Circus’s are fun places for kids and grown ups a like. Circus acts are renowned for their lively, colourful appearance and variety of skills. If you are planning a children’s party circus acts are a great way to keep children happy. Here we have provided a brief guide to some popular circus acts.

Juggling has been practised for a long time throughout history. Due to the simple nature of juggling it is impossible to find an exact date of when jugglers first appeared. It is well documented that jesters and kings entertainers used to juggle for their masters amusement and murals from Ancient Egypt depicted characters juggling as a form of entertainment.

The term juggling has been adapted from Latin and English meaning to perform tricks or tell jokes. This refers to the light heartedness of jugglers performances which often include comedy and crowd participation. Similarly clowns have been known to include short juggling routines in their performances.

Jugglers can often be found at circuses or busking in areas such as London’s Covent Garden. Jugglers have been known to juggle knives and other sharp implements, flaming objects and even chainsaws. Most jugglers tend to stick to traditional props such as weighted beanbags, clubs and rings where the emphasis is on the complexity of the throws and catches rather than the daredevil factor of using risky props.

Clowns have been entertaining for centuries as part of circus troupes. To professional clowns the term clown refers to the role performed rather than the individual. Most of us consider clowns as light hearted, simple entertainment. In the past clowns were renowned for using their routines to highlight sociological issues such as class and representation albeit in a humorous way.

Clowns are instantly recognisable in baggy and brash clothing, giant shoes and humorous make up. These costumes play a large part in there visual comedy routines and help them look more out of place in the wacky situations they create.

At the circus clowns often perform short routines while the stage is being prepared for the next act. These acts usually involve little dialogue and rely on visual humour such as slapstick. Clowns are available for children’s parties where they will perform similar routines as well as extras such as balloon animals for the birthday boy or girl.

Equilibristics is a circus act that combines elements of juggling and acrobatics. As the name suggest equilibristics focuses on the performers balance or equilibrium. Performers usually carry out most of their routines by either balancing on an object and performing tricks such as juggling or balancing a variety of objects on themselves.

Equilibristics as with many other circus skills crosses over. For example it is relatively easy for anybody to incorporate a simple balancing act such as balancing an object on the end of their nose into their routine. This is due to the nomadic nature of circuses and fellow performers practising their routines together and picking up skills along the way.