Last Friday, January 16th, Mademoiselle Bon Plan and I were invited to Bordeaux to properly celebrate the 30th anniversary of the Arlette Gruss circus. And it was with this beautiful quote “Others do circus, but we are the circus” that we met Gilbert Gruss, the current director of the establishment created by his mother (Madam Arlette Gruss) three decades earlier. This family tradition brings the circus into modernization while preserving its authenticity.

The circus is one of the shows I enjoy very much. A therapist would tell you that it allows me to reconnect a little with my childhood; it’s not wrong. I remember the circus on television that I watched with wide-eyed wonder when I was a child. Now an adult, this passion has never left me. Hardly had we dropped our bags in each of our rooms, and here we were “on the ground” to discover the behind-the-scenes of a family legacy that has become a benchmark in the European circus landscape.

An animal paradise :

” Since March 18, 2011, the living conditions for wild animals in the circus have been subject to regulations developed jointly by circus professionals, veterinarians, and representatives of animal welfare societies. This text requires all traveling establishments to be brought up to standard. Gilbert Gruss did not want to settle for mere compliance; he wanted to provide his animal artists with optimal living conditions.”

It is Willy’s, the press attaché for Gilbert Gruss, who introduces us to the animals participating in the show. We were able to see the hygiene and the good treatment of their four-legged friends, which number 80 in total. The animals are dewormed 3 times a year and vaccinated once a year. The horses are trained by Alain Gruss (Arlette’s brother).

What is a circus?

A circus is quite a team, formed of 135 people on tour: 45 artists, 20 administrative staff, 70 men and women making up various personnel (riggers, assistants, etc.), not to mention the 52 semi-trailers.

Costume manufacturing is still done in Bordeaux, as is the creation of the show, which starts in this city every year, and has been for about twenty years. And this year again, success is there. Already more than half of the 75,000 tickets put on sale have been sold.

On with the show :

• 7:45 PM: We leave the hotel to meet a few minutes later under the big top where the audience, already seated, is feverishly waiting for the show, or rather the Premiere (the Dress Rehearsal had taken place the previous evening), to begin.

To start this season off well, actress Sophie Marceau was the Honorary President, and comedian Vincent Lagaf was the godfather. Moreover, he played along by offering us a clown routine with the troupe’s artists.

• 8:15 PM: Here we go! A gigantic show of more than two hours (20-minute intermission hosted by Vincent Lagaf himself). Magnificent light effects that highlight the artists and animals, sublime costumes that have nothing to envy the musicals of the moment, all accompanied by exceptional music (orchestra and singer on site).

Musical pieces rivaling in creativity. The highlight of the show is the 9 motorcyclists who invade the big top and spin around in a metal sphere. What modernity! You had to dare!!! I say a big, well-deserved bravo.

I also really liked The Laser Man; what was that good! Ah! the Parrots with their sumptuous colored plumage, and the Big Cats, especially the white lion, full of tenderness for his master.

I had an extraordinary time. They will be on tour in Paris in November; if I have the opportunity, I’m going back. A breathtaking show. If they come near you, don’t just go, run to it!!!

Note :

The entire proceeds from this evening’s show were donated to two associations for sick children.

“Others do circus, but we are the circus”: you were right, Madam Arlette Gruss.

Duration: 2h20 (including 20 min intermission)

until February 11, 2015 in Bordeaux
showtimes depending on the day: 10:00 AM - 2:00 PM - 2:30 PM - 5:30 PM - 6:00 PM - 7:30 PM - 8:00 PM - 8:30 PM 

price: from €14 - free for children under 3 years old

Arlette Gruss Circus
place des Quinconces, 33000 Bordeaux

Then on tour throughout France

Photo credits: Mademoiselle Bon Plan and Arlette Gruss Circus
Photos not copyright-free, photographer's authorization required before any use