Seeing the Moscow Circus has always been, in my mind, one of those once-in-a-lifetime experiences too difficult to arrange, and too dependent on circumstances. Such questions as which year will the circus tour the US, or which decade could I possibly visit the Soviet Union kept the possibility far too remote.

But when Gravity's Last Stand (Bill Fry, Richard DiGiovanna, and myself) booked a Department of Defense tour in Europe and the Sinai during this past December and January, the seed was planted, and I began the preparation to travel alone to the Soviet Union to see THE Moscow Circus, on their home ground.

 

Viewing the circus was only part of my desire to go; curiosity regarding what life is like for a performing artist in the Soviet  Union was the other..... a tough job for someone whose sole Russian vocabulary consisted of "da" and "vodka!"

 

But in lieu of the good feelings between our countries due to the November 1985 summit (and in spite of traveling through Russia in the dead of winter) I figured I'd survive A-OK as a lone tourist in a country globally known as the nemesis of the USA.

 

Survive I did, but I was not always a happy camper.

 

My attempts to gain special privileges by notifying the Soviet Cultural Affairs Bureau of my "circus arts observation" failed - I was granted only a travel visa and accommodations. But hey! I wanted ADVENTURE (the kind you read about), so I jumped on a train in Frankfurt, whooshed through East Germany and Poland and arrived in Moscow two days later.

 

As I strolled down Prospect Marx I was stunned into realizing that I was in a different world, Prospekt MARS, if you will. There were long lines everywhere to buy groceries or to get into restaurants; thick, solid, pasty-faced babushkas swept the snow-dusted sidewalks, and everyone wore enormous layers of winter garb topped by the quintessential Russian fur hat.,

 

I was immediately approached by Soviet youths wanting to buy, literally, the shirt off my American back - the Soviet black market. That first night I stayed up until 3:00 a.m. desperately learning the Cyrillic alphabet. My goal? To read the street signs.

 

The CIRCUS!

 

Tickets are like gold in the Soviet Union, and every ticket counter claimed there were none available, but I obtained mine with the...' uh... offering of a few gifts; namely, some American-made lipstick and cologne samples. Like magic the tickets appeared!

 

I found my way to the modern, newly built circus theater and took it all in. The show was far more glitzy and upbeat than I had expected - shimmering stars and strobes covered the entire space and an excellent 16-piece band played everything from disco to Russian ballads.

 

I loved the variety of acts. There were stunt skate-boarders with colorful, satin banners, a very tasteful high-wire act, dancing bears, a clown band, trick horse riders, and JUGGLERS. A clown duet performed between acts, and their style was subtle and poignant.

 

During the intermission, the circus ring floor was removed and in its place appeared a water tank, the size of the previous ring. By the time the audience was back in their seats the tank was filled and the circus proceeded with its "water show" .

 

I was dying! The first number was synchronized swimming... OK, now the JUGGLERS!!!

 

The Troupe Gibadullin is an acrobatic team of four men and one woman, a very swift, slick act, indeed. For me what made this act particularly fun to watch was their constant fluid movement, and simplicity. The team did numerous patterns and feeds and made smooth, acrobatic transitions to two and three high without missing a beat. At no time did any of them juggle more than 3 clubs.

 

One memorable move was a simple feed with all the men lying on their backs while throwing chops to the woman. The 8-minute number ended with everyone at one end of the ring throwing plates in rapid succession to one of their partners on the other side. He caught and stacked them, missing the first try, (but, of course!) and succeeding the second.