Russian performers from the world famous circus held the attention of children, teenagers, parents and grandparents alike. 

Acrobats defied gravity by landing seemingly impossible jumps, clowns made the audience squeal and yell at their command and a female performer amazed the crowd with lightning-fast dress changes. 

Audience members happily cooperated with clowns when called on to be part of the act.

The theme throughout the show was a loose narrative of Russian history, from Genghis Khan, to Napoleon's invasion to the present day. The ringmaster regularly invoked the phrase, "Mother Russia". 

General manager of the show's Australian tour, Greg Hall, said the circus' appeal to a broad range of ages was central to it's success.

"It's not only kids. If you're a four-year-old, you'll see your show, if you're an 84-year-old, you'll see your show," Mr Hall said.

Mr Hall was passionate about the success of the Great Moscow Circus, which has performed in Australia since 1965.

"This is not only a world class circus, this is world class entertainment on your doorstep," he said.

Bendigo is the 67th city in the circus' regional tour. 

Mr Hall said the show started offering regional tours in Australia in 1990 and had not looked back since. 

He said the majority of the cast were from Russia, where circus arts has a strong tradition.

"Circus in Russia is a passion," he said. 

He said the popularity of circus arts in Russia was comparable to that of the NRL or AFL in Australia. 

"Some of the clowns get mobbed like rockstars," he said. 

The Great Moscow Circus in Bendigo includes 37 artists and more than 30 others involved in backstage, lighting and sound, costumes and administration. 

The equipment required for the show includes 21 trucks, 18 inflatable clowns, 7000 metres of lighting cable, 124 stage lights, 102 costumes, eight clown cars and a mobile garage. 

The Great Moscow Circus is performing at the Bendigo Showgrounds until Saturday August 24. Book tickets by phone on 0429 667 269, online at ticketdirect.com.au or in person at the showgrounds.