The Atlantis Circus is located behind McDonald’s in Marigot. (97150 photo)
MARIGOT--Not everyone may be aware but the Atlantis Underwater Circus has been entertaining the younger and older generations for the past two weeks in Marigot at its location adjacent to Super U, in the Howell Centre, and behind McDonald’s. But fear not, the circus remains open for another two weeks, until March 1.
This is the first time a circus has come to Marigot in more than a decade. This is an original and enchanting show combining the magic of the circus and the wonders of the undersea world.
Circus Director Alexis brought not only his large family; comprising his wife, four children and about 15 people, including eleven artists, but also 70 tons of equipment across the Atlantic to the Caribbean, for the first stop ever in St. Martin. His dream was to bring this innovative circus to the Caribbean in 2017 but Hurricane Irma forced his plan to be postponed.
The giant blue and white tent looks traditional but what goes on inside is anything but traditional. Atlantis is the first circus in France to deploy hologram technology. It is a circus without live animals that integrates a technology previously unheard of in France: a giant 5D hologram aquarium.
There is an incredible 30-metre circular swimming pool with fountains and water jets, which emerge: Nemo, Vaïana, Dory, the little mermaid Ariel, SpongeBob and other favourite children’s characters, under thousands of bubbles that twirl under the tent.
The audience is transported simultaneously into the water world with all the familiar sea mammals or into the sky above. Aerial acrobats, contortionists, trapeze artists and tightrope walkers complement the breath taking visual spectacle in a show lasting nearly two hours.
“If I could present the shows for free, I would,” says Alexis who is the 6th of his generation to be involved in the circus. His children of ages six, eight, 11 and 18 months are the next generation to take over. “99 per cent of circuses are passed down from father to son,” he notes.
The Atlantis Underwater Circus welcomes the public for shows: on Wednesdays at 5:00pm, Fridays at 7:00pm, Saturdays at 4:00pm and 7:00pm, and Sundays at 3:00pm and 6:00pm. Tickets: for children are from 10 euros to 20 euros and for adults from 15 euros to 25 euros; prices vary depending on where you sit. One can also win tickets by answering the questions in 97150, the French newspaper.
