Arron Sparks

Arron Sparks is a professional circus performer who discovered his passion for juggling through the 1990s toy YoYo craze. He joined a local after-school juggling club age 12 not because he was interested in juggling but because the word on the street was that the best YoYo’er in Southampton went there!

A decade later, after graduating from the National Centre for Circus Arts, his unique one-man show combining juggling and YoYo’ing was snapped up by agents and Arron toured the world.

Today Arron is an associate artist with the world-renowned Gandini Juggling, a company that is reinventing and reinvigorating juggling for the 21st Century – and he enjoyed introducing the joys of juggling to a new generation during the Little Top Spring tour.

“Each show I reminded myself of the notion that this show might be the audience’s first interaction with juggling, circus or even live performance. That’s an important moment and one that makes me happy to be a small part of.

“My main impression is how surprisingly similar performing to babies is to performing for adults. Obviously tone and information change and typical assumptions must be questioned. However universal elements such as tension and rhythm and surprise don’t change much. When we were testing the show we were reminded that a young audience won’t hold to the social conventions an adult will. If a young audience is bored it becomes apparent, even if that problem isn’t articulated. Necessary adjustments were quickly highlighted and problems solved. Allowing the performance to grow and improve.”

Some of Arron’s highlights of the tour have been “Touring Scotland in a streak of unbelievable weather was a real treat, seeing wild salmon leaping up waterfalls was exhilarating. When we were staying at Lyth Arts Centre we managed to squeeze in a trip to see the sea stacks of Duncansby and have a BBQ whilst looking out over a perfect sunset, it was a special day.”

Book your tickets for Little Top at the Fringe here