Phare, the Cambodian Circus, received rave reviews after an epic performance on the opening day of the Ringling International Arts Festival 2015 in the U.S. town of Sarasota, Florida.
The Cambodian troupe was selected as one of only a handful of acts to give an honorary performance on October 15 at the opening of the festival, which is held at the Ringling, the State Arts Museum of Florida, a venue that has been putting on circus performances for more than a century.
Huot Dara, a chief executive of Phare, said that being invited to open the festival at the storied venue secured a historic legacy for the Cambodian circus team.
“The Cambodian circus was selected as one of the three performers out of the six to perform for the important guests of the Ringling on the first day of the festival,” said Dara. “We’re proud to represent the Cambodian people, and hope to bring more international interest to Cambodia.”
Phare’s performance “Khmer Metal” was applauded by the audience, some reacting with the words:“Now that was circus!” The show was described as “the hit” among the three performances on the first night performance by Sarasota-based publication SRQ Magazine.
Phare’s epic show, entitled “Khmer Metal,” was praised for the energy and acrobatic skills of the performers. The magazine described “a choreographed cavalcade of contortionists, dancers, jugglers and acrobats with feats of strength, balance, coordination and dexterity enough to give The Greatest Show on Earth a run for its peanuts.”
“Phare is the only contemporary circus performer at the festival, and that makes our performance unique,” said Dara. “This makes us absolutely excited, and we hope to give our best performance ever.”
Phare, the Cambodian Circus, continued to perform “Khmer Metal” at the Ringling until Sunday, and will travel to Washington and Virginia for its last stops on its first U.S. tour.
