Circus Knie starts its tour in Rapperswil-Jona SG

Dancers in glittering red and white twirl around the circus ring, a singer sings in the background and artists float under the dome. You almost don't know where to look. It's opening night of this year's Circus Knie tour in Rapperswil-Jona. A big stage for the "fireworks of versatility" that Knie promises its audience.

At the beginning of the sold-out performance, this stage belongs to eight-year-old Maycol, the youngest member of the Knie family. He opens the show on a rolling platform. Large stuffed elephants appear, a tongue-in-cheek reference to earlier circus days when elephants in the flesh were an integral part of the program.

Atención and poetry in the ring

The fireworks of versatility ignite right from the start, starting with Nicol Nicols and Kimberly Zavatta, who hit all sorts of things with their crossbow arrows and end with an apple on Nicols' head. William Tell sends his regards.

Magician Vincent Vignaud should actually - you almost don't want to look - be pierced by flaming arrows or shredded by martial equipment, which thankfully doesn't happen.

Matute is the clown in the program. His fantasy language is dominated by "Atención!" and "No problem", which sounds minimalist but is very funny. In his first act, he would like to be a boxer and looks for a sparring partner in the audience. But he can also beatbox and conjure up a waltz under the dome together with the audience.

The "Wuhan Acrobats", who turn a large swing into a springboard for daring, meter-high jumps, or the "Daredevils", ten motorcyclists from South America, who do their rattling laps to electric guitar in the "Globe of Speed", a ball of steel mesh. Ripe for the movies.

In contrast, the long-awaited horse acts by the Knie family - you can tell from the audience's reaction - satisfy the longing for poetry in the ring. Someone in the back rows murmurs: "so beautiful". The simply breathtaking handstand act by Valeriia Davydenko, a sparkling diva of the handstand, or Antony César's act with dance, acrobatics and aerial artistry to "Creep" also belong in the same category.

Even between the acts, it never gets boring

There is much more to mention: Alyona Pavlova's vocal performance in the aerial ring high up under the circus dome, ventriloquist Willer Nicolodi with puppet Joselito, the "South Chinese Lions" with their dance theater, Yves Nicols and Ambra Faggioni, an acrobatic couple, all in gold, all the good-humored dancers and acrobats of the "Urban Crew" from the Philippines including break dancer Jimmy Jean spinning on his head, the singers and musicians.

Even between the acts, there is never a dull moment. While employees lay floor panels over the sawdust or bring equipment into the ring for the next act, light effects are projected onto lengths of fabric falling from the dome. Or Matute, the clown, appears and visits his sparring partner from the audience. The elephants from the beginning parade through the audience. Large butterflies flutter through the tent.

After the show, Ivan Knie says that a lot of thought is given to the transitions from one act to the next when designing the program. "We pay a lot of attention to that," he says. "We don't want to get bored and we also think carefully about the order of the acts so that everything is coherent."

But at the moment, the first performance is behind the artists. "Of course we're relieved now," says Knie. You can tell from the first performances that everything is working. They are the icebreakers. That's why the crew also want to celebrate a little. "We're toasting the premiere," says Ivan Knie. "But not too much. We have to stay focused. After all, it continues tomorrow."

A total of three Knie performances will take place in Rapperswil-Jona. Afterwards, the "Swiss National Circus" will travel throughout Switzerland. Including around 200 employees from 16 nations and Kaya Yanar at the evening performances in Zurich. The last performance will take place in Lucerne on January 3, 2027.