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Think riding a unicycle is hard? Then you should try do-si-doing or jumping rope while furiously pedaling away in front of hundreds of people.
Saturday’s performance at the Maine Center of the Arts featured the award-winning Russian American Kids Circus, an event whose participants are between the ages of six and 16. According to its Web site, www.rakidscircus.org, the circus had its humble beginnings in 1994, “when Alex Berenchtein, a former star of the Moscow Circus and his wife, Regina, and mother-in-law, Olga Partigul, opened the nonprofit academy, ‘The New Way Circus Center, Inc.’ in Brooklyn, NY, welcoming children of all ages, nationalities, languages, ethnic backgrounds and races.”
The first half of the show opened with swirling, black light-reflective objects that were manipulated by the unseen performers. The crowd, which was mostly composed of children and their parents, oohed and ahhed, but were quickly laughing as mime-influenced hijinks ensued. The circus is not only a display of acrobatics, but also had hlight umor that really made the children giggle.
The physical aspect of the show, however, was definitely superior for the older members of the audience. There were loud roars of approval when seven people crowded onto a bike, a girl jumped rope on a suspended, narrow metal beam, and a boy ran and flipped over six supine people.
The performers weren’t perfect, however, as a few of the jugglers occasionally dropped a ball. This was hardly a distraction from the show because the performers were so skilled that even their mistakes seemed natural. The only real element that could have used improvement was the cheesy techno music selected for the show and the transitions of the tracks; one of the songs was repeated nearly four times.
An unusual highlight of the show was when ringleader Berenchtein invited volunteers, both children and adults, from the audience up on stage. As Berenchtein and one of the performers held the hands of the aspiring amateur, he or she attempted to walk on a two-foot inflatable ball. Despite their initial reluctance, the adults tended to do slightly better than the children. Berenchtein later told the audience, “Everyone starts out just like this; these kids normally practice five to six hours every day.”
The circus provided quality entertainment for all ages, but for one group of attendees, it served as a great birthday party activity. Said newly-turned 12-year-old Paige, “My favorite part was how the little girl did everything,” referring to one of the particularly small performers who continued to juggle effortlessly as Berenchtein carried her offstage.
Just remember, with years of practice, you too can balance a spinning plate on top of a pole on top of your head.
Bangor Daily News