monalisa patsani
post news network
Bhubaneswar, August 19: The tidings from Rio may not be very encouraging for the Indian contingent. But one place where the athletic prowess of Indians appears to match international performers is under the big top of Empire Circus at Janata Maidan here.
The circus has a team of Russian acrobats performing alongside Indian circus artistes from the Northeast.
The Russian artistes are amazing the audiences with their aerial acts and other numbers with the hula hoop. These artistes have been performing in India over the past two years. One of these performers, Hasmik, said: “Circus is a popular sport in Russia and I am myself trained under a circus school in Moscow. I have always liked circus and it thrills me when I climb up for the aerial acts.”
According to her, circus may have fallen in popularity in Russia compared with the 70s or 80s, but it remains more popular than it is in other parts of the world.
Hasmik has been performing in India with her friends Arman and Gevorg and finds the experience in India something to cherish. “I have already performed in Kolkata, Jamshedpur and Bangalore. My experience has been good so far and I am glad that people here, too, love circus.”
Matching the Russians with their own act is a group of Manipuri martial art specialists. They have participated in the reality show ‘Entertainment Ke Liye Kuch bhi Karega’ on television.
The group of six named ‘Manpuri Young Entertainers’ is led by Priyananda Maita. “The martial arts of Manipur are known worldwide and young boys learn these from their childhood. We formed this group initially just to show our skills. But we went on to join the circus once we saw that people loved our performance at the reality show.We have also been part of movies and have performed stunts at Ramoji Film City,” Priyananda said.
The factor that draws the group from Manipur to circus is that it is a live performance. “Circus is a big, live platform. It allows no scope for a mistake as there are no retakes. And that is the thrill. Performing in front of a live audience is always quite different. At the circus we mix martial arts with gymnastics. It attracts the audience as it is not about aggression but showmanship,” he said. The artistes say they hope to present more exciting acts before audiences in the days they remain in town.
