A year in the Circus - the highlights of 2013

Roman riding returns
to the ring at Zippos!

It's been a fantastic year for circus, so as 2013 shuffles into history, click on the links below to revisit some of the highlights of the past year's posts on Circus Mania.




Turning rescue horses into circus horses - an interview with Roman rider Nicky de Neumann.

Murder at the Circus! The Blue Rinse Brigade take on a riddle in the ring.

Hilarious cirque
with Clive and Danny

The funniest show on Earth - my review of Cirque de Hilarious' summer season in Southwold.

10 Facts about Clowns for International Clown Week.

The BBC sought out my opinions on the circus
- but some circus owners are less
keen to hear my views

Banned from the Big Top - Why circuses don't get reviewed. Hey, I stirred up a hornets nest with this one. But it's the truth.

Timber!
Why simple ideas are often the best

Timber! - Why a bunch of lumberjacks came up with the best concept for a circus show this year.

Here's to 2014. And if Santa brought you a Kindle for Christmas, don't forget to click on the cover image up there on the right and download Circus Mania for a cracking circus read. Don't take my word for it - just click here to read what the critics have been saying in a year of fantastic reviews for the ultimate book for anyone who dreamed of running away with the circus!



Coming Next on Circus Mania: The best circus pictures of 2013

How to run a circus - Zippos owner Martin Burton looks back at a "tremendous" year.

It was a pleasure last week to post pictures of full houses and long queues at Zippos this year. With Zippos currently resident at Winter Wonderland in London's Hyde Park, I thought it would be good to catch up with showman Martin Burton. In the following interview he shares his thoughts on the past season, the secrets of his success and his plans for 2014 

Martin 'Zippo' Burton

How would you describe the past year for Zippos?

"2013 has been a tremendous year for Zippos Circus. My Circus team, led by

Beau Denning, has worked fantastically well together and we created a

show that really touched people nationwide, from the south coast of

Britain to the northern shores of Scotland. Our Scottish finale was one of

my favourite moments in the 2013 season."

What was the most memorable moment of 2013?

"Ultimately our performances at the Hyde Park Winter Wonderland must create

my most memorable moments of 2013. I remember going to Paris to see Cirque

Pinder 25 years ago and commenting that I could never imagine that Zippos

could ever play to 9000 people a day, as Pinder was then (and now). At

Hyde Park to Wonderland we get 9000 people in every Saturday and every

show ends with a standing ovation. It's not the business that gives me so

much joy but support for the circus as a genre. Sometimes I hear that

traditional circus is dead but I can tell you it certainly is not!"

Bring in the circus horses
- Nicky de Neumann's
Roman riding was a big hit
with Zippos audiences

 ...and the worst?

"Listening to the vile and horrible lies sometimes chanted by animal rights

supporters outside of my circus, when I know that there is absolutely no

animal cruelty takes place in Zippos Circus - rather the animals enjoy

their life and performances and give great pleasure to their trainers and

my audiences."

To what do you attribute so many full houses?

"A great show of course but much more than that Zippos Circus is a brand

that the public can trust with the highest level of customer service. None

of us at Zippos Circus ever forget that it is our paying customers who

allow us to live the lifestyle we love so much."

You're not using the horses at Winter Wonderland.

Were there any other venues in 2013 where you had to leave out the animals

to secure a site?

"Hyde Park is of course very horse friendly. But with up to 8 shows per

day, very restricted space with no room for exercise paddocks and the huge

crowds that the event attracts I just could not guarantee the highest

standards of animal welfare that I require and expect. We miss the horses

every day!"

Was Nicky de Neuman's Roman riding a big draw, and do you find there's still a

big demand for animal acts?

"I reintroduced horses to Zippos Circus over 20 years ago. I did so because

I realised the circus going public do still want to see at least domestic

animals in a traditional circus. I was proved right because our business

increased by 25% in the moment so I re introduced horses to Zippos Circus.

Nikki de Neuman offered Zippos visitors a very different style of

equestrian presentation, and a distinct change from all the wonderful

Liberty acts presented in previous years by Tom Roberts. Zippos creative

director, David Hibling, decided to present Nicky's work in a series of

short acts throughout the show rather than one big horse number. This

proved a very popular idea with our visitors."

Married to the circus
Zippos' Queen of Clowns Andreea Delbosq
was proposed to in the ring... at every show

How much do you use publicity stunts like the strongman pulling a bus

with his teeth and how effective do you find that sort of thing as a

ticket seller?

