The Palestinian Circus: Step and a Half ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

This is the kind of show that brings Darkchat coming back to the Edinburgh Fringe Festival every year. For an hour in a tent in The Meadows, we were entranced by these young and talented performers, with a display of circus skills set to music and rhythms inspired by traditional Palestinian folk dances.

It was a stunning visual spectacle, the acrobatics so well choreographed that at times it felt more like a dance piece. An especially poignant moment involved one of the female performers swinging in circles on a rope, reaching out for her friends but unable to grasp them.

At the end of the show, it was explained that Palestinian Circus is a non-profit organisation offering opportunities for young people across Palestine to learn circus skills. The resilience and determination that this represents leaves me in awe of these young people and the organisation that has brought them to the largest arts festival in the world.

The Edinburgh Festival was established to promote peace and understanding of other cultures and this show perfectly captures that spirit.