THERE'S A DIFFERENCE between American and Russian circuses - and it goes beyond the fact that North American circuses usually have three rings and the Russian ones have only one.
"It's an art form in Russia, not just tricks and acrobats," Albert "Alex" Makhtsier, one of the Moscow Circus's two ringmasters, told us during a telephone interview from San Diego, where the Moscow Circus was making a stop during its 1989-90 tour.The circus, with its unique mix of Cossack horsemen, Russian bears and expert aerialists, will present eight performances April 5-9 in the Salt Palace arena, marking the first-ever visit by the internationally renowned circus to Salt Lake City.
Makhtsier, a Russian Jew who immigrated to the United States in 1978 and who is now a U.S. citizen ("a proud one, too," he said), grew up across the street from the circus building in Odessa. He used to sneak into the building and occasionally the workers would let him do odd jobs, such as sweeping, cleaning - anything just to see the circus. As a youngster, he was certain he was going to be a clown or a circus performer, but he switched into theater in his teens and later graduated from the Leningrad Institute of Theatre, Music and Cinema.
Now, he's back in the circus again - as one of the company's two co-ringmasters.
"The Russian circus," he explained, "takes a very theatrical approach, although not in the Shakespearean sense."
One example, he noted, is the horse act. Instead of the costumed Cossack horsemen simply putting their trained horses through their paces, they tell a little Cossack legend.
"The circus is for everybody," Makhtsier said. "You might like opera or you might not, but everybody loves the circus."
Makhtsier noted that the Moscow Circus is touring at a time when the Soviet Union and the Eastern bloc countries are all over the front pages, and incredible changes are being made, not only in Russia but in countries where the communist form of government is giving in to new waves of democracy.
"It's unbelievable," Makhtsier said. `It's a time to feel hopeful. It's a delicate time, but beautiful, too, and I hope that peace can literally come to the world."
Makhtsier lives in New York City, where he met his wife, Dee, when he was selling women's pocketbooks. He got involved with the Moscow Circus by a fluke. He had been touring with a troupe from the Stella Adler Conservatory and in 1987 one of his friends, a producer, invited him to pinch-hit for an ailing interpreter who had been scheduled to translate for a group of Americans and Russians at the airport.
"I was at the airport and usually I don't translate, so I made fun of this big meeting between the Russians and the Americans (once a comic, always a comic), so instead of serious conversations, they were all laughing."
The upshot was that Steven E. Leber, the U.S. producer for the Moscow Circus's tour, came up to Makhtsier, told him he liked his style and invited him to work with the circus.
Because of this chance meeting, Makhtsier was able to return last June to Russia, where he spent a month in residence at the Leningrad Circus Building. It was a glorious reunion for Makhtsier with many of his childhood friends and with Alexander "Sasha" Frish, the official Russian co-ringmaster for the North American tour.
"We both participate in some of the acts and we try to make people cheer and help them understand what is happening," Makhtsier commented. "But Sasha clowns around a little more than I do."
-ONE OF THE MOST POPULAR acts in the Moscow Circus is the wonderful Russian bears.
Bear trainers Grant and Raisa Ibragimov met 21 years ago when he was an acrobat and she was a juggler. They were performing at the Pittsburgh Civic Arena in Pittsburgh, Pa., when we interviewed Grant by telephone (with the help of interpreter Katrina Korovina of Brooklyn, N.Y.).
We noted that Grant is not your typical Russian name, and he replied that his parents probably picked it up from a movie or a book.
Although he started off in the circus school as an acrobat, he also assisted the animal trainers and quickly learned that he got along well with the bears. He courted Raisa for five years, and for a wedding present in 1974 he gave her two bears.
Today, they tour with seven bears - four of them weighing up to 400 pounds and standing nearly 7 feet tall, and three cubs that are about 1 1/2 years old.
The Ibragimovs' bears come straight from the forest or from the zoo. The Russian brown bears are vegetarians, eating a diet consisting mostly of carrots, honey, fish, yogurt, raspberries and other fresh fruit, and biscuits for treats.
The bears are always muzzled during the performances.
"They're trained, but not tamed," Grant noted. "They are still wild animals."
They don't often misbehave during a performance, but they are somewhat unpredictable.
In Russia, as in the United States, there are movements to protect endangered species.
"They have a special book, a red book, listing animals that are scarce," said Grant, who belongs to several organizations that foster the protection of endangered animals.
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(Additional information)
Tickets, times for circus
The Moscow Circus will be presented for eight performances from Thursday, April 5, to Monday, April 9, in the Salt Palace arena.
Performance dates and times are Thursday, April 5, 7:30 p.m.; Friday, April 6, at 10:30 a.m. and 7:30 p.m.; Saturday, April 7, at noon, 3:30 p.m. and 7:30 p.m.; Sunday, April 8, at 4 p.m.; and Monday, April 9, at 7 p.m.
Regular admission is $14 and $10, but discounts are available for many performances. All opening night seats ("KUTV Night") are $5 off.
Children 12 and under and all senior citizens will receive $2 discounts at all performances (except opening night or on any seating that is already discounted).
The Friday morning performance is a "student summit" event with tickets priced at $5 for students and teachers. There will be an educational, post-show discussion following this performance.
The noon matinee on Saturday will be a "Scout summit," with $5 discounts for all Scouts, who will receive special patches and be admitted to a preshow event.
Tickets are available at the Salt Palace box office and all Smith's-Tix outlets.