The Hindu : Andhra Pradesh News : Practice makes one perfect, in circus also

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Monday, Jun 09, 2008
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Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh

Practice makes one perfect, in circus also

S. Harpal Singh

‘Practice is the most important aspect in the life of a circus acrobat or any other artiste’

Aiming at perfection: Trainer Jhupa Ghosh at work at the Empire circus playing in Adilabad town.

ADILABAD: Is it any less than a feat that circus artists make their highly difficult work seem so simple?

A gruelling five hours of practice every day is what makes them perfect in terms of performances.

Raj Kumar Llama from Tibet who is a flying trapeze artiste-cum-trainer with the Empire Circus, now playing in Adilabad, says practice is the most important aspect in the life of a circus acrobat or any other artist.

“If someone misses the practice session for even two continuous days, then it becomes very difficult for that artiste to perform in perfect harmony.

In the case of swinging on the trapeze, timing is of essence and lack of practice mars the synchronization needed to perform perfectly,” he observed.

Different types

The different types of performers in the circus practice between 6 a.m. and 10 a.m. and 5 p.m. and 6 p.m. every day. These practice sessions are in fact more tedious than the actual performance.

“During the actual show that lasts for 3 hours, an artiste may be required to perform for about 30 minutes only.

In order to prepare to perform for such time he or she needs to practice for five hours every day,” points out Shashi Kumar Master from Kerala who handles training of acrobats, gymnasts and performers on cycles of various kinds.

Continuous training

He says the actual show does not take as much of the performers’ energy as the practice sessions do. “But, in order to keep ship shape the performers need to undergo continuous training,” he adds. “Even animals need to be trained and practiced regularly so that the show goes on smoothly,” reveals elephant trainer Md. Mustafa from Bihar. “Elephants do have excellent memory but when it comes to performance they too need practice.

In case the animals do not practice regularly, it tells on their performance,” he says.

Mustafa, a veteran in the trade claims to have handled elephants in the N.T. Rama Rao starrer Telugu movie Suryakantha about 35 years ago.

“Animals also perform badly when their trainer is replaced. They take some time to adjust to the manner of the new trainer,” he says about another aspect related to practice.

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