Review: Santus Circus on Sheppey 2026
- Aug 1
- 3 min read
The first thing you notice about this family circus is that it has certainly upped its game.
It was a sad fact that the show, headed by French-born veteran circus boss Ernest Santus, had begun to seem a little stale.
But this World’s Greatest Showman tour has put it firmly back on the entertainment map.
My three grandsons, aged from two to 13, were all rivetted to their seats during a Sunday afternoon performance at Barton’s Point coastal park at Sheerness on the Isle of Sheppey.
Santus Circus is no stranger to the Island, having visited Sheppey every summer for as long as I can remember. Some stays have been more memorable than others, and not always in a good way.
Poor trapeze artiste Megan Christian broke her neck in a fall in 2021, although somehow she managed to fully recover for the following year.
Once again the circus boasts a line-up of artistes from around the world.
Opening the show was Katrina (sorry, no surname available) from England on the aerial chandelier. But soon we were into international territory with foot-juggler Brian Sifon from Argentina. I wonder how those two got on during the recent football world cup?
Lucas Acosta, also from Argentina, showed how to tackle the vertical Chinese pole with flare and then the female gymnastic trio Gee Gee (Mongolia), Rosita (Spain) and Rhia Brown (England) went to the heights of the Big Top with a sensational rope act.
The Moroccan Duo Agadir diced with flames with their fire juggling followed by Kaleab from Ethiopia showing his strength on the aerial straps.
Master magician David Nery from Portugal appeared in the ring from a giant glitter ball of fire and then, with his two Santus Showgirl assistants, created a motorcycle out of thin air. Gee Gee returned to close the first half with an elegant display of aerial gymnastics using a hoop.
The second half featured high-speed juggling from Lucas and the deft balancing of Kaleab on the rolla-rolla, which is basically defying the laws of gravity while rocking on a cylindrical log perched on the top of a pole.
Rhia returned with a skilful show of dancing with aerial silks but it was the incredible double-jointedness of Ethiopian contortionist Abine which drew the most gasps from the audience.
The Agadir Troupe returned as a threesome for some incredible body balancing and then magician Nery returned to lead motorcyclists Hector and Brian into the Globe of Death for the finale.
That is always a great end to a show as three bikes roar around the inside of a steel sphere narrowly missing each other by inches.
Ernest, who has been for more than 70 years, always looks the consummate ringmaster in all his finery although his simple one-line introductions to his acts sometimes seems a little, how shall I say this, off-hand?
In a circus, we want to be in awe of the performers, not wondering who they are and where they come from.
By contrast, Ernst’s nephew Lucien is a natural born performer and communicator as the show’s clown. He has been performing since he was four and has introduced some new routines for this show, like his fat man suit.
His popular the limbo dancing sketch, featuring two male “volunteers” from the audience, returned and went down well.
His sister Ruby, once a favourite of the circus, was nowhere to be seen. I was told she has quit the ring to become a mum.
The circus stays on Sheppey until Sunday when it leaves for Ramsgate, its last stop in the current tour.
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