Moscow Circus To Perform In Cranston, RI at Park Theatre

Jan. 26, 2010 - PRLog -- CRANSTON, RI--Norman David Presents will bring the world-famous Moscow Circus to the newly renovated and refurbished Park Theatre, 848 Park Avenue, Cranston, RI 02910 for a one night performance of death defying, gravity altering, mind-boggling circus perfect for kids of all ages and family groups as well as for early Valentine’s Day celebrants on Friday, February 12 at 8:00 PM.  The Park Theatre is now also known as The Rhode Island Center for Performing Arts [RICPA].  Tickets at $45 and $35 are on sale now at http://tickets.ricpa.net/ at the RICPA Box office [848 Park Avenue, Cranston] or by calling 401-467-7275.  A limited number of $75 “meet & greet” VIP ticket/passes are also available.  For more information, call:  401-467-7275.  The Rhode Island Center for the Performing Arts is wheelchair accessible.

The Moscow Circus, which recently celebrated its 120th Anniversary features  contortionist Elena Zavyalova, the static trapeze and mixed acrobatic duo Mykhaylo Pavlov and Nataliya Piontek, clowns Vladimir and Irina Plugatar, aerial straps artist Nikolay Daniliv, acrobatic dog trainer Andrey Lostkin, hand balancing artist Sergey Toropov, juggler Pavel Yeusiukevich, hoola hoop artist Kristina Buynyakova, The Voltij Acrobats, The Izba Folk Trio and the juggling team brothers Denis and Dmitry Dergachev.  Program and some artists may be subject to change.

Producer Sasha Vosk was born in Kiev and has been involved in show business since age 11, learning the art of mime from his uncle.  Moving to Moscow at 14, he performed and studied mime, stand-up comedy and acting throughout his teens.  Over the years, Sasha continued performing and adding the circus arts to his act.  He spent two years in the Air Force, where his job was entertaining the troops throughout the former Soviet Union.

When he was released from service and decided that the circus was his love, Sasha was accepted to the Moscow College of the Circus and Variety Arts, home of the famed Moscow Circus.  After performing for over 15 years he sought a wider audience, more freedom and greater opportunities.  Sasha immigrated to the United States.  He and his wife Lena Vosk (another former Moscow Circus performer) have been creating and producing successful American tours of the Moscow Circus since 1998.

Since the reign of Catherine the Great, the circus has played an important role in the rich cultural traditions of Russia.  In Russia, the circus is regarded as an art form on par with the ballet or opera, a showcase for highly skilled and creative artists.

An Englishman, Charles Hughes, is partly responsible for the huge popularity of the circus in Russia today.  A renowned horseman and impresario, Hughes gave a command performance with his troupe of circus entertainers for the court of Catherine the Great.  She was immediately captivated by the performances and ordered two circus rings to be built for the entrepreneurial Englishman.  Hughes remained in St. Petersburg for a year before returning to England.  However his performers, now admired by the Russian nobility, decided to remain behind, thus giving birth to the contemporary Russian circus we know today.

The circus became hugely popular with the Russian people in the 19th century, rapidly becoming one of the chief forms of entertainment.  The Old Moscow Circus was founded in 1880, in response to the huge popularity of the art form.  Quickly it 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 circus’s importance.  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, the circus nevertheless needs no sophistication.

Through the establishment of state circus schools in Moscow in 1927 and later in other major cities, the circus developed in quality and on a scale unknown in other countries, and from the 1950s on it became a highly successful cultural export, making frequent tours to the United States and Europe.

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 fall of Communism threw this massive cultural organization into disarray, and the future was at times uncertain.  However, The Moscow Circus has continued to thrive, recently celebrating its 120th anniversary.

With its rich tradition and enviable reputation, the Moscow Russian Circus remains the standard by which others are judged.  We are privileged to still have the opportunity to experience one of the jewels of Russia’s impressive cultural heritage.

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Sue Auclair Promotions is a full service public relations firm in Boston, specializing in the arts and entertainment fields.