After intermission we watch as a red carpet is rolled slowly down through an aisle of pumpkin lanterns. A Chinese pixie with black Rapunzel hair descends daintily into the ring, spinning a large pink parasol. Laying her body onto a red silk couch, she raises her legs to the heavens, and catches the unfurled umbrella on both feet. This antipodist, Wang Hong of China , is winner of a Gold Medal at the Seventh Festival Mondial du Cirque de Demain for her "Magic Feet of the Orient" routine. She flips the parasol from one toe to the other on its open revolving rim. Manipulating its edge with her feet, she flips it higher into the air where it catches the breeze and wafts gently down to perch on the edge of her foot. Adroitly flipping it end over end it lands, handle first, on the top of her big toe. She adds a second parasol and rotates it to hyper-speed on one foot while the other foot flips the original parasol in a rolling, looping motion, which then comes to rest.

 

A helper, waiting beyond the lights, comes forward whirling an oriental carpet between her hands. Wang reaches out with a finger to catch it mid-spin and lays back once again. The carpet flips to one foot where it appears to hover, UFO-like, spinning in the air. Another carpet is added to the other foot, and both go into the air. Two more are added, one to each hand. All twirl until they are finally allowed to land, limp and spent. Madame Hong exits, saucily spinning her pink parasol behind her.

 

Next, Vassilie Dementchoukov of the USSR arrives holding a three-tiered chocolate cake. Balancing by one hand on the backs of two chairs and holding the cake aloft, he begins stacking the chairs beneath him to climb, hand over hand, up the growing, leaning tower.

 

Gaunt, Giacometti-like figures slide along the periphery of our vision, casting giant shadows on the tent walls. The beat quickens and climbing the ropes high to his roost on the trapeze bar we watch as the catcher eases his muscular body into place, settles and waits with a Zen calm. The flyer takes to the bar and waits then leaps, swans out through space, trusting completely that the strong arms and hands of her catcher will pluck her unerringly from the earth's pull before flight becomes fall. His hands grasp her wrists tightly and with each pass he lifts her higher until, with a final twist, he thrusts her back to the swinging bar as it does its pas-de-deux in mid-air. The energy  crackles until the ae­rialists complete their flight, and come gracefully somersaulting down to the net below.

 

The entire cast now gathers for a grand finale as the music reaches a cre­scendo that brings us to our feet in a standing ovation, knowing with certainty that we will make this pilgrimage once

again next year.