Testimonial - Sara Fletcher

How did you hear about Cirque Nova?
I saw an advert for them as part of London Open Rehearsal in 2007.

Why did you join?
I've always wanted to try circus training but figured that I wouldn't be able to because of my disability, but it was really good fun, although utterly exhausting! The problem is as a wheelchair user it's really hard to do proper exercise, fitness clubs and gyms often aren?t accessible, and anyway they're not much fun. Because I am surrounded by other disabled people I feel less self conscious than when I'm surrounded by gym bunnies, so I can focus much more on what I'm doing rather than worrying what other people are thinking about me.

With Cirque Nova I found a way to exercise that I really enjoyed. It's not competitive, but it is challenging - you can learn new skills your own way, and it's really diverse, from juggling to floor gymnastics to aerial work. I certainly got much fitter but without feeling like I was doing exercise!

What do you enjoy most?
I love the aerial work, hanging upside down and being high up are skills I didn't know I had! I also find I learn the strangest things at circus school, like I am very good at hanging about upside down, and that whilst I love doing somersaults I feel sick after any more than four, regardless of what I try to do to prevent it! I also learnt that despite 10 years of wheelchair use my muscle memory has somehow retained how to do cartwheels. Admittedly my cartwheels are lacking a certain amount of elegance, but I suspect they always did!

It's very good for my back, but also there is a sense of freedom in the air that I can't experience on the ground. Usually I feel like my disability makes me seem clumsy and ungainly, in the air I feel much more graceful - it really is like flying!

What are the benefits you have found?
The most obvious one is fitness, but there are others. I have made some really good friends, who have been very inspiring and helped me keep going when it got hard. I wasn't able to take part in the show due to work commitments, but it's been useful to have on my CV if just as a talking point at interviews!

This is another great benefit of circus school. My condition (dystonia) is a rare and complex one and I have found from time to time that I discover certain ?special powers? ? that there are physical things that I can do that I wouldn?t have expected. Because of the nature of circus school, trying new physical things, it happens more here than anywhere else. And this makes me keener to practise and, of course, I end up fitter, stronger and more agile. It?s very good for my back, but also there is a sense of freedom in the air that I can?t experience on the ground, it really is like flying!