IT was a memorable evening for hundreds of Doha fans at Aspire Dome on Wednesday. They were treated to a wonderful performance by Canadian-based Cirque Du Soleil’s 20-year-old signature production, ‘Saltimbanco’. The show at the popular arena — which was packed with a multinational audience — featured an international cast of 51 performers and musicians from more than 20 countries.

Live artistes enthralled the crowd with performances like near impossible balancing, jumping and spinning acts on the Chinese poles or the Russian wing. There was gravitydefying bungees, trapeze, juggling and acrobatic performances on bicycle.

One of the show’s highlights was the witty remarks and the humorous interventions by clowns during serious acts by other artistes. Spectacular costumes, amazing lighting and mesmerising music were the other highlights. Speaking to Qatar Tribune during a rehearsal earlier on Wednesday, 42-year-old RJ Owens, the ringmaster, said, “We train every day to keep ourselves fit.

In my case, if I don’t work out, I don’t feel energetic.” The show began with a presentation from the house troupe. The presentation was followed by ‘Adagio’ — marked with strength, flexibility and three acrobats coming together to create amazing shapes and sizes. The Chinese poles were marked by multi-coloured performers who slipped on the stage and then climbed around seven-metretall poles to symbolise the skyscrapers of Saltimbanco. They then jumped from one pole to the other.

Performer Terry Velasquez juggled up to eight balls creating various forms and figures. Other artistes balanced on canes and created a series of figures. As if that was not enough! Two performers twirled boleadoras in the air and bounced off weight on the ground, making explosive noises in unison. The show also included other breathtaking acts that left the audience spellbound. “It was a fantastic evening.

I loved the way performers were tied to bungees, swing and dropped and flew in the air. The show was spectacular,” said a British national. “It was nice to watch performers sway on a trapeze. Hope such kind of events would be held more often,” said a fan. The word ‘Saltimbanco’ has been derived from the Italian phrase ‘Saltare in banco’.



It means ‘to jump on the bench’. The four-day event will conclude on July 7. Two shows will be held every day at 4pm and 8pm, respectively.own its investment banking operations. “Although this could have potentially positive implications over the longer term, the uncertainty surrounding such a change in direction is creditnegative in the short term,” said Moody’s, which lowered its outlook for the standalone bank’s financial strength to negative from stable. Barclays was last month fined nearly half a billion dollars for its part in manipulating a key interest rate which underpins financial transactions worth an estimated $360 trillion. Reuters reported on Thursday that Britain’s financial regulator warned the entire Barclays’ board in February that the bank’s culture needed to change. S&P on Thursday lowered its outlook for Barclay’s long-term rating to negative from stable citing management upheaval and the strategic uncertainty currently facing the bank.