The Tsvetnoy Circus director Maxim Nikulin and the French producer Joel Berrebi have attempted to revive old traditions while France's Piero Bidon has staged a conceptually-exquisite and versatile programme, replacing a habitual circus medley by a sequence of traits and customs of different nations.
The gala concert was however prefaced by a purely circus sign-the horses that have led circus programmes since old times and have this time inspired the lyrical and philosophical number "The Birth of the World".
Then this emotional glimpse gave room to sweeping merry-making, with Gabon's Mbil acrobats attired in primordial hides and Yury Durov's elephants.
The virtuoso performance by Pyotr Prostetsov's poodles are certain to win general acclaim.
Old circus traditions do not always get along with new tendencies. Clowns are not as funny as before while risky tricks inspire awe and fear as is the case with the project's highlight "The wheel of death", monotonous and retrospective.
The Circus Planet travels not only through continents but different epochs as well.
Mexico's Rodojel trapeze artists turn the arena into a medieval farce square; gutta percha girls from the Chinese group Deju work wonders, coiling with a string of burning candles in hand, on soles and in the mouth; Germany's juggler Martin Mol reveals the typical trait of the German character: accuracy and precision when a rotating reel, "Diabolo", jumps out with a rope in his hand to feature bizarre patterns in the air.
The art of circus is without frontiers. This is the main message of this project.
