SOVIET CIRCUS VISITS CANADA, UNITED STATES

August 22, 1989

The famed Moscow Circus has gotten its best acts together and taken them on a nine-month tour that includes stops in Canada and the United States. New York promoter Steve Leber has put up $15 million to finance the tour. Mr. Leber and the circus first capitalized on the West's fascination with all things Soviet last year, when the circus toured the United States for the first time in 10 years.

This year, the circus and Leber have signed an agreement to keep the circus coming yearly. Circus authorities pay the performers' regular salaries, and Leber covers North American expenses.

This year's road show goes beyond the regular Moscow Circus. According to Leber, it includes some of the best of 1,400 circus acts selected from throughout the USSR. The troupe recently completed a one-month dress rehearsal here in Leningrad and opened its North American tour in Toronto on last week.

After its closing in Toronto Sept. 4, the Circus will visit dozens of other cities.

Here is a partial list: Quebec (Sept. 6-10); Montreal (Sept. 12-17); Ottawa (Sept. 20-24); Vancouver (Oct. 18-23); Milwaukee (Oct. 30-Nov. 5); Detroit (Nov. 6-12); Orlando, Fla. (Nov. 20-26); Philadelphia (Dec. 4-10); Baltimore (Dec. 11-17); Worcester, Mass. (Dec. 25-31); New York City (Jan. 8,-Feb. 4, 1990); Cleveland (Feb. 5-11); Pittsburgh (Feb. 12-18); Chicago (Feb. 19-25); St. Louis (Feb. 26-March 4); San Diego (March 5-11); Los Angeles (March 12-18): and San Francisco (March 26-April 1).