"Brand development, publicity stunts and PR are the very lifeblood of any

circus and always have been. In 2012 my clowns chose to get married so I

had him propose to her in the ring during the clown entree every week to

get Zippos local press coverage. This year some costumes were stolen from

the backstage area and at the last minute my Clown told me he had his

clown nose stolen too. This was a true story which made national headlines

in the Scottish press. It's my job to recognise those stores which will

run and run and publicise the circus well."

...the groom, meanwhile, had his nose nicked.

How important is Facebook and Twitter etc to circus promotion today,

and have the main tools for promoting your circus changed much since you

first came into the

business?

"Facebook and Twitter did not exist when I founded Zippos Circus. However

the birth of the Internet was something that Zippos Circus recognised at

the very beginning. We had a website designed before most people knew what

a website was. More importantly Zippos has been harvesting email addresses

and data from its visitors since the very beginning of email and we

regularly announce and promote our tour dates using that email data. More

recently Facebook has become yet another tool to keep Zippos in touch with

its visitors and tell potential customers know our plans and news."

Cirque Berserk
- the dark and fiery side of Zippos

Do you think there is a disparity between the type of new circus shows

that get reviewed in the broadsheets and the type of circus that the wider

public actually 

wants to see?

"No. It's not about traditional Circus versus new Circus. It's about good

Circus versus bad Circus. Circus artists are very willing to try new ideas

as proved by my own experiments with Cirque Berserk, which is about to

undertake a nationwide tour of English theatres in January 2014."

How would you describe the state of the British circus scene generally

as we head into 2014?

"There are more circuses touring Britain now than at any time in the

history of British Circus. Perhaps there are only two or three other truly

significant circuses touring the UK, but there are up to 50 smaller

circuses touring either for a full season or just part of the season and

finding new venues and new places to play. The British Circus industry is

expanding helped by the popularity of circus training and circus schools.

Circus will certainly change in the future, as it always has done in the

past. But I believe it will continue to thrive and I am determined that

Zippos Circus remain part of that scene for many years to come. Its time

of course, to see a great British circus back on mainstream TV regularly."

2nd Edition out now!

Read a full chapter on the birth of Zippos Circus and its involvement in the BBC comedy Big Top, among countless other stories from the circus world in Circus Mania by Douglas McPherson - described by World's Fair as "The greatest show on Earth in a book."

Click here to buy the paperback or ebook from Amazon.

Circus For Sale

Would you like to buy a slightly used circus? Click here for details.

"I looked after 11 polar bears"
- Peter Jolly

Click here to read about Peter Jolly's 50 Years Under Canvas.

Zippos Nicky de Neumann turns rescue horses into circus horses

Nicky de Neumann
Riding high with Zippos

When she was growing up, Nicky de Neumann was told she’d have to choose between the horse world and the theatrical world, but she was determined to do both. 2013 saw her bring the spirit of Astley’s first circus to Zippos with her spirited Roman riding. In the following article, which originally appeared in My Weekly, she told me, in her own words, how she became a stunt rider who these days turns rescue horses into circus stars.

Why ride one horse
when you could ride three?

“I fell in love with horses when I was five-years-old. A school friend had a pony and from the moment I set eyes on it I was smitten. I begged my mum for a horse but I didn’t come from the kind of background where you get anything handed to you on a plate. My mum said, ‘Yes, dear, when you can afford one...’ So every Christmas and birthday I asked my parents for money instead of presents. By the time I was 11, I’d saved £500 and my grandfather was so impressed that he doubled it and I bought my first pony. I had him up until earlier this year when he sadly died at the ripe old age of 28.
I started trick riding when I was 14. My school wanted me to do work experience in a solicitor’s office but there was no way that was for me. So I found a guy called Rodeo Dave and I did my work experience in his stunt shows at county fairs - throwing myself on, off and underneath horses, going as fast as possible! It was dangerous, but when you’re a kid you’re fearless. I loved it.
Growing up, my two big passions were horses and acting. Everyone told me I couldn’t do both. At drama school, they wanted me to get rid of my horses, because they were such a big distraction and I was always tired. Everyone in the horse world, meanwhile, said I should forget about acting. But I was determined to do both and I have.
I’ve done a lot of fringe theatre, singing and cabaret. But I always seem to be called for more horse work. I played Annie Oakley for five years in a wild west show at Euro Disney. I also created my own all-girl stunt team and toured the country.

