Circus Roncalli makes its first guest appearance in the USA
"From Germany to New York," echoes through the ring in English. "Come to our house and become a child, become a clown." The 1,500 or so spectators in the sold-out circus tent cheer and clap. In the middle of them sits Bernhard Paul - the man who founded Circus Roncalli together with André Heller around 50 years ago and has now brought it to the USA for the first time.
In the middle of Manhattan, at Lincoln Center right next to the famous Metropolitan Opera, Roncalli will be performing until the beginning of January. This Saturday (November 11) is the official premiere.
About an hour before the dress rehearsal, Paul gets out of a yellow cab in front of the circus tent. His wife Eliana and daughter Lili also return to the circus tent, having admired the view over Manhattan from high up on Rockefeller Center. With all the hustle and bustle and noise on the streets of New York, the circus almost brings some peace and quiet, says Lili Paul. Elsewhere, the circus brings the spectacle to the city, New York is itself a spectacle, is itself a circus - and Roncalli offers people here the prospect of immersing themselves for around two hours in a world that seems almost reassuringly old-fashioned and enchanting in comparison.
Promise kept
With the guest performance in the USA, he is fulfilling a promise to the US artist Andy Warhol (1928-1987), says Bernhard Paul. He visited Roncalli performances in Europe several times in the 1980s and said to him: "You have to go to New York, they'll love you." He said yes - "and the promise was anchored in my brain". But because it was not easy in terms of organization and logistics and also cost "a fortune", he has only now - around 35 years after Warhol's death - been able to keep his promise, says Paul.
Roncalli was able to take over the tent from the "Big Apple Circus", which normally performs at Lincoln Center every year around Christmas. However, its business was no longer going so well, which is why Roncalli should now revive it, says Paul, who was born in Austria. His circus has brought everything except the tent with it - in containers on the ship. "Everything that is beautiful here is from us," says Paul - and points to the red seats around the decorated circus ring, including the high stand for the small live orchestra. "The program is ours. Nobody is from the Big Apple, not even the doorman."
The "Journey to the Rainbow" program, created especially for the USA guest performance, offers two hours of clowns, trapeze artists, tightrope walkers and magicians. There is juggling with clubs, hats and table tennis balls, music and joking around, confetti, soap bubbles and balloons. Every now and then there is also an allusion to the German origins of the circus - for example with a "Meine Damen und Herren", a small German flag on the costume or a group of dancers in dirndls with bicycles.
No animals in the program
Only there are no animals, as Roncalli has not had them in the program for several years. A dressage act with three people dressed as polar bears serves as a small souvenir. "We are the last circus that doesn't clog up the highway,but usually travels from city to city by train - and is animal-free and plastic-free," says Paul. "Animal-free is welcome in America, they like it and want it too. But they're not so keen on plastic-free, that's unusual, it's something new."
Circus director Paul, who has been in the circus ring himself many times during his career, is not recognized on the street in New York despite his distinctive mane, moustache and tinted glasses - and he also stays out of the circus ring. "It makes no sense, because the Americans don't know me. A stranger comes up and says "Hello". And that has its place in Germany, or inAustria. But maybe if they start to love me here and love the circus, then I'll give speeches in New York one day."
In the bustling streets of Manhattan, the peacefulness and charm of Circus Roncalli provides a refreshing contrast, according to Lili Paul. Recalling Andy Warhol's words, Bernhard Paul shares that he promised the artist to bring Circus Roncalli to New York, fulfilling a promise made over 35 years ago.
Source: www.dpa.com
