January 5, 2006
By Ndaba Dlamini
A NEW addition has been made to the skyline of Fourways, northern Joburg: a bright red and yellow Big Top. The All New Southern Sun Great Moscow Circus is coming to town.
The famous Big Top has been revamped, at a cost of more than R3-million, to provide space for the dazzling aerial work of Laszlo and Olga Simet. "The tent has been made half a metre higher to accommodate the act, which takes place with no safety net and no wires, nine metres above the heads of the audience," says the circus' executive producer, Fred Hunter.
The Big Top goes up at Montecasino, Fourways
It was a South African company, Metric Steel, which carried out the modifications.
The circus, in Montecasino, holds the world premiere of its latest show on 14 January. Eight shows have been planned for Joburg, from 14 to 21 January, with two charity performances lined up on Thursday, 12 January and Friday, 13 January.
Circus-goers will be treated to a mouth-watering programme with new performers expected to wow the crowds. Acts include trampolinists, clowns, bikers, duo and fast-track acrobats, the globe of death, a vertical trapeze, high-wire and drum acts, jugglers and Russian swings.
Adding to the spectacle, a traditional circus band has now joined the bill.
The Great Moscow Circus toured South Africa for the first time in 2005, bringing a purpose-built tent. The first tour drew an audience of 400 000 and an even bigger number is expected this year.
This time round, the Big Top has a new seating system, new air-conditioning and new lights and sound.
Built in Tauranga, New Zealand, for the 2004/2005 tour of South Africa, the Big Top is 2 000mē of fire-resistant PVC plastic imported from France and is 46m in diameter. Each of the four main poles supporting the tent is 21m high.
It can accommodate 2 100 chairs and takes 24 hours to assemble. Bringing the tent down is quicker - it takes only eight hours to dismantle.
Hunter says the changes to the tent have given organisers a chance to increase the height between each row of seats from 120mm to 200mm. "This ensures visibility from every seat for every circus-goer."
An upgrade to the seating system has also being carried out with the number of seats being reduced to "improve comfort", according to Hunter. "The audience will now enter up ramps to the middle of the tent and walk down to the upgraded ringside seats or up to the other seats."
The floor will now cover the entire surface of the ground.
The king poles surrounding the ring have been moved slightly to allow for the new height of the tent so seats where the view is somewhat impeded by these poles will be sold only when all the other seats have been sold out. They will be clearly marked and sold at a lower prize.
The circus will also tour the rest of the country, with shows in Nelspruit from 8 March, Bloemfontein from 16 March and Durban from 24 March. From 20 April East Londoners will be treated to the spectacular performances, then it's on to Port Elizabeth where the circus will pitch tent from 26 April. Cape Town will host the circus from 5 May.
Tickets for the Montecasino show range from R110 to R270 for adults and R65 to R170 for children. Tickets are available at Computicket.
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