While many of us have dreamed of running away to the circus, most do not have the years of training and dedication to support such fantasies.

Ruby Santus knows this better than most and has spent a lifetime in the industry, after being born just metres from the big top.

KentOnline caught up with the family-run Santus Circus as it brings its Le Cirque de France show to the Cyclopark at Watling Street, Gravesend.

The all-human production with a traditional, French feel brings together acts from across the globe, with artists from as far as Mongolia, Colombia, Morocco and Switzerland.

As the only circus company in the UK to feature the thrills of a flying trapeze act, Ruby admits her profession does come with its fair share of aches, pains and sometimes, accidents.

Performances run for around two hours, complete with high-wire walking, juggling and the mesmerising Chinese pole, on which artists climb, slide and hold poses in a dramatic display of strength.

Ruby, 24, known for her hula-hooping and foot-juggling skills, is 7th-generation circus family.

She describes how the team have "sawdust in their blood", brought together by an extra-ordinary life on the road.

WATCH: KentOnline goes behind the scenes at Santus Circus

She said: "It's not just a job, it's a lifestyle.

"We work here, we live here altogether - our caravans are literally just one step away from the tent."

The circus, which moves to a different place each week, has been coming to Gravesend for the past three years.

Ruby said: "I absolutely love it here, it's fantastic, but I did once cut my knee open on the gravelly ground when I went down to do the splits - maybe too vigorously."

They were forced to cancel a show in mid-March, as windy weather battered the county but the group will remain in Kent until the end of April.

Showings at the Cyclopark will be held at 5pm and 7.30pm today, at 2pm and 5pm this weekend and at 5pm on Monday.

Le Cirque de France will then move on to Newnham Court Shopping Village in Maidstone between Thursday, April 11 and Monday, April 22.

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To find out more about Santus Circus, click here