Circus prepares for shows at arts festival
BBCA circus group has been practising all week ahead of its shows at an arts festival in Birmingham.
House of MASH will be at Kings Heath Arts Fest on Saturday and Sunday, and their performance will include dancing with a water fountain for the first time during their opening show.
The festival at the All Saints Centre will see a range of acts, live music, food stalls and photography displays that will celebrate the creativity in the area.
Founder Andy Savage said he loved the community in Kings Heath and wanted to create a place where everyone could be together.
"It's a bit like being abroad where we can all hang out as families and have fun," he said.
The Birmingham City fan has always loved festivals for their freeing vibe and wanted to bring that atmosphere to Kings Heath: "It's an excuse to let go and experience new things," he said.
He added that the festival aimed to get young people involved so everyone could share "space and time" with different generations and be part of a community.
Frankie Goodinson, from Leamington Spa, encouraged everyone to visit the festival and watch the circus performances, which she said she was "so excited" to be a part of.
"It's an amazing team with lots of different skill sets and from all different walks of life," she said.
The performer said she loved how powerful she felt when taking part in the circus, along with learning a range of new skills.
Joe Fern, founder of House of MASH, which provides circus performances and classes at the centre in Vicarage Road, said the circus was for everybody to enjoy and that its community "held people together".
After travelling around the US with a circus, he decided to set up classes in Kings Heath before he realised there was a big demand for the activities.
"I started a class because there was never anything around, and then years later this whole thing happened," he said.
He hoped that the festival would continue to grow in the future as it brought together all the artists, food and music that Kings Heath had to offer.
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