Russian Circus #1 (From Don Covington)

1551_04_4, originally uploaded by bucklesw1. Simon Eliasson / The St. Petersburg Times Elephants are the star of the latest show at St. Petersburg’s Bolshoi Circus. Enormous elephants, bears driving cars, and more traditional acrobatics performed at dizzying heights are all elements of “The mystery of the giant elephants” — the latest show to premiere at St. Petersburg’s Bolshoi State Circus on Feb. 12. “It is definitely a success,” said Alexander Chervotkin, the new show’s director. “Every show since the premiere has been packed, and this new concept obviously doesn’t frighten an audience that is usually conservative,” he said. The circus, built in 1878, was one of the first stationary circuses of its kind in Russia. The project was initiated and financed by the Italian horse trainer Gaetano Ciniselli, a celebrated circus name in Europe at the time. The circus has not been out of action ever since, with the exception of a couple of years during World War II.