What's on: Carousel and Clothesline

Canadian circus company Vague de Cirque's Camille Pilawa (front), Fanny Laneuville-Castonguay and Jonathon Roitman are gearing up for their performance in Rotorua tonight. Photo/Ben Fraser

Locals will get the chance to see "world class" circus acts at tonight's Carousel and Clothesline show.

The Vague de Cirque, based in Montreal in Canada, will present the show at Rotorua's Civic Theatre tonight as part of its first tour of New Zealand.

The circus general director, Noemie Gervais, hoped Rotorua audiences would enjoy the show, which will feature a variety of acrobatic, magic and comic acts.

Miss Gervais said performing in New Zealand was a big step for the relatively new circus, which was formed by alumni of the famous Cirque du Soleil and Cirque Eloize. The circus is made up of seven performers from all around the globe.

"It's a really impressive, intimate show. The performers are of an incredibly high standard, they're world-class acts," she said.

Miss Gervais said the show was a mixture of "wow moments", where acrobatics would leave audiences at the edge of their seats, and moments that would have them in fits of laughter. "It's a really funny, entertaining show and we hope Rotorua loves it and we can come back."

Miss Gervais said one of the best parts of being part of a travelling circus was seeing people's reactions to the acts.

"Sometimes people gasp, put their hands over their mouths or cry with laughter, it's really interesting to watch. It's great to be able to bring joy and amazement to people."

Another highlight was becoming a "tight-knit" family with the members of the circus since they travelled together so often, she said.

Tickets are available from www.ticketmaster.co.nz. Visit www.vaguedecirque.com.