Roll Up! Roll up! Circus night fever comes to London

Roll Up! Roll up! London's big top is in town. Meet Iona Luvsandorj, the record-breaking contortionist who can spell out every letter of the alphabet while balancing her body weight on her mouth; stare agape at Tom Balmont, the man who can swallow a 3ft sword; or come to McQueen in east London and see the death-defying acrobats soar above your dinner table, then cascade down 40ft to within an inch of the floor.

The finest acts from the circus world are stepping out of the big top and into London's biggest clubs. The days of sitting in a bar with only conversation for entertainment are over; now the city's hot spots are scouring the globe for entertainers who will send you home spellbound. New clubs Cirque du Soir in Mayfair and McQueen in Shoreditch lead the way in giving the old circus arts a sexy new twist.

Mayfair haunt Cirque swung open its doors several months ago and is already a big hit with A-listers. Sienna Miller and Scarlett Johansson were allured by a bikini-clad snake-charmer; Mickey Rourke laughed at the contortionist who can push his whole body through a tennis racket; and Nicole Richie, Jason Statham and Leona Lewis have bagged front-row seats for acts such as Mr Bigz the rapping midget (whom Lindsay Lohan took fright from). Even Leonardo DiCaprio has been inside, says club founder Ryan Bish.

"Leo asked to have a private space. So we gave him and his entourage a veiled room. I go past and there are all these flashbulbs going off. I panic that the paparazzi has got in. I peek and it's Leo taking pictures of himself with all the performers."

Out east, McQueen is filling the rafters with dashing acrobats and sexy masters of dance. The club — named after actor Steve McQueen — opened in May and has been amazing punters since. They have Trixeebelle, who merges high-end ballet with the sexiness of pole dancing, and James Kingsford-Smith, an "aerialist" who climbs up ceiling-high ropes before spiralling down to the floor.

McQueen's owner Dezzi McCausland says it is about providing both quality and consistency. "It has to be high end, I won't put any act on just to fill a hole. There are some great performance-led nights in London, but often you see two good acts and three bad ones. We can do up to six aerial hanging acts at any one time, where performers scale rings and ropes — that's not something you normally get."

They're not the only ones "sending in the clowns". Whether it is Soho burger bars or members' clubs, the circus is coming to town right across London. Byron (the burger chain) has acts who will hand you ketchup while standing on their heads. Meanwhile, new Covent Garden restaurant Circus serves five courses while contortionists, jugglers and dancers perform on your table — just mind your cutlery.

Even Chelsea classic Raffles has given itself a monthly big-top revamp, with racy dancers and stilt-walkers, says owner Patrice Gouty. "It is an incredibly sexy one-off, with dancing girls, striptease and midgets. We even make the people the circus, creating a mad karaoke session where you have to be in your underpants to perform. We are putting the fun back."

The boom for circus acts comes as no surprise to Bish. "Mainstream clubs vary in their decor and music and that's about it. All they are doing is moving the furniture; we aim to move our audience."