Great Euro Circus offers magical moments

By Yun Suh-young

The "Stars of Euro" by European circus company Great Euro Circus will premiere in Seoul through February next year.

A big top called "Grand Chapiteau" was installed at the plaza at Han River Park in Yeouido, an island in the river, for the show. The show runs through Feb. 26.

The Great Euro Circus is a circus troupe that was formed by members of the Weber family of Germany and has continued the heritage for seven generations since the early 1800s. They now have 41 troupe members of 12 nationalities and have toured over 10 countries including Russia, France, Spain, Italy, Australia, and South Africa and have garnered over 3 million audience members in total worldwide. The Korea performance is their first in Asia.

The big top "Grand Chapiteau" stretching 50 meters in width and 19 meters in height was personally installed by the circus members themselves.

The circus offers a variety in its repertoire including not just acrobatics but also magic, dance and vocal performances.

The highlights of the show are the Extreme Human Cannonball and Motorcycle Acrobatics.

A man enters a cannon and after a countdown and a big "bam!" he is catapulted across the giant big top, flying 20 meters in the air before landing on the ground. A "human cannonball" flying before the audience's eyes lands right in front of the safety equipment at the entrance.

Bikers on motorcycles enter making loud engine sounds, speeding around the giant big top. They somersault in the air, crisscross around humans inside a tight circle, fly over the audience and hang upside down in a loop-to-loop. The bike performance consists of a challenging number of stunts that is being introduced in Asia for the first time.

The circus caters to all ages. Especially for middle aged audiences, the experience may recall their memories of visiting the Dongchoon circus with their families when they were young. The size of the circus is smaller than that of Cirque du Soleil of Canada but offers cute and charming performances on a smaller scale.

Due to the vast repertoire encompassing all genres including magic and dance, the performance consists of less action than that of its competitors, yet its acrobatic moves on rings and ropes in the air will still be gripping.

Performances are held at 7:30 p.m. from Wednesday through Friday and at 2 p.m. and 6 p.m. on weekends and holidays. There are no performances on Mondays and Tuesdays. Ticket prices for the two-hour performance range from 50,000 won to 180,000 won. For more information, call 070-7802-5858.