Zirk! Circus @ Moore Park

ZIRK! CIRCUS SYDNEY OPENING NIGHT

Moore Park

Sydney, Australia

July 6, 2019

As the Colombian sculptor and figurative artists Fernando Botero put it oh so eloquently: “

The circus allows one to be logical and unreal at the same time. In the circus, all is possible: there can be a man with two heads or a character with a green face.”

Life can be and most of the time is a circus so whatever is portrayed and performed in the actual one has become less detached and at times more of a reflection of the daily humdrum.

But enough of the allegories - ZIRK! CIRCUS – The Big Top Spectacular incarnated for the first time on terra australis and what materialized under the chapiteau at the opening night was a melange of high calibre acts performed by artists that have honed their crafts under such world-renowned umbrellas like always touring  Cirque Du Soleil, The Russian State Circus or the American traveling extravaganza under the guidance of Barnum and Bailey as well as the Swiss National Circus.

The fact that ZIRK! Is performed within the confines of a more intimate big top, ensures that no matter where one is seated, you are bound to experience the daring acts up and close.

Hosted by the conferencier and Master Russian Clown, Dmitry Shindrov, feats included such awe-inspiring feats like the gravity defying ‘Double, Double Giant Wheel’; acrobats that effortlessly performed acts in aerial heights that I would applaud if performed on terra firma and contortionists that channel their alchemy in ways that seem not in congruence with logic.

Precision is what stands out as the common denominator when it came to e.g. the dexterous   jugglers, whose dexterity is something to be marvelled at as well as the beauty created by the symmetry of the graceful trampoline performers, who are all set in scene under the benign guidance of the creative team whose curation framed the evening in a coherent whole that ends up being much more than the sum of the individual acts.

Apart from the state-of-the-art acts, ZIRK! is an homage to the traditions and skills that originated as part of the Russian circus, whose DNA is married and transported into fast paced day and age.

ZIRK! is one to look out for, no matter if circus is not usually your cup of hot beverage or if you are an aficionado.