From Russia with Love

Circus, Circus, Circus!!!

At the age of 14, I received my first copy of US Diving magazine in the mail. I remember this because between the advertisements for diving camps, speedos and sammys, I found a casting call from Cirque du Soliel. They were inviting all acrobats, gymnasts and divers to audition for their world-reknowned troupe. This advertisement will forever be a part of my memory because it began my life-long dream to run away with the circus. I still don’t understand why it took an advertisement to spark this interest; from a young age I excelled at gymnastics and tumbling, and much to my mother’s dismay, I would often juggle furniture with my feet while watching my favorite TV programs. I was born to live the life of a circus performer, and the idea of travelling the world with comrades that shared my passion was simply a dream to my young mind.
I never gave up that dream, although I did become more realistic about my marketability after a career as a circus performer (“Tell me, job candidate, did you ever complete a college diploma?” “Well, no, but I can juggle six burning pins while doing the splits!”). I decided to leave my dream just that – a dream. Nonetheless, I own many of Cirque du Soliel’s tapes and DVDs and see the circus live in person whenever possible. Since my first day in Moscow when I noticed countless billboards and various advertisements for the circus here, it became a top priority for me to see a real Russian circus.
This opportunity presented itself last week when my parents were in town. Their tour guide aranged a night at the circus for their group and invited me to come along. I was amazed. For those who aren’t familiar with the circus world, Russian and the former Soviet Union are known for their strong tradition and talent in the circus arts. A quick glance at the credits of any Cirque du Soliel movie will prove this as many of the performers’ names end in –ov, -skii, and –enko and are near impossible to pronounce because of the consonant clusters (Gtekshcheno, for example). I knew I was in for a treat here in Moscow, the Circus Holleywood of Russia, if you will.
The circus had just opened this fall and was often refered to as “the new circus” (as opposed to the old one, which does exist); this name was well deserved. The music was often rock ‘n roll and the costumes were fashionably hip and modern (by Moscow standards), neon and sometimes glowed in the dark. I won’t try to describe the feats of flexibility and gravity defying stunts I witnessed since most of them would require a pen and paper to adequately describe, but let’s just say I was VERY impressed by the performers.

I was however, a little disturbed by those acts, which featured animals. I love the circus for the strange light it casts on the human body and all its possibilities which normal people are never able to explore because, for the average person, touching ones toes is an amazing feat much less soaring through the air on a flying trapez. While those circus arts were many, there were just as many acts, no less amazing, that employed the help of animals. While I was shocked and amazed that someone could actually train a cat to come on call and jump through a hoop, I had trouble watching the bear act. Their muzzles only allowed them enough room to open their mouths for a treat and to lick their lips, and overall, they seemed so drugged (or somehow subdued) that I couldn’t understand how they managed to remember their tricks (for example, riding a motorcyle or twirling a flaming batton with their paws while lying on their backs). The gaze of unhappy souls was clearly seen on the bears’ faces as in the elephants’ eyes.
As far as I can tell, an organization like PETA has no sister organ in Russian society, and while I love the circus and I greatly enjoyed my evening there, I couldn’t shake the feeling that they were exploiting those creatures without voices, and my money was supporting it. I think I’ll stick with Cirque du Soliel, which only employs human beings.

posted by Misha Molodoi @ 1:26 PM