A circus like no other blows audience away
AERIAL: Zirka Circus performers during one of the shows on Saturday in InvercargillFrom: stuff.co.nz.com--Fairfax, NZ News
27/02/20
If ever there was a situation where the phrase "timing is everything" has been proved completely true then the Zirka Circus is it.
The show, which opened in Invercargill on Thursday, is predominantly an acrobatic show. Unlike other circuses, Zirka's core group of performers feature in most of the acts.
Never having seen Zirka Circus before I was unsure what to expect from the two-hour show but from the second the troupe of tumblers entered the ring I, along with the 7-year-old beside me, was awestruck.
My awe was represented in frequent jaw drops, my daughter's was more vocal, her excited gasps of "whoa mum, did you see that? Did you SEE that!" evidence of her approval.
The acts continually stepped up the difficulty stakes throughout the performance, bringing in props such as hanging hoops, cubes, balancing chairs and even roller-skates. But the routines were executed with such grace and fluidity they looked effortless.
The show took a step away from its acrobatic theme for the finale when a team of stunt riders roared into a giant globe in a seemingly death and gravity defying orbit. Again it was jaw dropping stuff.
While the show was light on other traditional circus acts – there are no animals, no trapeze artists, no tightrope – it did not appear to matter to the audience.
The performers, including a 10-year-old who must be made of rubber, made contorting their bodies and flipping through the air seem so easy.
I've no doubt that dreams of running away to join the circus were awakened in more than a few of the younger and maybe even the older members of the crowd.
Brooke Pokoney-Stephens says: "I thought the motorbikes were pretty cool because they went upside down. I liked the acrobats, too. I liked how they went upside down on chairs. I liked the man who went backwards on the chair and the people who bounced on the seesaw and went really high."
The show, which opened in Invercargill on Thursday, is predominantly an acrobatic show. Unlike other circuses, Zirka's core group of performers feature in most of the acts.
Never having seen Zirka Circus before I was unsure what to expect from the two-hour show but from the second the troupe of tumblers entered the ring I, along with the 7-year-old beside me, was awestruck.
My awe was represented in frequent jaw drops, my daughter's was more vocal, her excited gasps of "whoa mum, did you see that? Did you SEE that!" evidence of her approval.
The acts continually stepped up the difficulty stakes throughout the performance, bringing in props such as hanging hoops, cubes, balancing chairs and even roller-skates. But the routines were executed with such grace and fluidity they looked effortless.
The show took a step away from its acrobatic theme for the finale when a team of stunt riders roared into a giant globe in a seemingly death and gravity defying orbit. Again it was jaw dropping stuff.
While the show was light on other traditional circus acts – there are no animals, no trapeze artists, no tightrope – it did not appear to matter to the audience.
The performers, including a 10-year-old who must be made of rubber, made contorting their bodies and flipping through the air seem so easy.
I've no doubt that dreams of running away to join the circus were awakened in more than a few of the younger and maybe even the older members of the crowd.
Brooke Pokoney-Stephens says: "I thought the motorbikes were pretty cool because they went upside down. I liked the acrobats, too. I liked how they went upside down on chairs. I liked the man who went backwards on the chair and the people who bounced on the seesaw and went really high."
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