I think my little one was very serious about signing up for the circus when she informed me that she would be a tight rope walker. She told me not to worry there are nets below.
When I asked what I should be? She chose juggling for me. She even explained how sometimes they drop things to be funny. Nice of her to take into account that I can't juggle to save my life.
So we may not have ended up joining this year, but we did put on our clown noses and cheer on the performers from ringside. A three ring circus may be more spectacular, but The Big Apple Circus is charming because of its small size and how close everyone is the performers. We were very close!
When the horses came out and did their routine, I almost regretted our great seats. The saw dust was hitting us and my fear of very large animals with hard hooves had its moment. I'm always taken aback at how large horses are.
Another close encounter came when the dogs performed. At intermission I bought a hot dog and the woman serving it asked if she put too much stuff on it. I said it was okay. I'd manage, but that I'd be eating it in the front row under the spotlights. She laughed and warned me that the dogs were performing next. Back at our seats, I tried to finish my hot dog as quickly as possible without making a spectacle of myself. I tucked the empty box under my seat, but sure enough when the dogs made their way around the ring one paused near me and took a good sniff. I could see him thinking about investigating further, before continuing on. Luckily, he was well trained and all that was left of my snack was the aroma.
Being so close adds to the drama. It's amazing when a performance transports you with it beauty like the Desire of Flight aerialists. Being close also let's one see the small imperfections and the amazing effort that goes into the performances. When things go slightly awry, everyone gasps a little and the performers shake it off and keep on going. That's equally impressive.
