Growing up we sure have memories of getting excited about the Great Jumbo Circus or the Russian Circus coming to town and the thrills of going to watch them was indeed great. I guess more than anything else it was the tricks the animals performed which charmed us. Loved the clown with his wobbly red nose and the strict ring-master. But with time, I turned into a lil Maneka Gandhi boycotting circus and thus ended my visit to circuses. I don’t even remember my last visit to the circus…
And when I learnt that Cirque du Soleil (translated means circus of the sun) was in town I was quite excited and I could barely imagine a circus sans animals. We were at Sam Houston Race Park last night where Cirque du Soleil had set up their big top. The atmosphere was electric and as vibrant as I remembered from back home!
The Corteo was a festive funeral of a clown – the clown sans his red nose! Sort of a flashback into the clown’s life.. yes remember the tortoise coil spirals from the movies! the same! The music was vibrant and kept the theme and spirit of the show. The acts of the Corteo can be found here. My personal favorite is the Helium dance where Valentyna, a dwarf flies aided by 6 huge helium balloons, bouncing and laughing, she was so pretty!! R loved the Chandelier act the best… four women swinging on giant chandeliers! Impressive indeed! Another favorite was the juggling act.. defying gravity they juggled with hoops, clubs and rings.. an amazing display of juggling and aerobics. Yes the tightrope walker scared me. How does she do it?
It was indeed a memorable night but for the over-priced popcorn and drinks (a small tub of popcorn for $5.00 and a small drink for $5.75!!! day-light robbery!!). If there is a Cirque du Soleil performance near where you live do visit them! And as always do not support circuses that train wild animals.. bears, tigers, lions and all other animals and birds are better off in their own habitat.