Full Tilt brings circus and live music to District Six - IOL
Cape Town, 22 September 2026: Performers from Zip Zap Circus and School of Rock Performers from Zip Zap Circus and School of Rock Claremont during a preview of Full Tilt at the District Six Homecoming Centre. The Heritage Month production combines contemporary circus performance with live rock music.
A vibrant four-day production at the District Six Homecoming Centre is uniting young acrobats and musicians this Heritage Month, as the Zip Zap Circus and the School of Rock present their joint showcase, Full Tilt.
It ran from 23 to 26 September, and brought together 25 Zip Zap performers and 11 School of Rock musicians aged between 11 and 33. Across seven energetic performances, the staging blended live music, acrobatics and classic circus acts, with the entire musical score played live on stage.
For Zip Zap co-founder Brent van Rensburg, the project reflected the core vision of the organisation he established alongside his wife, Laurence Estève van Rensburg, in 1992.
Having returned to South Africa following years performing overseas as a circus artist, Van Rensburg set out to build a platform that could bring children from different backgrounds, cultures, religions and races together through circus arts. The social project began humbly at Zimasa Primary School in Langa with little more than a trapeze bar, a few costumes and a tree.
“We wanted to be part of your rainbow nation. We wanted to put our two cents in,” Van Rensburg recalled telling former president Nelson Mandela when Zip Zap performed for him in 1995. Mandela encouraged the troupe to continue its work, leaving a message that has stayed with the organisation ever since.
From its first major tour to Grahamstown in 1994 with 20 children, Zip Zap has expanded significantly over more than three decades while remaining true to its founding principles.
The non-profit public benefit organisation continues to provide all training free of charge, welcoming 1,493 young people through its doors in 2025 alone and more than 25,000 participants since its inception.
Now operating 10 programmes—five outreach and five skills development—from its Salt River academy, Zip Zap equips young people with practical skills for the performing arts industry, employment and entrepreneurship.
“It’s about making young people feel empowered, giving them opportunities to drive their own futures,” said Vanessa, a relationship manager at Zip Zap. “Every cent that we make from all our performances, whether it’s local or international tours, goes right back into funding our programmes.”
One performer who embodies that journey is Phelelani Ndakrokra, who joined Zip Zap in 2010. Having never seen a circus before, Ndakrokra was captivated after seeing performers unicycling and juggling, eventually choosing circus over dancing and football.
He went on to train as a professional performer and teacher through Zip Zap’s three-year Dare to Dream programme, eventually touring internationally and performing alongside Freshlyground, The Parlotones and the Cape Town Philharmonic Orchestra.
“When I perform, I share my story a little bit,” Ndakrokra said, noting that performing alongside a live band brings a unique dynamic to Full Tilt as artists must react directly to musicians on stage rather than follow a fixed recording.
Supported by the Western Cape Government’s Department of Cultural Affairs and Sport, ticket sales from the run directly support Zip Zap’s free educational programmes, continuing a 34-year mission of using circus arts to foster unity, talent and creative expression.
