CIRCUS DAY OR A DAY IN THE CIRCUS

Is there something that can please a child more than going to the circus? Even among adults there are a lot of fans of this form of entertainment, which is one of the oldest in the world. Acrobats, trapeze artists, clown reprises and strange animals - exotica, lights and catchy music - all this cannot leave even the most serious man indifferent. But what lies behind the arena and who are those who give the audience unforgettable minutes of festivity through their work, sometimes very hard.

On the eve of World Circus Day, which will be celebrated on 18 April this year, we decided to talk to the head of the press service of the State Circus, Mahir Humbatov, about the Baku circus, its traditions and artists who perform there.

Origin

What did the Baku circus start from? Our Azerbaijani circus, relatively speaking, has two histories. One of them is ancient and dates back to the period of folk festivals, during which sporting events were held and the forerunners of trapeze artists - rope-walkers - pleased idling residents with their virtuoso balancing on a thin rope, while athletes - pahlavans - deftly moved weights. Even the well-known folk heroes and unchanging characters of Novruz - Kecal and Kosa - can be regarded as modern clowns. In general, these are the first elements of numbers existing in the modern circus.

But the history of the professional contemporary circus begins from the end of the 19th century. During this period - in the 1890s - the Nikitin brothers organized animal shows in an indoor wooden pavilion. Later it burned down, and another pavilion was built in a new place, which also burned down. At the beginning of the 20th century, the circus begins to form at an official level, and in 1927 the first circus was finally created. In 1945, there appeared a professional circus group that performed with the programme "Toy". The work of the circus team also involved prominent Azerbaijani composers, poets, choreographers and artists. Beginning from 1946, the Baku circus troupe began to regularly tour Soviet cities, performing with the programmes "We are from Baku" and "Dawn above the Rock". In addition to the Soviet Union, they toured Western Europe, Asia and Africa, as well as the United States.

In 1967, a building was constructed specially for the circus, and it is still functioning. At that time, it was not only the most modern and technically advanced structure, but also the first largest permanent circus in the Middle East. Even the building of the Great Moscow Circus was designed according to the Baku project, and only in 1971. The architects of this unique project at the time were F. Leontyeva and E. Izmailov. The uniqueness of the building was that, according to modern technologies of the time, the circus had three arenas: an ordinary rubber arena, a pool, the water in which, if necessary, could be frozen for an ice rink or ice performances, and an additional bottom arena for training.

For modern times and even by the standards of today's technology, the Baku circus is quite competitive - this is evidenced by numerous shows with complex stunts. Most recently a fountain show was staged. In addition, there are no obstacles to the arrival of any troupes and animals.

Baku circus school

Azerbaijan can also boast of the fact that it has fostered good circus performers well-known in the world, and the maturation of new performers is still ongoing. Basically, they perform in the genres of athletes typical of our region, but aerialists also reach heights. For example, at the Golden Puff festival held a few years ago, young circus artist Allahverdi Israfilov took second place. The festival was interactive, that is to say the audience voted, and our representative demonstrated a complex number. Or Honoured Artist of Russia Rafiq Aliyev, who performs with his family.

In recent years, the transformation number has been gaining particular popularity: there are couples in which the main role is played by the girl, while the man assists with auxiliary props. In this number, the artist changes various outfits in a second. In our circus it is performed by a young couple - children and followers of famous circus performers.

Born in the arena

By the way, if you trace the history of famous circus artists, you'll notice that most of the names repeat themselves. Having grown up in the arena, kids cannot imagine their life outside the circus, they bring up their children in the same way, and thus circus dynasties take shape. Often a whole family performs as one team (until life scatters the artists in different circuses): parents, siblings and often even grandparents! Children, once they learn to walk, become circus artists in a year or two and act as elements of some numbers.

And this situation is understandable. Circus life is too unusual and specific for the common man. Not everyone will decide to link their fate with a circus artist who wanders all his life and lives in a special world - a life that is festive and shiny like confetti, but at the same time, is full of constant exhausting practices, relocations and complexities. And given that a circus group is a closed community, even marriages within it are the most natural thing. We wonder whether children agree with such an unwitting, but in general, inevitable choice of their career? "For circus children the worst punishment is only if they are deprived of the opportunity to be in the circus for an hour," says Mahir Humbatov. Growing up in this aura and soaking it, they no longer think of a different life scenario for themselves.

But at the same time, to live in the circus, you have to love it very much and have a great will.

Wind of change

On the whole, the circus is a specific sphere and is very different from all other art forms. For example, theatre actors can perform roles of different genres and change their roles, if required. The activity of circus artists is somewhat different: one number can be studied by an artist for years and demonstrated almost until retirement. Of course, there are some changes and additions to numbers, costumes and musical accompaniment, new stunts and magic tricks are learned, but in principle, the number remains unchanged. And it is simply impossible to change such numbers in a short time. That is why the question of a permanent circus troupe becomes incorrect and irrelevant.

In general, the life of a circus performer is a priori nomadic; sometimes leaving his native country, he signs one contract after another with different world circuses and returns home only after 10-15 years. Often each of the artists performing in one troupe and in one show receives separate invitations to other circuses and countries. It is possible to save a troupe within a country, for example, in Russia, as it is the biggest "circus" country. There are about 80 circuses here, 38 of which are stationary.

