Aerial artist will hit the heights at Derby Festé

Ria, who is originally form Ilkeston, has teamed up with members of the Babbling Vagabonds and The Gramophones theatre groups to develop the new commission.

Entitled Tarzanna, the family-friendly performance will be presented in the city’s River Gardens. The production will feature aerial skills, puppetry and music in a story about a woman’s attempts to save the rainforest.

Ria, 34, is a former Ockbrook School pupil. She studied psychology at Bristol University and completed an art foundation degree in Nottingham where she now lives.

She then studied circus skills in Sheffield and toured Europe with the English Theatre Company before returning to the East Midlands to work as a circus and aerial skills performer and teacher.

As well as teaching aerial skills at Déda in Derby, she tours festivals and carries out workshops across the UK.

Ria said: “I am delighted to have gained this commission to bring together fellow artists to develop ‘Tarzanna’. We will perform at Derby Festé and then plan to take it on tour.

“This will be my first time performing at Derby Festé and I am very excited to be part of the event.

“We will be working together at Déda and Derby Theatre over the coming months to develop the show and I hope that it really captures the audience’s imagination.”

The tenth annual Derby Festé will be held on September 23 and 24.