Moscow Circus has collected $1 million for the victims of the disastrous earthquake and tsunami in Japan.
On its tour to the stricken country, the Yury Nikulin Circus gave four charitable performances and donated all the money to the victims’ foundation.
The circus’s extensive tour began in mid-July in Tokyo and proceeded through four more major cities, Yokohama, Makuhari, Matsuzaki and Nagoya.
The tour was a huge success and attracted an audience of more than 300,000.
On March 11 north-eastern Japan was hit by a magnitude 9.0 earthquake, which in turn caused a tsunami. The disaster claimed over 16,000 lives.
Moscow Circus is far from being alone in its initiative in support of Japan. Among dozens of cultural activists and organizations that previously held charitable events in support of the Japanese people were St. Petersburg’s Mariinsky Theatre with its artistic director, the maestro Valery Gergiev, and the Russian State Svetlanov Symphony Orchestra.