★★★★ "The Quebecois company has a slightly anarchic approach to circus that sets it apart from the crowd." – The Scotsman
★★★★★ Be prepared to be amazed by the balancing strength and high-flying circus acts." – Play & Go Adelaide
Get ready for the big family circus show at Dunedin Arts Festival.
It’s farm life, but not as we know it. Hailing from the funky backwaters of Quebec, Cirque Alfonse has cooked up a barnyard-themed circus stacked with the weirdest livestock, tractors and giant cowbells as stunt props, and a mechanical bull!
With its unbelievable acrobatic skills, edge-of-your-seat tricks and madcap comedy routines, Animal is a winner of a show. The performers’ pure joy and unpredictability is totally infectious, radiating bonkers energy from the stage through the audience.
“At Cirque Alfonse we always do shows about Québec roots and traditions, so it is natural for us to do a show about farming,” says Antoine Carabinier-Lepin from Cirque Alfonse.
“The show is really multidisciplinary, there are acrobatics for sure but also dance, comedy and a big part of the show is the music! It’s agricol-funk! We have three live musicians, and the acrobats play music as well.”
Cirque Alfonse is a French-Canadian circus company of family and friends who have been touring their crazy shows internationally since 2025. Animal is a surreal tribute to growing up on a farm. Alongside traditional circus stunts, the show is performed visually through comedy skits, slapstick humour and dance.
Expect jaw-dropping acrobatics, daring juggling (everything from eggs to giant cowbells), tap dancing, absurd humour and even a tractor doing wheelies.
A production for young and old alike, Animal is the farm gone haywire!
If you’re looking for other family-fun events at the festival, try The Backyard Skiffle Band (free) on Sat 5 April at the Octagon.
Regent Theatre, Thu 27 Mat at 7pm Dunedin Arts Festival - Animal
