MONTREAL (AFP) — Canadian acrobatic troupe Cirque du Soleil, created in 1984 and now performing in all corners of the world, is celebrating its silver anniversary with the launch of its 25th show "Ovo," about insects.

The circus company, with 19 traveling and permanent shows now playing, sold 11 million tickets worldwide last year and has brought wonder and delight to almost 90 million spectators in over 200 cities on five continents since 1984.

What started as a ragtag group of 20 street performers has blossomed into a global entertainment empire with an estimated net worth of three billion dollars and 4,000 employees in 40 countries.

Founded by former fire-eater Guy Laliberte, whose idea to transform circus acrobatics into sensational, plot-driven theatre has revolutionized this sector of the entertainment industry, it has however always remained true to its root

The performers originate from n...

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(AUSTRALIA) Chayne Hultgren a.k.a. "The Space Cowboy" has just set a new Guinness worlds record by swallowing 18 razor-sharp swords. The brave performance artist acomplished the feat by swallowing the 72cm swords in Sydney. "The Space Cowboy" beat his own 2008 record of 16 and used different throat stretching methods to perfect the art.

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(SINGAPORE) An article on Singapore's TodayOnline website examines busking and braving the elements and social prejudice. Indeed, busking is not for the faint-hearted. The growth of busking has also resulted in greater competition for space, especially for the popular and more lucrative spots.More than two decades after a plan was introduced in 1997 to allow performers to add more colour to the streets of Singapore, the busking scene has grown by leaps and bounds.

Baey Yam Keng, Senior Parliamentary Secretary for the Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth, told Parliament that the number of younger performers has more than doubled since 2008.

Along with busking comes opportunities as well as setbacks. Most busking 'laws' between buskers have been traditionally unwritten with buskers preferring to...

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(MINNESOTA) The fair city of Minneapolis is now paying buskers and street performers to add culture to the downtown area.Thanks to the Minneapolis Downtown Improvement District (DID), streets will be more vibrant as the city encourages entertainers rather than shooing them away.

The DID Street Show pays performers $50 an hour (more if you have a duo or trio act) in addition to whatever they make in tips.

The downtown organization felt that the busking scene could get a boost by offering entertainers a guaranteed payment.

In Minneapolis, busking is legal as long as performers are on public property, don’t obstruct traffic and don’t violate noise ordinances.

But even a great artist can be met with indifference when trying to coax hurried pedestrians to stop, listen and open their wallets.

For more information on ...

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hello, my name is Ritam sen and I am a member of a busker organization named " aabra ca dabra" operating in kolkata. I am uploading a street painting by us at jadavpur kolkata for you to apprehend the kinds of work we do.Hope we will have fun, and keep the grass green ;) . you can also join us here
https://www.facebook.com/aabracadabra