This is Hull and East Riding --It's freaky, it's creepy and it's not for the faint-hearted – but The Circus Of Horrors is a firm audience favourite Ian Midgley. meets one of the stars of the Hull-bound show
Joanna Sawicka is having a quiet day today – catching up on office work, doing a spot of admin, answering the phones.
To be fair to the polish-born performer, she's probably due a day or two of rest – after all, she did spend most of yesterday pulling a four-tonne truck up and down Eastbourne seafront with her ponytail.
Sounds painful. But such stunts are all in a day's work for Joanna – or Anastasia IV as she's known once she steps into the limelight and onto the stage with The Circus Of Horrors – as she will do at Hull City Hall on Friday, February 14.
Her speciality is performing feats of strength using nothing but her carefully plaited, tensile steel-like hair.
Even before the seafront truck, she was already a Guinness World Record holder after lifting nearly 118lb using only her flowing locks.
Other "Hairculian" achievements under her belt include having another person suspended solely from her hair, while hanging upside down, live on Italian TV.
The most immediate question that springs to mind is: Why?
"Ah, that's an interesting one," laughs the bubbly blonde, who originally came to the UK to study bio-chemistry, before being waylaid by sideshow freakery after seeing – and falling in love – with the circus.
"Hair hanging is actually a very ancient art," she says.
"The Chinese used to do it a lot but it's a dying art – like sword swallowing. Because it's unpleasant, not many people want to do it anymore.
"When I was growing up I was inspired by a Polish guy called The Mighty Atom – he did amazing feats of strength.
"Once, he stopped a plane from taking off using nothing but his hair. It took him two attempts.
"I think the fact he got two goes shows that the first attempt didn't take his head off – although I did read that his skull started to be lifted off his neck."
Undeterred by potential decapitation, Joanna has set her own sights on a similar plane escapade – but, as she sensibly demurs: "You don't just jump into these things. You have to build up to them gradually."
All of which begs the question: "How on Earth did you know you could pull a truck or lift a full-grown human with your hair?"
"Well," she says. "It never used to bother me when the boys used to pull my hair in the playground, so I knew I had strong hair – and then after I joined the Circus of Horrors I was looking around for a speciality I could do and I thought 'why not hair hanging?'
"It was quite uncomfortable at first and it was a whole year of practising before I got anywhere near a stage, but you do get used to it over time.
"It's all about the preparation. It takes 45 minutes and two guys plaiting my hair before every show.
"It's all about the physics," she adds, the former scientist surprisingly coming to the fore.
"It's all about getting the weight evenly distributed so it doesn't pull on any one part of my hair.
"I do get a sore neck occasionally though," she adds shrugging, using her very much intact neck.
Anastasia's hair-raising antics will be just one of the unsettling but captivating acts that will arrive in Hull on Valentines' Day – with a bus load of joint-popping contor- tionists, acrobats, musicians and Joanna's husband, Hannibal Helmurto's own sword-swallowing act to entertain and appall in equal measure.
Given the date of the show, there may be a few extra romantic twist to the proceedings, presided over by the ringmaster Doktor Haze, which won't be seen anywhere else on the circus's 60-date UK tour.
"There will be a few surprises and secrets for Valentine's Day in Hull," coos Joanna. "I'm really looking forward to it. I can't tell you what though, that'll spoil it.
"Now we all just want to get on the road and take the freak show out to the country."
When: Friday, February 14, 7.30pm
Where: Hull City Hall, Queen Victoria Square, Hull
Tickets: From £16 to £25 To book: 01482 300300
Visit: www.circusofhorrors.co.uk
Roots: The Circus Of Horrors celebrated its 18th anniversary last year. It started after a group of performers met at Glastonbury Festival.
Talent: The circus troupe made it to the finals of Britain's Got Talent in 2011.
Off the wall: Circus ringmaster Dr Haze describes the show as "If Quentin Tarantino had directed Cirque Du Soleil then you would be only halfway there." Reported by This is 18 hours ago.