Harrogate International Centre

 

The Great Moscow State Circus brings to Harrogate International Centre a 35 strong cast of Russia's greatest and most flexible circus performers that have never before been seen in the UK. Many of the award-winning acts are pushing the boundary of human physical ingenuity to its limits.                           

 

The newly devised show includes the Puzanovs springboard troupe, brimming with talent and raw energy, catapulting themselves across the stage. Members of the troupe are performing unique tricks only seen in this act, including five backward somersaults from the springboard on a single stilt!
  
Acts include the breathtaking Adagio balancing from Firebird, who defy gravity and the laws of physics. Plus Andrey Voronin's Goucho act, Khil & Spira Illusionists.  And of course award winning Clowns, Valik & Valerik.

 

Traditional circuses are a rarity in many parts of the world today, but the Great Moscow State Circus is one troupe keeping the art form vividly alive.
 
The enviable reputation of Russian Circus is based on 200 years of tradition but in particular 70 years of massive support under the communist regime. It all began when Catherine the Great had invited British trick rider and impresario Charles Hughes to set up a riding school in St Petersburg. Circus quickly spread throughout the country and indeed the world with various families setting up Circus schools passing on theirs skills from one generation to the next.  

 

Performances are at 7.30pm Tuesday 15 January, then at 5.00pm and 8.00pm on Wednesday 16 and Thursday 17 January. Seats cost £11, £16, £21, £26, Family Tickets £71 (2 adults, 2 children). Tickets are available from Harrogate International Box Office tel 0845 130 8840 or at http://www.harrogateboxoffice.co.uk.