knew that we needed to do some proper training. I think that\u2019s when I realised that\u2019s what I wanted to do for a living. That meant I needed more training in it. Then both myself and Ken ended up going to a circus school in England and it lasted a year and it was great. It was the best time of my life.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Now settled with Belfast as her home, her partner Grant is also a performer, as is her son, Kasper.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt\u2019s also lovely doing Winter Circus and having Grant and Kasper as part of it, something that has others inspired,\u201d Tina explained. \u201cAll of a sudden, without us realising, Kasper can become a role model.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHe encourages other people to do things. Kids can associate themselves with him because he\u2019s a child, he\u2019s not an adult doing things. The kids can say \u2018we want to do that\u2019, \u2018we want to be like this\u2019. It\u2019s really great.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Despite a difficult 18 months due to the Covid-19 pandemic Winter Circus show is returning for its fifth year, and Tina promises it will be \u201clouder and prouder than ever before\u201d. All a far cry from when it was so demanding it nearly didn\u2019t return after the second year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cBefore we opened in the second year, I said to Grant to remind me that I never want to do this again,\u201d she explained. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHe said we should probably wait until the end of the run and make that decision. But the third year was really good. Fourth year was great. Last year was cancelled but it\u2019s really exciting taking it out now.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Taking place in the Jossers\u2019 Big Top Tina said it, \u201cjust about fits into\u201d Writers\u2019 Square.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Since starting Tumble Circus Tina and the team have developed an impressive set of credentials having headlined Glastonbury Festival\u2019s Circus Big Top, played at Edinburgh Fringe, Perth Fringe World and Adelaide Fringe Festival. They have been seen in Norway, Iceland, Canada, Australia and many other countries and have toured our big top shows all over Ireland.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tina\u2019s success has also brought her shows back to Sweden.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A few years back I was able to perform in my hometown,\u201d she said. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201c500 people came. We put the trapeze rig up in the middle of the square and the news had just spread that I was coming to do a show and there were people that I hadn\u2019t seen since I\u2019d left as a child.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThere were people from my time, people from school, my old school teachers, my mum and dad\u2019s friends came. It was amazing.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And despite her parent\u2019s initial misgivings about her making her career as a circus performer Tina admits they are now supportive and \u201cmy biggest fans\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tina explained that Tumble Circus promises something far removed from what people expect.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cStart with traditional circus costumes and music \u2013 we don\u2019t do that,\u201d she explained. \u201cWe try to make it into a show. We have a ringmaster. We mix all the acts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThey\u2019re all crafted so that, even though they\u2019re much unexpected, people don\u2019t know what\u2019s coming next \u2013 but there\u2019s still a very coherent feel to the show and we mix modern things, we mix loads of different art forms into the circus.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cTumble Circus combines circus skills with comedy, theatre and social commentary to make people laugh, react, and act.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

With the heated Big Top going up in Writers\u2019 Square Tumble Circus will be performing every day, except Christmas Day throughout the run with 11 of the days presenting two shows, with nine performers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cSomeone described it as the Irish Circus Soleil hit by a bus,\u201d explained co-founder Ken. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt\u2019s not like normal circus. But it is. It\u2019s Belfast-inspired circus. It is circus made in Belfast for Belfast people. It\u2019s a bit of craic. Noisy, skills, comedy, beautiful bits, bit of poetry.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Winter Circus is supported by the National Lottery through the Arts Council of Northern Ireland, Belfast City Council, Tourism Northern Ireland, Arts & Business and Destination CQ BID.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tickets are \u00a39-\u00a314 + booking fee and available from <\/em><\/strong>wegottickets.com\/JossersBigTop<\/em><\/strong><\/a>, or for more information go to <\/em><\/strong>tumblecircus.com<\/em><\/strong><\/a>. <\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Family tickets are also available and group bookings (10+) can be booked by emailing <\/em><\/strong>bookings@tumblecircus.com<\/em><\/strong><\/a>.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

View the Winter Circus Covid-19 policy at<\/em><\/strong> https:\/\/www.tumblecircus.com\/winter-circus-show\/#covid-19-guidelines<\/em><\/strong><\/a> <\/em><\/strong>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Belfast\u2019s Writers\u2019 Square will see the Big Top being raised aloft for Tumble Circus\u2019 Winter Show, and co-founder, Tina Segner promises that audiences need to prepare to be surprised, and amazed. Running from December 17 to January 3 the all-human performances combines acrobats, aerial artists and jugglers in an hour-long fun-filled show. For Tina, a … Continued<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[1],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/whatsonni.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19954"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/whatsonni.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/whatsonni.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/whatsonni.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/whatsonni.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=19954"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/whatsonni.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19954\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":19958,"href":"https:\/\/whatsonni.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19954\/revisions\/19958"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/whatsonni.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=19954"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/whatsonni.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=19954"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/whatsonni.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=19954"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}