Fire and juggling acts, living statues, one wheelers, puppeteers and big men are part of the team that has attracted big crowds to one of the most traditional souqs in the Gulf.
A visit yesterday evening to the square within Souq Waqif, where a stage has been set up, proved memorable.Even as the molten gold hued rays of the setting sun bathed the premises, a fire spitter was holding the audience spellbound.Performing a well-choreographed act with flaming torches in both his hands, the artiste took mouthfuls of lamp oil and sprayed them into the air, creating balls of fire, all the while moving to music.A football juggler went on the stage subsequently and started doing balancing tricks with a single ball, before moving on to juggling with three balls first and five later, much to the delight of the young and the old in the crowd.It was at this juncture that four ‘Big Men’ walked out of an alley, causing wide-mouthed stares from the spectators. Children initially scampered for cover, hiding behind their parents, till they realised that the ‘giants’ were only bent on making others laugh.Moving in a line, the ‘Big Men’ followed some of the visitors and encircled them, in the process scaring the wits out of some adults as well.The antics of the foursome, who could also extend their ‘necks’ making them even taller, were among the highpoints of the performances.“Most of our artistes are from the Netherlands, with others from Germany, France, Belgium, England, and New Zealand,” the troupe director Martin Hierck told Gulf Times.The artistes, arranged by Bruggen Verwiel, a leading event marketing agency from the Netherlands, are performing in the region for the first time, he explained.“We like Qatar and its people, who are very friendly and co-operative,” Hierck observed while maintaining that audience participation has been fantastic in the performances.“We are winding up on Friday with a performance from 3pm to 7pm,” he added
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