Clowns, ballet blend at ice circus

It’s a ballet. It’s a circus. It’s a gymnastics exhibition. It’s a Russian cultural expo.

And it’s all done on skates.

It’s the Royal Moscow Circus on Ice, coming to the Beasley Performing Arts Coliseum in Pullman tonight and Friday.

You might call it a melting pot of performing styles, except it’s all frozen.

The Royal Moscow Circus on Ice is what happens when the lead performers of the Moscow Ballet on Ice get together with the stars of the Moscow Circus on Ice.

It’s a mix of professional ice-skating, gymnastics, acrobatics, folk dance, modern dance, ballet and circus-style clowning.

It has been described by one promoter as a “cross between Cirque du Soleil and a rock concert.”

The dance acts, with titles such as “Ukrainian Suite” and “Russian Winter,” evoke cultural traditions. Other numbers are more pop-oriented, including one called “Memory of Elvis Presley.”

And some acts are more athletically oriented – such as “Gymnast on the Web,” in which a gymnast is suspended above the ice on straps.

An entire troupe of skating clowns, called the Russian Comedians on Ice, performs a series of sketches combining juggling, physical comedy and classic circus gags.