Black Out Days – LED hula hoop act
October 14, 2015
A revamped version of my ‘Black Out Days’ LED hula hoop act, performed with latest technology smart LED hula hoops at Jackson’s Lane Theatre, London, 2015.
Filmed by Mark Morreau and Thomas Forsyth. Music by Phantogram.
Metamorphosis
August 13, 2015
When she transformed into a butterfly, the caterpillars spoke not of her beauty but of her weirdness.
They wanted her to change back into what she always had been…
But she had wings.
Photographs by Simon Yin. Big thanks to Chenghao Liu and Jacksons Lane Theatre, London.
The hoops in these images are LED smart hoops by SpinFX. I can program them to change colours and patterns to any chosen music, which allows for endless possibilities to create bespoke acts and fit with specific requirements and special events. You can see more photos here.
I have always had a great interest in animation and mixed media, so when Cirque Bijou offered me to collaborate on a bespoke piece that mixed my hoops with Howie Bailey‘s visual graphics, I dived right into it.
The piece was commissioned as an intro to the John Bishop Show on BBC1, which made the whole project even more exciting.. and slightly nerve-racking.
We knew it was going to be hardcore and risky – we only had a few days to research and develop ideas and then put it all together into a live show for prime television.
Yet, despite the time and space constraints, we just went for it wholeheartedly, feeding off each other’s passion and inspiring each other through laughter and relatively appropriate doses of OCD.
The result was a wonderful work of circus and visual arts that I hope will lead to more opportunities for exploration and collaboration.
Massive thanks to Julian Bracey, director of Cirque Bijou, and Howie Bailey for being absolute legends. True gratitude and respect also for John Bishop and his crew and the BBC.
Now rock on!
More lovely photos on my Flickr.
Silvia hula hoops on ‘Blue Peter’ – BBC
July 10, 2015
I’m not sure if it was a coincidence or through word of mouth, but just before my multi-media performance on the John Bishop Show was released on the BBC, I was invited to hula hoop live on the Blue Peter show…
It was so last minute, everything literally happened within a few hours, and that included running from London to Manchester to live TV, whilst beating a tube strike, in true ninja style… BOOM, HOOP, BANG!
You bet I got a Blue Peter badge for that!
Many thanks to everyone at the BBC Bridge House Manchester, it was great fun!
‘Atma’ for SmashFestUK, the Albany, London 2015
February 13, 2015
Just as 2015 kicked in, I had the immense pleasure to work with top gentleman juggler Mat Ricardo and perform ‘Atma’ in his End of the world cabaret at the Albany, London.
It was an ‘Apocalypse now’ sort of show, where the only thing left to do before the asteroid hit the earth, was to steep oneself in amazing acts of gravity-defying dexterity, laugh and be entertained by some of the greatest variety acts in London.
Did we get hit? Are we still alive now? One thing is for sure, I am still spinning like Saturn.
Valentine’s cheekiness for the National Centre for Circus Arts
February 11, 2015
Photographed by Bertil Nilsson for the National Centre for Circus Arts.
‘Urban Xmas’ photo shoot
January 19, 2015
Back in my home town in Italy for a few days, I hooked up with old school friend and photographer Riccardo Lancia.
We drove around town, our main goal being catching up, after years of not seeing each other.
It was a beautiful, crisp winter morning and so we ended up dropping some layers off to play outside.
What came out was a totally impromptu and absolutely fun shoot – a proof that good friendships are hard to die, even with years of distance in between.
All photographs by Riccardo Lancia. You can find more lovely shots on my Flickr.
Over the Christmas period I collaborated with the amazing Bertil Nilsson to create some images for the National Centre for Circus Arts.
The theme for the photo shoot was the ‘5 Gold Rings of Christmas’ and consequently, there was a lot of spinning involved.
Silvia vs The Great Eastern Bear
October 11, 2014
When I took two of my best friends to play up on a roof in East London. Photos by Jon Green, set and ‘behind the scene’ photos by Thomas Forsyth. 
Glastonbury Festival 2014
August 1, 2014
Despite the weather and extreme survival conditions, Glastonbury is always amazing.
This year, however, was particularly exciting as I got to perform not only ‘Atma’, but also 2 of my most recent hoop acts.
‘Black Out Days’ was specifically devised for the Circus Big Top and, although it was presented as work in progress, it received very positive feedback.
The greatest surprise of this year’s festival, however, was that I got asked to perform at the BBC Studio as part of their Friday Night Highlights, directly from the channel’s stage at the Park. This was an excellent and fun opportunity to show my ‘Great Gatsby’ inspired piece ‘Jazzy Daisy’, which went down a storm.
After all that excitement, keeping it up rehearsing and performing for almost 24 hours, after dragging your hoops all day around miles of muddy fields, what do you do when at Glasto?
I don’t know about you, but I go and dance my heart out until sunrise, at the jaws of a gigantic, fire spitting and laser shooting spider. That is why I love it so much in the field: it never stops feeding you its magic insanity.
