One of the crown jewels of Russian cultural heritage is coming to Everett.
The Moscow Circus’ death-defying acts, beautiful artistry and humorous clowns have wowed audiences all over the globe. The balalaika (a plucked, string instrument) trio that accompanies the show features master musicians, conservatory graduates who have become laureates on their instruments.
The Moscow Circus performs at 7 tonight at Everett Civic Auditorium.
The show is intended for children and adults alike, with the entertainment beginning as soon as the audience enters the theater. The foyer is filled with Russian musicians, clowns, costumed performers and dancers, and theatergoers walk directly from the street into a traditional Russian folk festival atmosphere.
The show is based on centuries-old Russian traditions and fables and is narrated by mythical Russian characters. The production is a dramatic tale told and based on a foundation of the circus arts, and the famed performers of the Moscow Circus in a theater-circus format.
Combined with Russian folk musicians, singer, dancers, human puppets and ornate costumes and backdrops, the show combines drama, cultural history and circus excitement.
Moscow Circus shows allow audiences to experience an evening of unforgettable excitement. Sasha and Lena Vosk of the Global Entertainment Productions have produced and successfully taken The Moscow Circus on tour in North America since 1998.
Since the reign of Catherine the Great, the circus has played an important role in the cultural traditions of Russia. The circus there is regarded as an art form on par with the ballet or opera.
Englishman Charles Hughes is partly responsible for the huge popularity of the circus in Russia. A renowned horseman and impresario, Hughes gave a command performance with his troupe of circus entertainers for the court of Catherine the Great, who reigned from 1762 to 1796. She was captivated and ordered two circus rings to be built for the entrepreneurial Englishman. Hughes remained in St. Petersburg for a year before returning to England. His performers decided to remain behind, thus giving birth to the contemporary Russian circus.
The circus became hugely popular with the Russian people in the 19th century, rapidly becoming one of the chief forms of entertainment. The Nikulin Moscow Circus was founded in 1880 in response to the huge popularity of the art form, and quickly became the most respected and loved circus in Russia. After the turmoil of the 1917 revolution, the founding fathers of the Soviet Union quickly recognized the importance of the circus. It was a truly popular, egalitarian form of entertainment, enjoyed by all, regardless of race, language, age, education or class. Requiring great skill, benefiting from creativity and originality, circus performances nevertheless need no sophistication.
Through the establishment of state circus schools in Moscow and other major cities, circus developed in quality and on a scale unknown in other countries, and from the 1950s became a highly successful cultural export.
At its height, on the eve of the collapse of the communist regime in the early 1990s, there were 70 permanent circus buildings and about 50 traveling circuses. The Moscow Circus has continued to thrive, recently celebrating its 120th anniversary.
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