Exploring the Europa Super Circus at Lansdowne Centre
Ben Taylor (he/him) // Crew Writer
Mia Lancaster (she/her) // Photographer
Deep in the bowels of Richmond is the Lansdowne Centre, a mall most known for housing the largest T&T in Canada. But, from March 5–15 the 70,000 square foot supermarket isn’t the main attraction, as the Europa Super Circus big top makes its first stop on a countrywide tour.
Inside the tent were rows of plastic chairs surrounding the stage. A massive motorbike jump loomed directly in front of the main tent door, promising some serious stunts later in the show. The Friday night audience was at about 50 per cent capacity when the show began. Angelo Chaves, the “Clown Prince of Portugal,” stepped onto the stage, and began approaching a pole with a big red button labelled: “do not push.” Of course, after riling up the crowd, he promptly smacked the button.
After a brief light show the first performer—trapeze artist Disa Carneol—took to the stage. She gracefully swung through the air, sometimes holding on solely with her feet. Certain Courier crew members who are severely afraid of heights found this act particularly adrenaline inducing.
What followed were multiple aerial performances—some performers using classic silk, some opting for chains or rope—where many of the circus members swung in circles around the stage, performing various death defying tricks. Each act was broken up with bits from the clown, who despite staying low to the ground, was one of the highlights of the show. One such bit involved throwing popcorn into the mouths of the audience from a great distance (a kernel was even caught by yours truly, much to the delight of both the clown and the audience).
After a 15 minute intermission, the action was back. The second half of the show included a performance from the contortionist ‘Medusa,’ whose spine-bending poses amazed the audience and got the biggest round of applause of the night from a tough crowd in Richmond. Despite the constant attempts of the clown and the host to get people into the action, the crowd only really became excited for the final performance of the night: the FMX bikers. The massive ramp was finally put to use, as two freestyle motocross athletes showcased flips and tricks, nearly grazing the ceiling of the massive big top.
The Super Circus is an action packed ninety minutes, and the stunts and acrobatics deserved much more applause than the sleepy Friday night crowd was giving them. Luckily, they’ll still be performing in Richmond until March 15th. After they wrap up at Lansdowne centre, you can still catch them as they make their way across the lower mainland and the rest of B.C. all the way into May. If you’re looking for a bit of classic entertainment, I highly recommend checking out the Europa Super Circus.