Review: Golden Circus In The City

by Nicola Ferlei Brown (freelance) | Tuesday, January 19th, 2010

2010 had a colourful start when the Golden Circus Festival, now in it’s 26th year as an annual event, arrived at the arena at the Teatro Tendatrisce on 23rd December 2009, to entertain us all through to 10 January 2010. With lights, drum rolls, and trapeze artists exhibiting their skills, followed by animals and clowns.

Thirty shows, five special evenings and artists from the world’s top circus schools joined in to compete for the Golden Circus Awards. Hosted by Liana Orfrei, Italian actress and star of over 50 screen films, Liana is actually the Art Director who first conceived the idea of the Golden Circus Festival in 1984. Medals and Cups were awarded to clowns and artists who bravely performed acts in front of the judges for the closing night of the festival, whereby awards were given out with ‘The Golden Circus Award’ being the most prestigious.

The acts included Bubi Leotaris, who entertained the crowds with his parrots and other various birds on see-saws. La Ciaffero Band, clown-musicians and their band, traipsing through the auditorium in between acts. Bianca Barletta and her co-musicians, performed at last years Venice Carnival. In between all this, clowns Remino, Bogino and Medini, kept the ‘bambini’ entertained, whilst The Vladimir Zementov Troupe were also on hand to provide slapstick sketches, with skipping ropes and giant inflatable motorbikes.

Acts and artists from Asia, Russia, North Korea and America pleased the crowds, and gasps could be heard as flying trapeze artists, Kim Chol Jun and Ko Myong Hyok swung through the air in a life threatening and gravity defying act. Li Won Ok, a world famous acrobat from Korea, performed breathtaking stunts.

The dangerous troupe seemed to arrive with the Russian Terskie Cossacks. Men who dared to dangle from the bellies of horses and women moving acrobatically on horses galloping around on the arena stage.

The animals used for the Golden Circus Festival performances were cats, parrots and horses, and so no wild animals such as lions or tigers traditionally associated with the circus. However, Eva Chris had her domestic cats, jumping through hoops of fire which was an unusual sight. Circuses today are in stark contrast to the circuses  of the past, and now frowned upon in retrospect, where wild cats, bears, seals and monkeys used to be the norm.

Circuses have been popular since Roman times, but it was Frenchmen Louis Soullier who was the first circus owner to introduce Chinese acrobatics to the European circus when he returned from his travels in 1866. The modern concept of a circus whereby families come to view acrobatic and other performances seems to have been in place since the first circus in England dating back to 1768 with Philip Astley in London, followed by America, in Philadelphia, in 1793. Now of course, part of everyone’s nostalgia and a traditional family day out over the Christmas period which somehow completes the season. The circus has changed though.

Those changes have happened for a reason however, as while for some it might be a jolly experience, for the animals it can be a different story.

PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) reported on 24th December 2009 that a Russian travelling circus killed eight tigers and a lion in transit. Sadly animals are transported up to 50 weeks a year in stifling conditions, and are leased seasonally to different circus owners. With Sweden, Austria, Costa Rica, India, Finland and Singapore, now banning or restricting the use of animals in entertainment as a result of cruelty and to protect species.

www.goldencircusfestival.it