Heart-stopping new brand of circus acts
FROM the moment one enters the Big Top, there’s an awareness of experiencing a different world, engendered by the fantasy and escapism peculiar to the circus.
The Great Moscow Circus is no exception, although air-conditioning and a lack of sawdust lessen the impact of more traditional circuses with their dust, heat, and disquieting smell of animals.
Animal-lovers will be happy to learn that the only creatures performing tricks are humans… and the tricks are memorable.
Russians regard the circus as an art form, on a par with ballet and opera. This is apparent in the calibre and discipline of execution exhibited by the artists taking part in the spectacle.
The first performer to come forward is a classical violinist, ushering in the collective cast as a prelude to the evening. The effect of a score of artists parading around the ring in penumbra, with only their faces lit from below by torches, is surreal, a spur to expectation.
Then everything erupts into frenetic action as the first act, a gravity-defying quartet of trampolinists, takes centre ring to hold attention and delight the eye.
Ringmaster Stanislav Kniazkov is more than a compère – he brings his own brand of comedy to the proceedings with an expressive whistle which he blows to “conduct” a performance from sections of the audience. Much is said without a word being spoken.
Comedy from clowns Stas and Vas is less subtle and more predictable, resonating with younger spectators.
An area needing attention is the sound system which distorts voices to the extent that performers’ speech is often unintelligible.
Two contortionists with impossibly supple bodies complement each other’s performances, the first (Emin Abdullaev) straining credulity to the limit with his inventive abuse of muscles and joints, the second (Andrey Katkov) offering an exotic spectacle akin to ballet as he twists, turns, bends and balances with impeccable control.
Among the acts from a cosmopolitan team of artists, those that stand out are the Diorio Boys’ antics on a pair of spinning giant double wheels; the intriguing Cuban couple Sixto and Lucia who change outfits literally in the blink of an eye; the balancing act of Sascha Williams as he ascends ever higher on a precarious assortment of cylinders; and, as the grand finale, the murderous spectacle of five motorbikes howling around inside a metal globe, also from the Diorios.
Occasional “mishaps” have the audience gasping until, with hindsight, one realises that these were part of the routine.
This new brand of circus has something for everyone, from aesthetes to kiddies. The Great Moscow Circus Producer: Andrew Guild Ringmaster: Stanislav Kniazkov Venue: Founders’ Gardens, next to Artscape, until Sunday
Rating: 4