The lack of a permanent troupe in the circus is understandable - no one wants to come to the same show with the same actors and numbers for the hundredth time. And so the circus organizes a new programme every time with artists invited from different countries who present a variety of numbers.

For example, circus artists who are originally from Azerbaijan have repeatedly toured in their native circus with the programme "We are from Baku". Many of them are recognized experts in the genre and have the title of folk artists. It is People's Artist of Russia Tofiq Axundov (a number with tamed hippos), Honoured Artist of Russia Murad Abdullayev (son of the former director of the Baku circus Firudin Abdullayev), he performed two numbers: with tamed monkeys, dogs and bears in one number; trapeze artists Aydin Israfilov with tamed camels, etc.

Circuses!

Particular attention is paid to the wishes and needs of the audience. While inviting new artists, they take into account which numbers and shows have not been demonstrated for ages and what viewers have not seen for a long time. For example, the last Novruz programme included as many as four circuses: The Great Moscow Circus, the Nikulin Circus, the Belarusian State Circus and - for the first time in our country - the Nigerian Ciniselli Circus. Numbers with crocodiles and the motorcycle show in the iron ball were selected - they were often demonstrated in the Soviet era, but are rather unusual for the new generation. In general, the interest in predators is also quite high, but, a representative of the circus says, you cannot speculate on any topic for a long time. Generally, of course, no circus number is ever repeated, even usual jugglers - each of them shows miracles that are typical only of him. The only thing that is always present is clowns or reprises. Of course, every reprise is always individual and does not repeat the success of other clowns.

To draft a circus programme, we often have to invite artists from different countries, as circus traditions in them are different, for example, the world-famous Chinese circus, work in which is mostly philosophy, including the philosophy of wielding your body. But the complex acrobatics they present are often tedious not only for young viewers, but also for adults. To "dilute" the tension, other artists are invited, for example, from Russia, with tamed animals and clowns.

What is the programme?

Sometimes artists themselves offer their services to various circuses, but the potential of our circus is such that we ourselves can select and invite artists. A contract is signed with guest artists and troupes, and a very difficult and stressful process of formalization begins. For example, if animals arrive, then there must be a document for each animal. The circus addresses the Veterinary Service under the Ministry of Agriculture. If the animal is listed in the Red Book, an appeal goes to the entity of biological resources, the CITES organization, and the animal should have a certificate. There should be numerous accompanying certificates. After long preparations, all documents are sent to the border service for notification. Some animals should be quarantined for up to forty days, that is to say they should not come into contact with other animals. After this, how the artists will arrive, accommodation for animals, people and props, which are often bulky, is discussed. This is a very difficult job, in which nothing can be predicted. This applies particularly to programmes involving animals. Animals can get sick or show aggression before the show. We have to hurry to make changes to the programme.

How much is a ticket for the people?

There is another headache for the circus - illegal dealers crowding in front of box offices ahead of the show and offering tickets for today's programme at inflated prices. "We are aware of this and are fighting them, but this is the work of law enforcement forces, not ours. In addition, viewers themselves, so to say, stimulate them. Tickets for a show go on sale at the box office of the circus a month before it begins. In this way, we want to make sure that we can raise the necessary funds. Dealers are taking advantage of this. If the audience becomes more responsible and buys tickets in advance, they will not have to overpay the dealers on the day of the show," Mahir Humbatov says.

Although the city has a number of common box offices and kiosks where citizens can purchase tickets for upcoming concerts or theatrical performances, circus tickets are not sold there. And there is an explanation for that: circus performances are not regular, are held several times a year and have a flexible schedule that is subject to change. The conditions of common city box offices do not allow them to take these changes into account, so the most convenient way of selling tickets is the box office of the circus.

The house in which the circus lives

It's no secret that in the more than forty years, the building of the Baku circus has become pretty dilapidated - peeling walls, cracked tiles, uncomfortable room and arena in which you have to sit in outerwear in winter. According to Mahir Humbatov, the circus belongs to organizations that are partly financed from the budget, that is to say funds come only for the salary of employees, while all other costs, including public utilities, are covered by funds received from the sale of tickets. The head of the press service says that the cost of tickets in Baku is one of the lowest in the world - 10-15 manats. "We are trying to set the price based on the capabilities of citizens, but many can easily go to concerts of guest singers or musicians, ticket prices for which are often almost ten times higher," he says.

Given that the cost of tickets to the circus includes other fees and accommodation for numerous guest artists, it is clear that it is not possible to be "in the black" and allocate funds for the refurbishment of the building. However, the representative of the Baku circus said that the Ministry of Culture and Tourism is aware of the problems of the circus and its building and the issue is on the agenda. By the way, the other day Minister of Culture and Tourism Abulfaz Qarayev made a statement in the media about the circus building. According to him, a more spacious building of the Baku circus should be in the city centre.

The minister noted that within the framework of the construction of the new building of the circus, several projects have been drawn up on the instructions of the president, and the best of them will be chosen in a tender.