Review: Stunning VOOMA! By Zip Zap is a festive season winner

I love, loved VOOMA! by Zip Zap Circus. I saw VOOMA! in May this year (2023) and loved it and the festive season of VOOMA! is a winner. It is not only about attending superb theatrical circus (fabulous costumes, terrific choreography, striking lighting and fab music play list) but also about the circus as an experience. There is a tuck shop and a coffee station (all reasonably priced, by the way), Zip Zap merch to purchase and a station with free tattoos (such fun – get one). At interval, the youngsters in the audience have fun playing, doing headstands and somersaults in front of the stage. The vooma and gees is incredible all round. (VOOMA! is a cash free event- credit/debit cards and SnapScan only – you don’t want to miss out on the eats, juggling balls and circus goodies).  

New acts have been added to VOOMA! December 2023. The circus artistry is as always, a wow. This show features Zip Zap’s young programmes: Advanced student Zappers (who are still at school) and Dare2Dream. Brent van Rensburg, co-founder and artistic director told me that the cast features youngsters from seven years up to 25. They are joined by Zip Zap veteran circus artists such as Jason Barnard and clown/acrobat Trompie (aka Jacobus Claassen).

Team work is key to circus and this evidenced in VOOMA! – as we see the young circus artists utterly focused on each other. The skill is phenomenal. They dance like a dream. The music is uplifting and vibey and there is a lot of fun and humour interspersed with the thrills of aerial and human pyramids. Jason Barnard – with his gravity juggling and acrobatics is such an awesome presence. When he is not performing, he is watching and guiding the youngsters. The same goes for Trompie – incredible clowning and his athleticism is a wow.

VOOMA! is a fun, fun show, full of VOOMA! As van Rensburg mused at interval, when we chatted – there is no theme- it is about fun and entertainment. The young circus artist have heaps of fun on stage and the audience gets into the vooma and spirit of the spectacle. VOOMA! is very much for all ages. We took my father-in-law along. He is 99. He adored every moment. He was awed by the athleticism of the cast and fascinated by how the youngsters in the audiences were playing around with moves that they saw on stage. I recommend VOOMA! as a festive season must see- for the whole family. Bravo to Zip Zap Circus – with over three decades on the circus boards and for a proudly Cape Town social circus – a national treasure and a sensation when it tours internationally.

✳Featured image – VOOMA! by Zip Zap Circus- pic by Joan Ward – supplied.