Preview: Cirkus Cirkus

The whistle blows, loudly indicating the start of the show; the lights turn up brighter; the orchestra's brass section bursts into music. Hold on to your seats and popcorn, because you are in for a treat.

The 2013 Cirkus Cirkus festival hosts teams of artists from the Czech Republic, Germany, Poland, Hungary, Spain, Italy and even Ecuador. Every artist is an expert of different branches of the circus art and include animal training, various acrobatic performances, jugglers and clowns.

Modern twists on the aging art form are produced by such artists as the German break dance troupe Topp Doggz. The Ukrainian hula-hoop acrobat Ekaterina Sheludyakova performs her routine to a famous Madonna single, occasionally interrupted by a classical circus drum roll.

The whole show, however, builds up to its closing performers: the Navas brothers from Ecuador, who represent one of the newest disciplines in circus, the Wheel of Death, an acrobatic construction that was accepted as part of the circus program in 1968. The Navas walk, jump, make somersaults and move their hips to Latino sounds in the air while the Wheel of Death rapidly spins.

There are other crowd-pleasers, though. Marek Jama of Poland wins the hearts and smiles of kids (and their parents) by demonstrating the talents of his horses, camels, zebras and llamas. The Czech representative, Jan Aleš, steals the audience's breath as he enters the tiger cage. Donert, the circus family from Hungary, surprises the public with acrobatic tricks performed on the back of a running horse.

A circus wouldn't be complete without jugglers. However, the invited artists are not the kind of jugglers the audience is used to seeing. The Czech Erik Berousek, for example, does amazing tricks juggling tubes using only his feet. The Spaniard Paco Picaso Jr. takes it a step further and shows off his skills by juggling pingpong balls with his mouth.

Of course, you couldn't have a circus without a clown. David Massot, a comedian from France, becomes a true favorite of the night as the audience gets to know him through a few short but memorable appearances.

The three-hour show created by a team of circus professionals from all around the world for this Prague-specific festival would not only be a wonderful experience for your child, but for the child in you.

Anna Shamanska can be reached at
features@praguepost.com