The festival international du cirque de Monte-Carlo is, with the grand prix car, one of the highlights of the year in monaco. The 43rd edition was held from 17 to 20 January. The jury, chaired by Stéphanie of Monaco, was awarded on Sunday evening its top award, the clown d’or, to the trainer of wild animals uk Martin Lacey Jr, ex aequo with the producer of georgia Gia Eradze and his troop Royal Circus.

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Gia Eradze is notably at the origin of a number composed exclusively of women, virtuoso acrobatic stunts on horseback. They are galloping their horses at a pace that is mind-boggling in the making of the figures bold. The producer mixes in his plays the great tradition of the caucasian and a script modern. He is currently the head of three major programmes of circus in Russia.

Martin Lacey Jr. is considered one of the greatest trainers of wild animals of the world. The festival had already been awarded the precious supreme award in 2010.

In this competition that opposes 150 artists from 15 nations, the two Ukrainian sportsmen of the duo Just 2 Men have won the clown of silver to the sides of the trapeze artists of kazakhstan Aliev, of the voltigeurs of Russian troop Filinov and the acrobatic troupe china Xing Yunwei, which gives the vertigo to eight metres in height.

The program, eight hours of show broadcast to millions of viewers in twenty countries, was the nice part this year in the clowns. Two numbers have been rewarded in the reward of bronze: the trio of Russian «Without Socks» and the funny Cesar Dias, who arrived in Portugal with his harmonica and musical saw. Clown bronze tie: the French family Gärtner and his elephants, the quartet of acrobats voltigeurs Russian Prilepin, the duo of trapeze artists australian-american «The Owl and the Pussy Cat» and the duo hand-to-hand monegasque «Charlotte and Nicholas».

Class animal, and gratitude to the Unesco

For the past ten years, the «Collectif animalier du 06», an association of defense of animals, requires management to monaco that they forbid the presence of wild animals during the event. In the world, 41 countries (including 19 in Europe) have already made this decision. The gatherings being banned on the territory of monaco, the members of the collective have shown in the border of the principality.

In the margin of this 43rd edition, was held a general assembly of the world Federation of circus, under the sign of the struggle for the recognition of the circus as the equal of the other arts, such as opera and theatre. Stéphanie of Monaco, who is the honorary president of the federation, to register the circus in the traditional cultural heritage of humanity. A long, but that is not without hope according to her.

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At the level of the european Union, a first point was scored at the end of 2018 with the creation of a label, the «Big Top» Label, worn by a Hungarian member of parliament, István Ujhelyi, and handed over to institutions stand out for their quality.