narrative

Ted's Observations:

There were NO animal acts. I think those protesting the harsh training of animals caused the circus to stop using animals.

There were many people, gymnast, trapeze artists, contortionist, bike racers, lady shot from cannon, 100 feet to huge air bag to catch her.

On the sloped side to the center or 3 rings, were huge panels, maybe 12 foot wide, 8 feet tall. They were huge screen. They showed different things in these screen, various narratives, or graphics, live & or recorded video - close ups of stunts & people at different parts of the stage.

The center round stage was elevated about 4 feet above the main floor.

It was composed of several rings. A ring could rotate carrying performers as it rotated.

Parts of the stage were removable to let it other props. One prop was a small stage on scissors. It could be raised 10 feet above the main stage, heightening those performing on that elevated stage & increasing their danger, for their height.

Trapeze artist did many tricks requiring split second timing to jump from one trapeze to another, doing single, double, and maybe triple flips as they leap from one trapeze to another performer dangling form his trapeze. Twice the performers missed and fortunately fell in to a safety net below.

I was fascinated with the big screens. There may have been 8 such panels sloped up to the main center ring stage.

Not only could those panels show graphics, photos, they could project live video of events on going in other part of the arena.

There were 2 rolling with metal assemblies. As they rotate, the performers could run & jump on the inside or the outside of the 7 foot cylinders at each end.

Ultimately the performers working on the outside, could take huge leaps down to the structure moving away from them.

They had control of our theater. They could make the whole room (200 feet ? long) all dark with a few spot lights, or fill the room in red hue or other lighting.

There may have been 200 ? special spot lights in the gantry, the metal structure hanging from the ceiling. Some one some where must have controlled which lights were on at which time, a complex job to manage.

In past circuses, I saw different events in each of the 3 ring circus. As the even in each varied in time, some band, some drummer some where, up high, viewing the entire floor would know when to do a drum roll, predicting some event, then clang his rings or clappers at the moment each event independently mobilized.

This year was a circus of people performing, and vast array of quick assembly & dismount equipment.

Did they have $ 100,000 or $ 200,000 of special unique electronic equipment, lights, props ?

What a magnificent show.

Some times when the room was almost totally dark, for effect, you felt isolated, anxious to what might happen next.

In culmination of some events, great flames shot into the air. I'd guess there was a natural gas feed, and a continuing pilot light or electronic spark.

Such brief torches were about 50 feet form where we Stamp, autograph, thumb print.* but we could feel a blast of heat when ever these flames shot forth.

You can see in the photos, many different spot lights, stage lights. What a difficult thing to plan, set up, aim and illuminate or extinguish all the 100s of variable lights involved in the presentation.

A colorfully costumed woman, with black curly hair was the MC in between & introducing new acts.

Stunning was the ability of the acrobats, gymnasts, performers to bend, twist & balance their bodies. One group formed 3 levels of their team, standing on the shoulders of each. Then those on 2^nd row on end flipped a jump rope. The jumpers were 2 people high, one on the shoulders of the other, yet still jumping the rope without mistake and seeming of little care or anxiety. That performance seemed to be to be impossible to do.

The whole environment could change quickly from full room & stage lights, back to haunting still darkness awaiting the dynamic entry of another team of performers.

One clown pedaled atop a bike extended 35 feet high. There may have been a safety rope on the cycler & the bike. If it fell out of control it could harm of kill spectators in the audience.

Next we had gymnasts, cyclist jumping up, turning, flipping and catching the curve down ramp back to the floor. Many bikers jostled in the jumps, nearly entangling each other in the air.

Were there 100, or 200 performers ? Were there 2 to 30 people performing all at once ?

Clever were the illuminated hoops showing the tunnel thru which a woman was shot from a cannon to land on huge air bag 100 feet away. She passed us at about 40 or 50 feet above the floor.

Oh, the circus, what delight, excitement, what risk & danger, what strange & unusual events.

Where were the 10 fat clowns the climbed out of a tiny volks wagon ? Where were the dogs & monkey tricks, the stallions riding in formation and standing tall on back legs only ?

This was not like other circuses I've seen but it was all great fun. We were there at 11 am show on Saturday. It played in Charleston 4 times on this and former weekend. The stands seemed to be about 1/3 full. Tickets were $ 20 to $ 80. We had $ 40 seats, but saw empty seats closer to stage, so we moved up.

Having gotten there 15 minutes late, there were no ushers to guide us in that dark arena to our proper seats.

All about us we circus enthusiasts, waving their colorful lights & blowing continuous soap bubbles. I looked at the food offering in the concourse, but did not see anything I thought worth eating. Ho ho ho lol.