The future of the circus is in the hands of builders

Everything left after the animal revolution at Riga Circus has been removed from the historic building on Merķeļa Street, and the builders are gathering to begin repairs. In turn, the government has paid a grand compensation to the lawyers of the heirs of the building's former owner, so that they would no longer interfere with their claims. Whether the circus as an art sector in Latvia will experience new prosperity will be shown by time, but for now it is back in its infancy.

The traditional circus, the way it was considered good enough for decades, was destroyed in Latvia by two unrelated processes. The fight against the use of animals for public consumption by the radical vegan organization Dzīvnieku brīvība (Animal Freedom) and disputes over ownership. Until the dispute was settled, the state, in the person of the Ministry of Culture, did virtually nothing to keep the building in good condition. Up until the State Construction Control Bureau arrived and closed the building for safety reasons, because a part of the stairs had begun to separate from the façade. It had to be fixed immediately. This moment was used by Dzīvnieku brīvība to reach out to the Ministry of Agriculture and ask for a ban on the use of animals in the circus. And they succeeded. Unofficially - in exchange for non-interference in the dog poisoning case. Once upon a time, there was a local product Dogo, which killed a large number of dogs that ate it, but that is another story.

Hipsters persuaded

In 2016, the Riga Circus died, the way it was known to the children of the Soviet generation - with lions, crocodiles, horses, monkeys and amid these beasts also with clowns, acrobats and bearded ladies. Only people were allowed to perform in the arena, and most of the old circus masters said that there was no circus without the beasts, and together with the old circus director, they left with full confidence that the circus building would sooner or later turn into a casino. As in the past, when the Operetta Theater was given over to be remodeled into a private dance club for young people, alcoholics and drug addicts. However, the Ministry of Culture and the government decided differently about the circus building - that the circus function in the building should be maintained.

Hipsters convinced them that it is possible to create a modern circus without animals in Latvia - where only people horse around, make splits, crack joints, juggle and so on.

Now the Riga Circus is becoming a "multidisciplinary art center." Such performances are of less interest to the Russian audience, which used to be predominant in the circus, but that will be the task of the management - to fill the arena seats with spectators.

Lawyers can rub their hands

It is planned that the first stage of construction works in the circus building will end in 2023. Officially, however, it should not be called the construction phase, because the European Union money was not given for the reconstruction, but for the insulation of the existing building. The total cost of the project is almost three million euros, and the ERDF fund pays for 85%. It is very advantageous to call the reconstruction of the building by any other name. Aidaco Group won the tender for the right to perform construction works. The keys have just been handed over to the builder, and reconstruction work will begin immediately. Resolving the conflict of ownership was also a precondition for the renovation of the circus building, and it has finally been done. Over many years, in many courts. In the end, according to the decision of the Supreme Court, in May of this year the government decided to pay more than a million euros to the heirs of the house - 1,113,357 euros. Lawyers can rub their hands because they've earned a lot. And builders can start setting up scaffolding.

It is possible that the first stage of circus reconstruction will be followed by the next. Much, much more expensive one. If the government, budget and other conditions allow, a new building will be built on the side of Alfrēda Kalniņa Street, where the circus school will be located. But for the time being, there is no funding, no project, no time schedule for this idea, and the need itself is scarcely credible.

Maybe they'll have a bearded lady

However, even without this second part, the circus will be able to exist as an art form in the reconstructed old building. After all, stables and cages with feed troughs and manure ladders are also no longer needed. Space has been freed up. And in general, the building will be much more beautiful after the repair. Circus representative Zane Volkinšteine says that the facade will be freed from the unsuccessful layers of Soviet-era construction. The parapet, which was built on top of the wall without proper foundations and caused the building structures to crack, will be brought lower. The dome will be slightly raised at the expense of insulation. The rails that make up the dome will be covered with a wooden structure. The entrance to the circus building will be straight from the yard, not through a small door in the terrible Soviet birdcage. The Riga Circus building, built in 1888, after its renovation will look more like it did in the old days, and its performances will actually return to the very beginnings of circus art, when performances were created mainly for adults and displayed the limits of human abilities - the strongmen lifted stones, the swordsmen devoured sharp objects, and the bearded lady demonstrated her rich mane.

While construction continues, the administration must work on convincing the public that the circus in Latvia is not over. Therefore, there is a circus school for children and adults in the temporary premises in Āgenskalns. When the restrictions on the pandemic are lifted, the circus will also host performances by guest artists. Of course, without the participation of animals.