Contortionist Vanessa Rios makes a mockery of the Elastic man at The Circo Hnos Suarez Brothers Circus, now playing at the National Stadium Car Park, Independence Park. - WINSTON SILL/FREELANCE PHOTOGRAPHER
FROM A 'pedal and wheel' on the world's smallest bicycle to the whiz and roar of four motorcyclists riding in dazzling, dizzying high speed patterns within inches of each other in the 'Globe of Death', the Circo Hnos Suarez is non-stop action.
The circus is now playing outside Stadium East, Arthur Wint Drive, St. Andrew.
Some of it is slow, contortionist Vanessa Rios making a near-mockery of the Elastic Man. Some of it is quick, the succession of leaps and a multiple backward summersault that ends up with a young man in a velvet chair held up in a harness a blur of red motion.
It takes place above the ground, a trio of rope walkers defying height and the pull of gravity. And it takes place in the audience, with Ian the Clown plucking and prepping people for his love triangle romantic comedy.
MUSIC
The music is also continuous, keeping mostly in the thumping, high energy mode, but going slow for Rios as well as 'Beauty In The Air', in which two young women fuse into a graceful eight-limbed, whole in a hoop swung in the air.
It is sometimes provided by the rhythmic motion of the performers, one woman from an orange-clad quartet swinging an alternate straight-legged way into the air and back in 'Climbing Pole'.
And it is familiar and hip-swinging with 'La Bamba' for the final presentation of the performers from Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Peru and Mexico, the roar of the crowd rising over the music on Friday's second show when two motorcyclists roared in, one with a Mexican and the other with a Jamaican flag.
There was another roar as well, this one from the ring as a tiger took slight issue with the full-black clad Alejandro, who had the six striped beasts jumping through a hoop - literally.
While a metal cage was set up for the tigers, there was no need to protect the audience, from the lips and teeth of Big Boy. The young giraffe bounded around in the ring with Alejandro and bent his long neck to delicately take a morsel held up by children selected from the audience.
The children, who also got to have a happily chaotic ride on an imaginary motorcycle, were not the only ones to have their turn in the ring under the big tent. A few adults were 'volunteered' by the clowns, one young man finding himself strapped to an oversized tombstone, blindfolded and knives stuck beside his head as Ian the Clown faked close calls with the sharp instruments.
The participants in Friday night's second show were drawn from the ringside and preference seats.
JADED FLOORING
The flooring of the ring, which is removed and replaced as necessary, is a bit jaded and the top of the tent shows that it has travelled far and wide.
However, once the announcement that there should be no photographs, no videos and no smoking is made, the music revs up and the overhead lighting gives way to swirls of special lighting from the rigging and spotlights, the flaws fade. And while the action was not always of the chair-edge variety, when the ringmaster asked if all had had a good time, there was a chorus that signalled yes.
At $100 for a regular plastic bottle of soft drinks, though, thirst is bearable.
- Mel Cooke
