Cirque sous la plouie

Yep. The circus was in town this weekend. How stoked was I?

So stoked.

Why? I'm not entirely sure.

Maybe because Trent and I just watched Water for Elephants - which actually isn't designed to make you fall in love with the circus... but it did somehow invoke some sentimental attachment to it and desire for the charm and enchantment.

Or maybe just because every time I hear a circus is in town I really want to go check it out and it's just one of those things that I'm going to keep wanting to do until I do.

So when I drove past the big top on my way home from a rugby game last Thursday, I was so excited - seriously, still, no real clue why. The circus is in town! I rushed home to tell Trent... and let's just say he wasn't nearly as enthused as I was...

That didn't stop me though, I got together a couple girls to go with me and Trent went and hung out with the boys. It worked out much better this way.

I realized beforehand that it probably wasn't going to live up to my childhood dreams (because I haven't been to the circus since I was very very little and it's really just developed as a fantasy in my mind of it's wonder), but at the same time, I just wanted to go be a kid and go to the circus!

It was raining. Hence the sous la plouie.

Some of the acts were pretty entertaining, but most of them started out really good and then just went on that couple minutes too long, or they were decent but then finished with a great punch line or trick. I didn't take pics of the crazy clown diver guy, or the horses, the dogs, or the other clown acts, but here's a look at some of the tricks...

Overall I was enjoying myself. The 30 min intermission was a little excessive, but I guess they wanted to give us plenty of time to spend our money on treats and toys and to ride the elephants (total waste of money ps.)

But who doesn't love to see the elephants at the circus?

I felt bad for the kids that had to go home at intermission (it was 8:30 already though, bedtime), because the second half was what made the show worth it. The final act was phenomenal. The ring leader himself was the dare devil.

He starts out running inside this ring as the entire apparatus spins in the air. No strings or harnesses attached ladies and gentlemen.

Then he steps it up a notch and gets on the outside of the ring.

He just kept stepping it up. He juggled. He juggled with fire.

Then he busts out a skipping rope - which he almost killed himself with. The first time he went to skip, he caught his leg and tripped himself and fell and had to grab the wheel. It was crazy. But that didn't deter him, no, he didn't throw the rope away and say screw that (like I would); he got back up and skipped. Crazy man.

The video shows some tricks and stuff he was doing inside the ring, but you should have seen him finish off just running around the outside and jumping and diving and doing tricks. It was like he was suspended in the air for a moment and then gravity caught him back up to the spinning wheel.

It was insane. So many gasps and yells and hands slapped over mouths. I loved it.

I love the circus.