A world-renowned high-wire walker known for his “skywalk” between two skyscrapers stole the show during the finale of the Super American Circus on Sunday evening as he balanced 30ft above his audience with no safety net.

Blake Wallenda, an eighth-generation circus performer who in 2020 walked 200 feet while 14 storeys high between two hotels in Hawaii, combined razor-sharp focus with impeccable calculation as he ran along the wires stretching from each corner of the 14,400 sq ft space within The Shed in Dockyard.

This titan of the tightrope performed a headstand, went from a standing position to laying on his back in seconds and the real show stopper – balanced a chair on the wire and stood on top of it.

Igor Arestov is another extremely talented performer who balanced a series of metal cylinders on top of each other, a feat in itself, then placed a small platform on top of them and managed to do a handstand and other stunts atop of the precarious arrangement.

Perhaps the most thrilling part of the evening was at the end when the motorcycle cage, otherwise known as the Globe of Death, came into play.

If seeing one bike ride inside it at great speed wasn’t enough excitement, a second bike entered the cage and they somehow managed not to smash into each other.

The music was pumping throughout the show and included everything from Queen and AC/DC to more modern electronica.

There were a good variety of other performances including jugglers, acrobats and a rather impressive magic show where a woman managed to change entire outfits in a split second.

As a venue, The Shed is more akin to an aircraft hangar than a carnivalesque big top tent but there was still a great festival atmosphere. There was face-painting and flashing wands on sale for the kids.

While we were able to get a seat close to the circus ring – empty seats were basically up for grabs if you could find them – it was still difficult to see all of the acts, particularly those that weren’t elevated like the dazzling Bermudian aerial performers.

Coco the Clown’s hilarious mishaps could only be intermittently enjoyed when he could be seen between audience members’ heads – it might have been a better idea to have the bleachers start at the front of the ring rather than starting behind multiple rows of floor-level seating.

The concessions were on the pricey side, especially when coupled with $80 general admission tickets for adults and $40 for children. While delicious, our standard-sized fries were $7 and the bottled water $6.

Hats off to the performers who managed to keep up their pace during what was their fourth show of the day – there were only supposed to be three but one was rescheduled because of the threat of Tropical Storm Philippe on Friday.

Not only did the performers leave special memories but also the kind donation of funds from ticket sales, to Gina Spence Productions in support of families who have lost loved ones to gun violence.

It would be great to see them back next year and, as ringmaster Tuffy Nicholas has hinted, for the circus to become an annual feature on Bermuda’s entertainment calendar.