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CATHERINE W GICHUKI
DOHA
THE outdoor area surrounding Hyatt Plaza is flooded with people every evening these days. The reason is the African Circus, which opened on January 8, and will conclude on January 21.
The highlight of the circus is the balancing act performed by the acrobats. The African Circus group holds two shows starting at 6.30pm and 8pm on weekdays and three shows on weekends including at 5:30pm, 7pm and 9pm.
On each show the troupe performs six acts including unicycle act, foot juggling, balancing on rollers, hand balancing on the chairs, two acrobats and dish spinning act with great finesse. And, the prowess showcased during the balancing acts leaves onlookers amazed.
Each of the acts has its own custom-made music to go with it while lyrics are mostly in African languages.
The African Circus is part of Shop Qatar, a festival organised by Qatar Tourism Authority (QTA) which aims to shed light on Qatar's retail and entertainment offering, and celebrate it with the country's residents and visitors.
Speaking to Qatar Tribune, the African Circus Manager Winston Ruddle said that the performers were from Ethiopia, Tanzania and Ghana.
"While the normal strength of our team in shows is 42 people, we brought only seven members of our troupe to perform in Qatar as it is only a 30-minute show. Our group has been entertaining people since 2003."
He said the team rehearsed for about four days before performing in Qatar.
Ruddle emphasised the importance of discipline and dedication in performing circus acts."You have to be dedicated and disciplined because it takes time to learn an act. It's another thing that some take time to learn while others learn in a short time."
Regarding the music, Ruddle said that all the music is his composition.
Regarding the response of the audience, Ruddle said,"The people are enjoying it. I can see the people are clapping their hands. Besides, the number of the audience has also increased since the first day."
To compliment the circus there are children's activities such as inflatables, face-painting, balloon decoration by Jungle Zone.
Hyatt Plaza General manager Feroz Moideen said,"As a family mall, our goal is to bring the best live entertainment shows to our visitors. We are pleased to be one of the few destinations to offer a stage show that brings kids and families all together. It is also our privilege to support QTA in realising their vision, and present Qatar as a destination of choice."
