The Metropolis

A minute with circus performer Greville Matthews, who flings his body through the air for a living

Gavin Mecaniques | Sunday 30 December, 2012 06:49

Circus performer Greville Matthews is, among other things, an aerialist – which means he earns his keep by contorting his body through the air for the entertainment his fellow humans. Catch his act this week at White Mischief’s New Year’s Eve Extravaganza, and magic night at Madam Jojo’s on 18 Jan.

I was drawn to the circus because
I’ve always loved jumping around and hanging off stuff and generally mucking about. I was a gymnast as a kid then I started karate, after that I did a dance degree. On a dance job I met a Alex Frith who was setting up a circus school (The Hangar), so I started taking trapeze classes. Soon after that I started doing acrobatics at the Circus Space. eventually I got on to the degree program. It all flowed from one thing to the next and I’m still mucking about and hanging off stuff and being paid for it! Result.

The strangest performance I’ve done
I do a lot of weird characters in strange places. One that is fairly up there is being a roller-skating snowman…

The best thing about my job is
Feeling an audience is 100% behind you and making them laugh.

The performers that inspire me
Charie Chaplin, Tommy Cooper, Peter Sellers, Le Cirque Invisible, James Thiérrée are my idols.

You must go and see
Apart from me? (HAHAHA) La Soiree – it’s an awesome tongue in cheek circus cabaret.

Home to me is
East and north London.

I’m scared by
Big hairy spiders.

The best advice I ever got was
Be yourself.

What I really want to do next is
Be in Le Soiree.

I last laughed when
I laugh all the time. My friends are hilarious.

I can’t imagine living without
My iPhone. I really don’t know how I lived before…

Photos of Greville © Gavin Mecaniques

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