The artiste jumps off the tightrope, somersaults and lands gracefully. He raises his hands and waves, turns to his right and bows. But there is hardly anyone there to appreciate his acrobatics. He turns to the left and bows, again only to empty seats.
The big top can seat 1000 people, but only 60 people sit in the front rows of the Gemini Circus show now in its final weeks since it started in December.
“The crowd is small on weekdays, the 7 pm show draws a few hundred people. But we are sold out on weekends,” says C.P. Prabhakaran, manager of the Gemini Circus.
The travelling circus, established in 1951, has been a major source of entertainment in the past; the circus has today lost some of its appeal, especially in a city.
However, Prabhakaran insists that a live act still fascinates people. “The response is better in smaller districts, as compared to metro cities,” he says.
The monsoons see a decreased audience, but festivals prove to be good markets for this 120-member circus. Acrobats, gymnasts, clowns, animal acts – Gemini Circus has it all. It even has African performers, showcasing their traditional calisthenics. For them, the prospects in the circus here are better than in their native Tanzania.
Says Anthony Maximillian, one of the performers, “We get paid better here, and enjoy performing in India. The salary is in Indian rupees, and we convert it to our local currency when we get back.”
They earn Rs 9,000 to Rs 10,000, which is marginally more than the Rs 6,000 local artistes receive.
The circus supports itself by putting its profits back into the business. One of the major expenses is transporting the artistes from one place to another. They perform at 10 different places across the country in any given year and the effort involved in movement between places is massive. For a distance of 100 km, they hire nearly 45 trucks at a cost of Rs 4,000 each.
“Publicity is also a major expense, especially in cities. We spend nearly Rs 12 lakh on newspaper ads, distribution of pamphlets and sticking of posters on vehicles,” says Prabhakaran, adding that the campaign begins aggressively and gradually becomes less frequent after a month.
The 60-year old circus still has an old world charm for many, despite other distractions like movies and television.
“I saw the Gemini Circus as a boy and loved it so I wanted to bring my son to watch it. It is still a delight, but it is sad to see so many empty seats,” says Prakash, a member of the audience.
(Kavya did a B.A. in English Literature, Stella Maris College, Chennai, before joining ACJ.)