Top act comes to town

The man perched on top of a 12-metre flexi-pole is The Great Fattini, or Thomas Stawicki, the only acrobat now performing the original Fattini Act.

Stawicki climbs to the top hamming it up along the way by pretending to be drunk or trying to light a cigar.

'Although I must concentrate very hard during performances, it's funny when I see some of the audience reactions.

'Some people are laughing, some are shouting, some are crying, and some are even scared to look at the top. My job is to make people laugh and I love having their attention.

'You can hear a pin drop sometimes. People stare at me, holding their breath. I become the centre of their world.

'The performance is dangerous not only because of the height, but also the swaying pole. There is no security cushion underneath. But people love the act because of the atmosphere,' Stawicki said.

Before he first performed the Fattini Act in Japan in 1985, Stawicki spent three years learning the climbing technique.

'I practised almost every day and only took a break every two to three hours.

'Only practice helped me to overcome the height. Even now, I need to practise everyday to make improvements. And practice makes me feel young too,' he said.

At 57, Stawicki said he would continue the act and keep travelling all over the world because 'performing is my blood and I enjoy what I am doing tremendously'.

The acrobatic act was created by Charly Fattiger in 1934, who performed it for 50 years. He retired in 1985 at the age of 75, but not before passing the baton to Stawicki to carry on the tradition of the act with its original touch of comedy.

Before STawicki became The Great Fattini, he worked with his father in an aerial show - a spinning wheel in the sky. When his father retired, Stawicki and his sister continued the family business for another 20 years.

The Great Fattini, with The Moscow Circus, will be appearing at the Hong Kong Coliseum from July 16.