Mashreqbank brings Circus Oz to Dubai Shopping Festival 2006

Circus Oz has performed in over 26 different countries, across five continents to over two million people. They have broken box office records at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival and represented Australia at scores of international festivals.

"We are thrilled to bring such a renowned circus to Dubai for the enjoyment of all ages and nationalities. Circus Oz has performed all over the world in venues as varied as a refugee camp in the West Bank, in indigenous communities in the Australian desert and in a glass opera house in the Brazilian rainforest. Along the way they have translated parts of the show into scores of languages from Hindi and Japanese to Danish," said Atif Bajwa, Head of Retail Banking Group, Mashreqbank.

The circus will perform at the Dubai International Exhibition Centre Hall Three from 11 to 13 January 2006. There will be an evening performance on the opening Wednesday and both afternoon and evening shows on the Thursday and Friday.

"Circus Oz provides a spectacle of unrelenting energy, humour, multi-skill playing, surreal imagery, grace and strength, fully integrated with a live and original musical score," said Saeed Al Nabouda, CEO of the Dubai Shopping Festival. "We are indeed very grateful to Mashreqbank for bringing such a high calibre of family oriented entertainment to the people of Dubai."

Mashreqbank has also announced that it will be giving away tickets for the unprivileged children in different charity organisations in Dubai. "Mashreqbank has been actively involved in many community activities and thus we decided to just spread the joy on all children whom we know for sure are going to be the biggest audience in this thrilling show," added Atif Bajwa.

Circus Oz was founded in late 1977 as an amalgamation of two already successful Australian groups, Soapbox Circus and the New Circus. The principles that were the heart of the original Circus Oz philosophy are still reflected in their performances today: collective ownership and creation, gender equity and teamwork with a uniquely Australian signature.

The company has undergone intensive training with acrobats from China's Nanjing Acrobatic Troupe and many of these skills, such as pole-climbing and hula-hoop, are featured in the show, albeit in a distinctly Circus Oz style.