This act gets practically the whole cycling complement out. As they circle the ring and climb one after the other onto the bicycle, the performers piece together a moving sculpture that branches upward like a tree. This Chinese inspired routine is one of the most gripping events in the entire show. The brilliant thing about it is that an incredibly difficult feat of balance looks so easy. No wonder it won a bronze medal at the 1987 World "Circus of Tomorrow" Festival in Paris.

In related circumstances in a three-ring circus, this might be an extravaganza with gymnasts jumping back and forth on motorcycles or on the backs of prancing horses while above adjoining rings high flyers switched trapezes in mid-air. Here the act is performed with one bicycle, whose rider is joined by three friends, then by three more, and so on, until, before we know it, 13 people are perched on a bicycle built for one.