You enter the tent and are surprised to find no seats. Instead what you find is a towering system of poles and ropes high above you. A group of people has already gathered beneath the spectacle, and you decide to go join them. After another moment of pondering you realise there is no net separating the performers from the ground, or indeed the audience. A mild chatter has begun among the group as they tell stories of the tents they have been to.

Gradually silence blankets the tent, as all faces turn upwards. You follow suit and look up to see movement high above you. A pair of acrobats are moving about, unclipping ropes and black and white ribbons that spiral through the air as they throw them to each other. After a small amount of preshow action the stage is set, and four more acrobats seem to appear from nowhere. The first leaps into the air without any safety equipment and expertly catches a ribbon which hangs in the vast space; she spins through the air, wrapping the white ribbon around her waist as she does.

Another performer swings through the air, her jet black hair flying through the air behind her. She drops down on her rope, until she is only attached to it by her leg. She spins around and you think she is about to fall from her perch high in the sky – but she stops inches from your face! She smiles at you and gives you a wink before rolling herself up until she is folded in half and grabs the rope. She pulls herself up and twists around the rope with her whole body. Around her you realise, the other performers are in action. Perfectly synchronised, they all weave their way around the structure of patterned poles and platforms.

As you look up into the heights of the tent you can see that a picture is forming. The weaved ribbons and ropes begin to look like a night sky from this distance. Apparently other audience members agree, whispers and gasps can be heard as they realise the picture. You smile to yourself, and watch as the last acrobat land expertly on the platform high above.

Stunned silence follows, you aren't sure whether to clap… and then, all of a sudden, the picture is destroyed as the performance begins again. This time a male performer catches your eye as he dives through the air, the rope wrapped around his waist as he falls to the ground. Suddenly, he twists and catches the rope, as he does this another acrobat swings past him. And in the blink of an eye, he seems to have disappeared!

You look around frantically, and find him exchanging ribbons with the black haired woman off to the right. He must have caught the ribbon from the passing performer. The picture has dissolved completely now and you realise somewhat glumly that the performance is over – the six acrobats are stood on separate platforms clad in their monochrome costumes, the ribbons and ropes are all back in their place like before. The performers take a bow and the tent explodes in applause.

You leave the tent feeling awestruck and amazed; the ability of the acrobats was spectacular. After a moment to adjust to the cool air you move on to the next tent, or maybe you'll stop by one of the many refreshment stalls around the wondrous circus. The choice is yours.