Upside Down in Hoop - writer and dancer uses a circus hoop to tell her story.

Tricia Durdey is in her 60s but has been astounding audiences by using challenging circus skills while recounting the moving story of her life, her parent’s illnesses and dealing with their deaths.

‘I just wanted to tell my story about loss and letting go in an unusual way,’ Tricia said, ‘and I’ve gone back to my experience as a dancer and choreographer to show how movement and defying gravity has helped me.’

This adaptation of the performance premiered in her home town as part of the Wirksworth Festival when audiences gave it a standing ovation.

Tricia has spent her life as a dancer, teacher and choreographer. She has also had two novels and her memoir Upside Down in a Hoop published by Cinnamon Press, and has won literary awards for her short stories. She still teaches dance and pilates.

She introduces her performance with: ‘It’s a winter’s night in Sheffield and, at the age of 60, I’m hanging upside down in a circus hoop. I’m not very far from the ground but I may as well be. I’m scared. I’ve always been scared but what am I scared of? Fear just is. It’s there in the muscle memory.’

She said: ‘I wanted to shine a spotlight on crucial fears including overcoming fear, ageing, dementia and much more and I’ve been so thrilled with the reactions of audiences. Many of them leave in tears.’

Tickets for the performance, which is on 18th September at New Mills Town Hall at 6pm, cost £10 and are available through the New Mills Festival website, or ticket source Tricia Durdey Upside Down in a Hoop at New Mills Town Hall.