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10.08.19, 19:41
According to Asahi Shimbun, in the city of ASAHIKAWA in Hokkaido, circus daredevil act with motorcyclists performed driving around the wall sides. The whole act is called Wall of Death.
Audience members seats at the top of the bucket, circus idea about this particular act is really tricky and involve audience to participate in the act. Spectators are holding 1000 JPE in their hands and biker grabs moneu after he made two or three rounds at approximately 80km per hour.
Heavy motorcycle (400cc) at high speeds climbing up and all people watching are shaked on their seats. 9meter bucket that prepared for the show is the diameter that motorcyclists are driving around.
Leader of the group called "The World motorbike circus" us Akinori Fujita, he is 45 y.o and higlhly experienced motorcyclist. He is starting the whole show at the bottom of the Wall of death, driving and then in a flash blasted up the wall in the second.
Even if you will walk outside, you could hear roar of the engines and audience applause as the show continues.
Hokkaido festival invites motorcycle show and it become one of the best feature of the festival. However, in 2019 Wall of Death show was kicked off in Gokokujinja shrine in Asahikawa city.
There is about 300 stalls in Tokiwa park (fetival venue), bright and colourful tent is set up directly at the centre of the Tokiwa park.
After audience enter the tent, everyone walk up by wood ramp, and seats are around the edge of the structure to see the show running. Motorcyclists then drive around the wall up to 4m high.
One of the Sapporo natives, named Fujita worked part time in the circus while in high school. It was his dream to join circus, and after graduation he joined circus. He was learning how to ride bike in side of Globe of death, he performed on the trapese in the air, he learned various stunts on motorcycle. He performing already 10 years in the motorcycle circus. Hokkaido have history with Motorcycle wall of death starting this shows even before World war 2.
He said that this act in the so called bucket is way more difficult than the globe of death act because angles of the globe of death is gradually increasing comparing to vertical walls of wall of death circus act. Also, walls are made of wood, they are slippery and they perform disregard of the weather and humidity sometime over 10 times daily. Each show is about 7 or 8 minutes length.
Riders also drive blindfolded and without arms, they use Japanese flag to cover their eyes while riding the bike.
Circus performer Fujita said that fighting centrifugal force and gravity gives him pain in his muscles every day and during the show, but he is happy to perform and make other people happy and excited and surprised. This show is the only motorcycle show in Japan with vertical wall but he is also trying to get in touch with other groups performing similar acts around the globe.
One of such international performers is circus from France with hoom Fujita communicated via social media.
When shows in Asahikawa will be done, his shows travelling to the Sapporo Matsuri festival.
He is planning to show his show in August and later in Chitose in September and in Kuriyama as wel.
Outside of Hokkaido he performed at the Hirosaki Cherry Blossom Festival (Aomori Prefecture).
Admission fee : Adults is 700 yen, and Kids : 500 yen.
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13.05.19, 23:56
After 158 years Circus Nock is saying good bye...
If nostalgia, professionalism and passion alone are no longer enough ...
For 158 years, the long-established company Circus Nock entertained people throughout Switzerland with its artists and spreaded joy. Year after year, the challenge has been set to present the enthusiastic circus fans an even better program than last year.
It has always been possible to offer up-and-coming artists a springboard for a later career or to show sensational performances for the first time in Switzerland.
But the circus business has become more complex. And despite a very high self-financing, the deficits have grown. Central squares in Swiss inner cities and also in the municipalities are becoming more and more in short supply. The seats are getting smaller, are not always available, rental rates and regulatory requirements are increasing year by year. If cities and communities have been looking forward to the circus in the past, today and there you will get the feeling that you are only tolerated.
Today circus company is under pressure for other reasons. The legal requirements regarding animal welfare have been tightened. Animal rights activists criticize acts with animal and animal performances. Countless entertainment options such as musicals, concerts or summer festivals compete with the circus. As a result, a circus today has to master the difficult balancing act between nostalgia and innovation. During warm weather in the summer nobody wants to sit in a circus tent at high temperatures.
Traditional circus faced increased direct competition with tours of national and international actors from March to November through Switzerland. For all these reasons, the family business and the dynasty Circus Nock have, with a heavy heart, decided not to continue the circus until further notice.
In the current situation we can no longer guarantee the usual high standard of quality. We say goodbye in deep gratitude to our loyal audience, the circus fans and our many supporters. The shining eyes of our big and small spectators in our countless performances and those of our great artists will forever be remembered. We will miss the circus life and the circus air. And we regret that we can no longer celebrate our 160th anniversary with you all.
Oeschgen, May 10, 2019 Families Nock, Oeschgen
http://www.nock.ch/wp/wp-content/uploads/Circus-Nock_10052019_D.pdf