There was certainly a magical ambience for the final night of this performance in the Spiegeltent which played host to globetrotting Australian contemporary circus group Circa before they head off on their next adventure.

The show began with figures creeping from among the audience and, soon enough, we were introduced to the entrancing trio of acrobats.

The two men and single woman had phenomenal fluidity in their movement and chemistry with each other- their teamwork reminiscent of three cogs in a well-oiled machine as they flipped, balanced and lifted each other through the air.

The three then became a quartet with the introduction of accompaniment from a live violinist, who played melancholy pieces in the background of the individual showcases of the acrobats- at one point a performer was suspended from the top of the Spiegeltent by only a rope around her neck, showing both control and powerful delicacy.

The show was also heartwarming at points. Lazy Gypsy music accompanied a post-shipwreck scene that showed everything from support to slapstick, with one character inventing the wheel.

Such a performance pushed the bodies of the performers and the minds of the audience.

Their ease in their art allowed them to tell an entire story without using words.

There were a few tumbles and full-frontal face falls, fortunately pre-planned, for good measure and a continuum of near-misses kept the audience on tenterhooks, but overall this performance showed humanity at its most raw and most unlimited.

From the first cartwheel it was obvious that this was no ordinary acrobatics show and by the end of the hour-long performance this spectacle had left pools of sweat on the stage, and an experience unforgettable in the hearts of the audience.

I look forward to seeing Circa again somewhere in the world in the future.

Cleo Gravett, part of the Canterbury Festival young critics scheme