Visiting Circus In Israel

Shanghai Circus

A friend told me he visited Shanghai Circus (official site) with his kids and enjoyed it a lot. So I bought tickets and last week visited the circus.

Basic Info

Before I start showing the photos, a tip about the tickets. At the official site, you can find tickets for 82 NIS. Several credit card companies offer 1 + 1, i.e. two tickets for 82 NIS. And if you don’t have one of these credit cards then check out Shanghai Circus’ Facebook page. Occasionally they post coupon codes on the page. For example, I saw 59 NIS per ticket offer.

Let’s start with the visit. We arrived at Holon about 10 min before the start of the show and we had enough time to pass the security and visit the (chemical) restrooms before the show started. But if you want to buy food before the show, then it’s better to come earlier.

The first performance:
Shanghai Circus 1

Shanghai Circus show is held in a big tent. There are about 10 rows of chairs (each row is higher than the previous one), thus I can’t tell that some seating places have a much better view than others. You see approximately the same from different seats and thus the price doesn’t depend on the seats you select.
Shanghai Circus 2

The Show

Dragon acrobatics:
Shanghai Circus 3

The show consists of two parts, about 45 minutes each and a 15-minute break in between.

One of the numbers was performing various acrobatic stunts while rotating two weights:
Shanghai Circus 4

I guess this number is more popular in China since I haven’t seen it in other circuses.
Shanghai Circus 5

China always had great gymnasts. And the following gymnastics number was indeed one of the best ones:
Shanghai Circus 6

Another stand:
Shanghai Circus 7

And of course, rope jumping:
Shanghai Circus 9As you can see, many of the seats stayed empty in the middle of the week. So definitely look for deals/coupons.

Bicycles

Bicycle riding was one of the highlights:
Shanghai Circus 10

How many people can ride one bicycle?
Shanghai Circus 11

In the photo above, seven women rode one bicycle. But, that’s only the beginning.

Pyramid:
Shanghai Circus 12

In between bicycle jumping:
Shanghai Circus 13

Can you count how many performers are there on this bicycle now?
Shanghai Circus 14I counted 13.

The thousand-hand dance wasn’t the strongest number.
Shanghai Circus 15
Shanghai Circus 16

Also, keep in mind that I’m not showing all numbers. Only the photogenic ones 😉
Shanghai Circus 17
Shanghai Circus 18

Jumping through hoops:
Shanghai Circus 19

Though he may be not that high, he’s jumping higher than his own height. That’s pretty impressive.
Shanghai Circus 20

Rotating plates:
Shanghai Circus 21

I didn’t understand how come the plates are not falling when holding them vertically to the floor.
Shanghai Circus 22

One of the two numbers that weren’t performed by Chinese performers was this one:
Shanghai Circus 23

This is something I haven’t seen before. Both performers by running into one direction or another control the rotation speed.
Shanghai Circus 24

But that wasn’t enough. One of them took a rope, climbed outside and started jumping. That was scary:
Shanghai Circus 25

Grand finale:
Shanghai Circus 26

The tent from the outside:
Shanghai Circus 27

Summary

Overall, Shanghai Circus was quite nice. Some numbers were average and others were very good. You shouldn’t expect them to compete with Cirque du Soleil (though I didn’t like that at Cirque du Soleil they didn’t allow to take photos/videos even with a smartphone). They are at different leagues both price wise and at performance level. You get what you pay for. But for a moderate price Shanghai Circus offers two hours of enjoyable entertainment.

Moscow Circus

Basic Info

In 2017, the Moscow Circus was in Israel and we decided to go on for a visit.

Here is the opening act:
Moscow Circus in Israel

Moscow Circus was in many ways similar to the Shanghai Circus. Same size tents with familiar sitting. The show also consisted of two parts of about 1.5-2 hours with a 15 minute in between. The difference was in the acts themselves.Moscow Circus in Israel

One point I haven’t mentioned before is animals. In Israel, animal shows are forbidden by law. Thus, you won’t see animals in circuses.

The Show

Moscow Circus in Israel

You always will see similar acts, like gymnastics.Moscow Circus in Israel

And other acts will be more unique. Like the next one. I’ll call it chair gymnastics.Moscow Circus in Israel

After performing all the flips they found three volunteers (one adult and two kids) and together with one circus performer, set them all on top of this poor guy.Moscow Circus in Israel

And of course, they incorporated typical Russian symbols, like the garmon (kind of Russian button accordion).Moscow Circus in Israel

This was quite a unique number. He held different things with a knife.Moscow Circus in IsraelAnd even after the balloon was popped (by the other performer), the chandelier remained on top of the knife.

Acrobatics

Moscow Circus in Israel

Moscow Circus in IsraelMoscow Circus in IsraelMoscow Circus in Israel

Moscow Circus in Israel

Rope jumping is one thing, but using a team member as a rope is something else.Moscow Circus in Israel

And here is more advanced rope jumping.Moscow Circus in Israel

And you thought push-ups were hard. Add back weight and some jumping for a Rambo effect 😉Moscow Circus in Israel

Even if both people are not that heavy, still this acrobat is jumping with at least 120 kg on his shoulders.Moscow Circus in Israel

Moscow Circus in Israel

Using swings for higher jumps.Moscow Circus in Israel

He is at least four meters in the air.Moscow Circus in Israel

This is how you change swings 🙂Moscow Circus in Israel

If we already jumping ridiculously high, then why not add some fire? Sure, it’s a good idea.

Moscow Circus in Israel

Ending:Moscow Circus in Israel

Moscow Circus was at about the same level as the Shanghai Circus. They both were very nice and not too pricey. Kids love these shows, so why not? Next time a circus is in town, pay them a visit.

 

That’s all for today, and I’ll see you in future travels!

Stay Tuned!

 

You can find related posts under festivals category
 

Additional Resources

Here are several resources that I created to help travelers:

And if you have any questions then check out Useful Information For Tourists To Israel.
 

Did not find what you were looking for? Leave a comment below, and I will do my best to answer your questions.

Lev Tsimbler

Lev from israel-in-photos.com. You can contact me at hi@israel-in-photos.com

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