The Circus came to town again! This time, I followed the lead of my intrepid friend Tracy and took my kids out of school. The three boys goto three different schools on three different buses, so it took a while to coordinate having them not there one day — but we succeeded!

The Big Apple Circus is playing at Dulles Town Center. It is a one ring circus that alternates clown acts and acrobatic acts. The acrobatic acts were amazing! Trapeze artists, a ballerina who danced on her partner’s head, a team of jugglers who juggled on each others shoulders and traded off who was doing the juggling mid-juggle. Another fellow tossed a Chinese vase around and balanced it on his head!!!  Then there were horses and trick riding. And dozens of other wonders.

The clowns were mildly amusing, though I was quite amused by one skit. A fellow in argyle socks (not only argyle socks carried this fake man in a top hat around several times. Then, he came and put him down in the ring…only now it was a real man who moved like a music box doll. It was very well done.

I make a point when I go to the circus with the kids of oohing and ahhing at the appropriate moments and of gently pointing out how astonishing what we are seeing is. The children see so many fantastic things, they sometimes don’t realize how difficult acrobatics is! Since my boys had all done gymnastics, I was able to remind them of experiences of their own. (“Remember how hard it was to stand up on the balance beam? She’s doing that on a rope!”

Juss loved the acrobatics, the “cool and awesome” parts of the show. He did not care for the clowns. Orville’s favorite parts were “the funny parts.” Which shows that this circus picked a good formula when they mixed the two. I don’t know what the Cherubim thought, but he watched the acrobats with laughing delight. He, too, used to take gymnastics.

And then there was lemonade (which Juss still likes because of drinking it here last year), popcorn, cotton candy and hot dogs. All the joys of circus food!

The lights, the color, the music, the action….what a time of wonder for all!