CIRCUS

Has Come to the Town !

I celebrated my birthday in a unique way - by going to watch circus which has come to the town.

No, I'm not refering to the Commonwealth-Games 'circus' which has commenced in Delhi a few days ago. After all, it is nothing but an 'extravaganza' put up by the organisers to impress their masters. The common-people were largely excluded from it and the athletes were mere puppets of the show. (But more about it on a later post.) I'm refering here about the real circus - the world of trapezes, acrobatics, contortions, jugglings, clowns etc.- performed by a few unsung heroes and heroines, far away from the glitz & lime-light, untouched by cheap-nationalism or jingoism.


In this internet-age, anyone with a good broadband connection can enjoy the best of world circus - whether it is Russian , Chinese or European. And not to mention the regular fair which appear on various TV-channels nowadays. But to see a circus performance , very much in flesh & blood under an old-fashioned circus-tent, is something no amount of technology can substitute. You watch - without any care of hours passing by - these practitioners of' mother of all performing arts', as they stretch the limits of human-body into new heights , giving an excellent display of arts and sports combined.


I am watching circus after a long gap. In the 90s, I used to watch it almost every year. I well remember, in 1996 I drove a long 80km to watch a circus ( which featurd Russian artists), then drove back the same day, then ran out of petrol & gas-stations, and was forced to put up in a motel till next day. But it was worth all the trouble - that brilliant performance by the Russians are still fresh in my memory.

Compared to those in the 90s, the one I saw on my birthday was no mega-event. But still they could boost few new-items which made it a worthwhile outing. They also featured few foreign artists too. A gruop of African acrobats displayed their wonderfull rhythm and athleticsm. Nepali contortionists showcased the best of Chinese acrobatics. A lone Russian - a stunner a la Anna Kournikova - dazzled to perform beautifull ring-dance - one of the best I've seen. Among the host-country, there was a martial-arts from Manipur with their breath-taking performances.

The use of animals in circuses always make me uneasy - particularly wild animals. Over the years, this pratice have been curtailed for good and this circus is no exception. But there were elephants and camels whose presece is not very comforting for a modern viewer. But still, no circus is complete without birds, dogs and horses.

This is the first circus I'm watching after the theatre-workshop I participated (in 2007) with French artists(which included circus performers too). So I was looking at various technichal aspects of each performances - like the props,body-language,music, lighting, costumes etc. In many ways, it was an eye-opener: despite the onslaught of technology (including 3-D) the significance of a live-performance is still strong as ever. I shall call on all my friends and well-wishers to encourage and promote such live-performances - circus, theatre, music or sports - and shatter the myth that only those who appear on TV or films have got talent.

Last year I celebrated my birthday by throwing a party to friends and cousins.(I had my reasons to celebrate.) This year I wanted it to be low profile, but these artistic, athletic and flexible performers made it a memorable day.