Jon Gower BBC Wales Arts and Media Correspondent

However, sufficient people came after Christmas to make the visit of Cirque Eloize from Montreal a profitable one.

The huge stage is now converted to an ice rink for Sleeping Beauty on Ice, which opens on Wednesday.

The main stage at WMC is very cold at the moment.

No fewer than 15 tons of ice now flow over its surface which has been transformed to accommodate Sleeping Beauty on Ice.

The WMC is hoping for a smooth glide to profitability

Tony Mercer, the artistic director, explained: "We had to go out locally to buy five tons of ice to make a quick start in building the ice rink.

"Our engineers then spent some 15 hours spraying until the ice was three inches deep, so it's now 15 tons of ice - a huge undertaking."

It is the second show in the centre's opening season, which has not been without its difficulties.

Marketing an art form such as modern circus - which is unfamiliar to many people - did prove difficult.

Having cancelled two matinee shows of Cirque Eloize's Rain in the week leading up to Christmas, Wales Millennium Centre audiences only started picking up in the period leading up to the New Year.

Sales then improved hugely, mainly as result of word-of mouth, which resulted in a total of over 30,000 people turning up during the month-long run.

Judith Isherwood, WMC chief executive, admits they did not hit their own targets.

The centre did not hit its targets for the opening show

"We budgeted relatively low in terms of audience figures and we haven't quite hit what we wanted but we've hit close enough to do well out of the season," she said.

The Montreal-based circus company was pleased by the enthusiasm of Welsh audiences and were particularly impressed by the venue itself, as general manager Sonya St-Martin explained.

"I think you have a very nice home for the arts - it's really gorgeous, pretty big and comfortable for the artists because the stage is so large and the technical help is fantastic," she said.