This winter I was invited to join Thursford Christmas Spectacular for their 45th anniversary season – a whopping run of 82 shows in 6 weeks (!!!!)
Set in the magical surroundings of mechanical organs and fairground carousels, with a cast of 120 professional singers, dancers and musicians, Thursford is the largest Christmas show in the UK, having attracted over 5.8 million visitors to date. This is a good, old school variety show, an extravaganza of non-stop singing, dancing, music and comedy. It’s a fast moving celebration of the festive season, featuring a full orchestra playing live on stage with the performers.
I was assigned an instrumental version of “Viva La Vida” to create a bespoke hula hoop act that mixed silver hoops with LED hoops. The choice of music was quite a challenge for me but once we started the rehearsal period and the violinists joined me on stage, it all came together beautifully and I got used to it. It really is a privilege to perform to a live orchestra every day.
The whole 2 month period (with not one day off for us, circus performers) was very demanding – it took bags of resilience, focus and brain power to keep delivering our best every day, even when we felt tired and in physical pain. Yet, being able to play every day with such a wonderfully mad and talented company, offered great rewards – we became a family, holding, uplifting and supporting each other to deliver grace, joy and beauty.
Thank you to the whole cast, crew and production team at Thursford Christmas Spectacular – you are all amazing and I am proud to have been part of it.
What a trip, Jeddah! 12 LED shows in 2 days and I wouldn’t change any of it!
It was a real buzz performing at the F1 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix for the Paddock Club. And what a privilege to be representing the circus arts, especially as a female performer, in a country that is slowly but surely making way for progress.
Thanks for having me, let’s do it bigger next time!
One of them being my dearest friend and amazing photographer, Erica Camille, who is always keen to create and explore with me. It really is a joy to travel and shoot with her.
I met Julian Baecher and Vivian Sicilio on my last weekend in Puerto Escondido, Oaxaca. We instantly connected and by the time the sun set, we knew we were creating some real magic there.
On my last week in beautiful Puerto Escondido, I also met with the lovely fire performers from Diya Fire Collective. They welcomed me with open arms and we performed together for Lemurian at Hucanii Beach Club.
I couldn’t have planned a better send off, even if I tried! Thank you all for sharing these precious moments with me. Mexico, te quiero, see you soon!
Against all odds and right at the end of the year, 2020 took me to the middle of the Indian Ocean to entertain guests at the stunning Niyama Private Islands Resort during their New Years Eve celebrations.
Blessed by this opportunity at such difficult times, I celebrate all my fellow performers and friends in the arts and event production. You are the engine that makes the Earth ship sail and tonight I dance for you.
What an immense joy and privilege it was to perform a new fan dance as part of the Opening Circle meditation of the Gardens of Babylon event in Basel, Switzerland.
It was all very last minute, but the moment I met Matthias Philipsen and Guy Van Campenhout, the vibe was immediate – we knew we would gel together into magic.
Matthias led the circle into a beautiful meditative state, whilst Guy provided the soundtrack to accompany the journey within. Finally when everyone opened their eyes again, here I was channeling Shakti ❤
Infinite love and gratitude to the power house that is The Gardens of Babylon team for providing us with a safe and beautiful playground to dance our hearts free and connect at such difficult times.
All images were taken at Viertel Klub by the talented Kaik Photography.
The last couple of weeks have reignited my spark in a way that I hadn’t felt for a while.
Lighting up the hearts ❤
To be able to come together and celebrate with the incredible team at The Gardens of Babylon, when times are crazy dark out there, was the best birthday gift I could ever ask for.
Lighting up the hearts ❤
My heart is burning full of love and gratitude for each one of you, dreamers ❤
Both videos shot by Patrick Vanhuet during Britta Arnold’s set at The Temple, Porto Cervo, Italy.
Video coming soon. If you are in London, come and watch ‘Lovers’ live at the Boulevard Theatre, as part of After Dark, with Black Cat Cabaret, playing until 14th March 2020.
So many people throughout my life have told me who I am, what I must do, what I can’t do, what I have to complete, and what I will never be able to accomplish… and then I met the Goddess.
Rhea Silvia was the mythical mother of the twins Romulus and Remus, who founded the city of Rome. Her father, the king of Alba Longa, was dethroned by his brother Amulius, who appointed Rhea Silvia a Vestal Virgin, hoping that by consigning her to perpetual virginity, she would not bear any children.
Vesta was worshipped as the goddess of the hearth, home, and domestic affairs. The main task of her priestesses, the Vestal Virgins, was to tend to a perpetual fire in her shrine in the Roman Forum – this was believed to protect Rome as a vital element for the well-being of the city.
As Silvia one day went into the sacred grove, to draw water for the service of the goddess, a wolf met her, and she fled into a cave for safety; there, while a total eclipse obscured the sun, Mars seduced and overpowered her. When her time came, she gave birth to the twins Romulus and Remus. She was doomed for breaking her vow of chastity and drowned in the river Tiber.
I’ve always had a fascination for mythology and find constant inspiration in ancient legends from all over the world. In this shoot with the amazing Simon Yin, I imagined a different fate for Rhea Silvia, where she reclaims her power and independence, fights her sexist uncle and builds the city of Rome from the sacred fire of Vesta.
This shoot wasn’t easy. On top of the obvious camera technicalities, we had some extra challenges. The Pantheon – as all major religious buildings in Roma – has 24hr police surveillance. We were patient. We lurked a lot. It was also freezing cold and we had limited amounts of lyco. It was a very focussed, hit and run affair. It was much fun and we did it for love ❤️
Many thanks to Simon and Hao for being game on this guerrilla mission.
Especially as a woman, I’m proud to have been able to bring fresh shakti energy to this festival and entertain a young generation who, unlike us in the west, never had the chance to dance their bodies free to such an extent.
The response from the audience was heart warming and seeing multiple dance floors being shared by men and women, exposing their beautiful, happy faces, was my absolute highlight.
All the LED circles!
Times are a-changing and I am honoured to have been part of this – slow but very necessary – process. This is what music and the arts are here for – to bring people together ❤️
Silvia Pavone 
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