Culture
¨Salto Natale: a magical show for Christmas Eve
Have you ever thought of spending Christmas Eve at a circus with your family?
Many people did just that this year and enjoyed the Salto Natale show “Sternfänger” in the 6000 m2 circus tent near the Zurich airport.
For their 10th anniversary the family Knie redoubled its efforts, with 130 workers, over 70 artists and with a budget of 5 Million CHF. Since its founding in 2002 the new circus founded by Rolf (63) and his son Gregory Knie (35) had more than 600,000 visitors.
Tent of Salto Natale
Knie is a name, which rings a bell and is well-known in the circus business. Rolf is working in the family circus just like his father and grand-father and he is already in the 7th generation! Gregory left the United States at the beginning of the 2000’s, where he had studied finance, to start a brand new circus with his father Rolf. The family Knie travels throughout Switzerland with the Circus Knie every year and has a children’s zoo in Rapperswil, opened from March through October. Knie makes thousands of children and adults happy with their circus and animal performances. In addition, two years ago Gregory and Rolf started a new type of circus, a love circus called “Ohlala”, this time for adults only!
Hebi Acrobatic Troupe at Salto Natale
The 2012 winter circus show is stunning with many various acrobatic, juggling, dancing, magical and singing acts. The program is made to reach every age group from 5 to 99 years old! Time flies by quickly under the Grand Chapiteau.
The crowd seemed to have so much fun on Christmas Eve and thanked the Knie family with many clapping of hands. Rolf Knie says at the finale that the Swiss are the best circus audience in the entire world!
Salto Natale costumes
For the first time since 1983 Rolf is back inside of the circus performing as one of the artists. He will charm you with some magic tricks.
The beginning of the show transports you into another world and time, to Venice, its Carnival and its masks. The costumes, made by Moldavian fashion designer Stela Verebceanu, are spectacular. The music with the sexy violinist Kun Zuo is just amazing! It feels like a concert of Rondò Veneziano. Salto Natale has a live orchestra with ten musician. The main singer for this season is the beautiful and talented Jizelle.
D’Holmikers horror circus act at Salto Natale
The lightning at Salto Natale is done by no-one less than Jacques Roveyrollis, a Frenchman,who has worked with well-known French singers such as Charles Trénet and Charles Aznavour.
There are many groups and artists to remember like the Swiss comedians and acrobats, the D’Holmikers, the Chinese acrobat Kaikai Jiao, the Spanish juggler Picaso Jr., the Hebi acrobatic Troupe on their velos, the powerful Acro Trio from Russia, the French Pantomine Philippe Delaunay and of course the incredible motorcycle stunt “Globe of Death” from Brazil.
The Globe of Death of Daniel Diorio at Salto Natale
Kaikai is only 18 years old, but already so talented. What she is able to do with one hand is completely amazing. Picaso Jr. (Francisco Tebar) brought sparkles and joy on people’s face with his small yellow balls and plates act. He studied economics before starting a career in juggling in 1996. Since then he has been in all the major circuses around the world. The D’Holmikers from St. Gallen is a group of 20 acrobats. All dressed as monsters, one with a head cut off, they will surprise you with their horror show jumping on parallel bars. They have been seen for instance in France at the Patrick Sébastien Le Plus Grand Cabaret du Monde.
The motorcycle stunt by Daniel Diorio and his team kept the entire crowd gasping! At one time there were five Yamaha motorcycles running at a maximum speed of 80 km/h in a sphere of 4,25 diameter. When the sphere opened, it was so dangerous the public could only hope for the best!
The evening was unique with a short performance by all the artists of the most popular dance of the year, the Gangnam style from South Korean singer Psy, a Christmas mass in the tent for those, who wished to stay and a three course menu after the show!
Chinese Kaikai Jiao at Salto Natale
And there was Russian Guennadi Tchijov, the bouffon, with its traditional hat with bells and its long shoes with pointed edges, who kept on coming back and forth for the pleasure of all.
So if you are looking for a show to laugh, to be constantly amazed, to make you dream or a good entertainment with a bit of thrills? Then, Salto Natale is all you need.
Catching the stars at Salto Natale
Plus, if you always wish you could catch a star, one may come closer to you than you ever thought!
Salto Natale “Sternfänger” will be showing until January 2d, 2013. Check out here for tickets or call Ticketcorner.
