The Greatest Show On Earth

Dan and I went to see the circus last night (I've finally found a man that loves the Greatest Show On Earth as much as I do... Yay!!) and had a spectacular time. We rushed home from work and to the venue because there was an "Animal Open House" before the show and we wanted to see the elephants up close (see pic below).

Overall, the show was very good. This year Ringling Bros. ditched the 3-rings and opened everything up. Instead of having competing events going on at the same time, there was a rolling succession of large-scale events that made up the two-hour production. There was also a live brass band which definitely beat the canned cheesy pop score from the past few years.

Some Highlights: We saw a juggling corps do an amazing routing with hundreds of yellow hats. We also saw a group of men and women acrobats perform Cirque du Soleil-style on long red silk scarves... quite beautiful.

The elephants were grandiose and lovely, as always. Much to Dan's (and my) disappointment, however, there were not lions or tigers.

One of my favorite segments, the dogs, was a bit strange this time around. In the past, this circus has done some great routines with shelter dogs-turned-circus-stars. This year, the dogs were an odd mix of purebreds led by a woman called Madame Shamsheeva... and I'm not kidding, we think she was a man. She had gigantic boobs, was decked out in a long, bright red wig, crazy high-heeled boots, and a very "concealing the lower front of her body" - type sparkly dress getup. I wish I had a decent picture of her because I think you'd all agree there was something a little off there...

Overall, the show was a little light on the animals for my liking, but still the splendor that is the circus. I wolfed down my customary box of popcorn and cheered loudly for the acts and the main star of the show this year, Dan (he was the little boy that according to the story, was trying to "find his place" within the circus...). I found it oddly funny that I was at the circus with Dan cheering for Dan!















Ladies flying on silk scarves...
















Circus love!