The circus without a clown

Posted on May 8, 2005

Just came back from the circus. But not just any circus, no, this time I went to see a Chinese circus.

For the first time in a long, long time I’ve felt like a child. I caught myself gazing at what was happening in the ring, jaw ajar and eyes wide open so many times during the show I just couldn’t believe it.

For three years I’ve been trying to go and see this circus and there was always some thing or other that got in the way, but this year Tuxa and I decided to just go and the only thing I can say about it is that I feel really stupid about not having gone before.

I really enjoy the circus and every year I at least go to the Christmas circus, but from now on it will be very difficult to ever again face the “eastern” circus the way I’ve always done. The fact is that apart from the “Cirque Du Soleil” nothing comes close to this. Not even remotely! (And the “Cirque Du Soleil” is a different kind of show anyway so the only possible comparison is in the spectacularity of each show).

And the best part of the chinese circus is that there are no clowns and no animals! Hurray for that!!

I won’t go into much detail because today was a rather long day and I’m really tired, but I just want to relate the following story: we ran into an old friend of Tuxa’s at the circus and after the show we talked for a few minutes before the cold drove us away. One of his remarks about the show went something along these lines –“Well, now we know what the Chinese do with at least some of the many superb athletes they have, which don’t make it into their olympic teams”.

Yes, it really is that good.