Nicky de Neumann
demonstrates the love with which
she turns rescue horses into circus stars

Horses need vast amounts of training for the type of work I do, which includes going over jumps Roman style, standing on two or three horses. But you can train any horse if you spend enough time.
I have two rescue horses, including one called Scooby who was going to be shot because he was deemed un-ride-able and out of control. I’m a sucker for a sob story and I took him on with no idea that I’d even attempt to turn him into a stunt horse - I just wanted to save his life. But now I’ve got him in the show and he’s terribly sweet.
To me, horses are like kids. They’re not inherently bad, and if they display bad behaviour there’s usually some reason in their past. So it’s about getting to know their personality and working with their strengths.
The training is all about making things fun and appealing for them. If they become your friend and know they’ll get rewarded with a carrot or a kiss and a cuddle, then they want to please you.
I’m currently touring with Zippos Circus and it’s lovely because I get to be with my horses 24/7. I live in the lorry, which is attached to the stables, so we’re all together. They get loads of attention and fuss and I’m there constantly, as opposed to someone who sees their horse once a day and pays someone else to feed them while they’re at work.”

Interview by Douglas McPherson

For more inspiring stories of the lengths circus folk will go to pursue their dream, including a full chapter on Zippos, read Circus Mania - The Ultimate Book For Anyone Who Dreamed of Running Away With The Circus.

Click here to buy Circus Mania.

Click here to read an interview with Zippos owner Martin Burton.

Zippos Circus Girl in Circus Picture of the Year!

Nicky de Neumann
Putting the circus back in the circus
- Roman style

Here’s a picture that puts the circus in the circus for me - Nicky de Neumann riding three horses Roman style in the Zippos big top. At a time when the traditional circus is in retreat and animals have all but disappeared from the British big top, Nicky’s equestrian daredevilry recalls the spirit of the circus as it was invented by British trick rider Philip Astley in 1768 and, indeed, the thunderous arenas of ancient Roman from which circus takes its name.


In an interview that originally appeared in The Stage, I asked her how a girl from Croydon became a star of the sawdust circle.

How long have you been interested in horses?

“The first time I encountered a horse was when I was four or five. I went to see a friend’s horse and from the moment I set eyes on it I was smitten. I started saving up for my own pony when I was seven. By the time I was 11, I had £500 and my grandfather was so impressed he doubled it and I bought my first pony.”

"When you're a kid
you're fearless."

When did you start trick-riding?

“When I was 14 I had to do work experience at school. They wanted me to go to a solicitor’s office and I was like, ‘No way, that’s not for me!’ So I found a guy called Rodeo Dave and did my work experience in his shows at county fairs - throwing myself on and off, up and down and underneath horses, going as fast as possible!”

Sounds dangerous...

“It is. But when you’re a young kid you’re fearless. I loved it. I then went on to work with racehorses and train young thoroughbreds for about 13 years.”

You also took a drama degree at Italia Conti. Were your ambitions in the theatre or the horse world at that point?

“I wanted to do both and everyone said couldn’t. At drama school they wanted me to get rid of my horses, because it was such a big distraction. Everyone in the horse world said I should forget about acting. But I was determined to do both, and I have. I’ve done a lot of fringe theatre, singing and cabaret. But I always seem to be called for more horse work. I worked for Euro Disney for five years as Annie Oakley. I did a couple of years in Giffords Circus. I also created my own all-girl stunt team and toured the country.”

Nicky de Neumann
- the horse whisperer of Zippos turns rescue horses
into circus circuses

Does it take a special kind of horse to do the work you do?

“They need vast amounts of training, but you can train any horse if you spend enough time. I have two rescue horses, one of which was going to be shot because he was deemed un-ride-able and out of control. I took him on with no idea I’d even attempt to get him to be a stunt horse. I just wanted to save his life. But now I’ve got him working and he’s terribly sweet. So it’s about getting to know their personality and working with their strengths. Horses are like kids. They’re not inherently bad and if they display bad behaviour there’s usually a reason. If you become their friend, they want to please you.”

How have you taken to life in a travelling circus?

“It’s lovely, because I get to be with my horses 24/7. I live in the lorry, which is attached to the stables, so we’re all together. They get loads of attention and fuss and I’m there constantly, as opposed to someone who sees their horse once a day and pays someone else to feed them while they’re at work.”


Read more about:

- Animal training in the circus...

- Backstage life at Zippos and other circuses...

- Britain’s oldest circus family...

- The history of the circus...

Backstage at Zippos
Circus Mania
takes you there

In Circus Mania! - The Ultimate Book For Anyone Who Dreamed of Running Away With The Circus.

Click here to buy Circus Mania from Amazon. 

Or buy direct from Peter Owen Publishers for just £10 including post and packing in the UK (add £2.75 postage rest of world). Send cheques to:

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81 Ridge Road
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See also: An interview with Zippos owner Martin Burton.

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