Vive La Cirque

I am not sure about you, but for weeks after I first witnessed a Ringling Brothers' Barnum and Bailey Circus, all I dreamt about was running away and being in the 'Circus'. I am not sure if it was the roar of the lion or the high flying antics of the trapeze artist, but something allured me to the razzle and dazzle of the big top. I tried tiredlessly to convince my mother to let me run away with them.

Maybe that's the reason why she never took me back to see another show.

That was then and this is now. No longer am I a snotty nosed toddler (although, some may think that I still act like one). If my heart's desire leads me to become a circus performer, than I better lace up my walkin' shoes and 'get to steppin'.

Since my mind's eyes does not want to follow in the footsteps of Siegfried and Roy, I guess I am going to have to settle for only a glimpse into the magical world of arcobatic mayhem. Good thing Cirque Du Soleil had pitched its big top here in the Queen City.

It's doubly lucky that I was given a ticket to one of their performances for my 28th B-day last month.

A little disappointed that I will not be able to see lions, tigers and bears at this circus, I was interested as to what I would actually be witnessing, so I did a little research.

Cirque de Soleil, based in Montreal (one of the best cities I have ever visited) has 7 shows which travel around the world. They each have a definite plot, with one offer up a story that celebrates life, offering a new way of looking at urban life. Amazing!

Not all of their shows are simple light hearted frolics through the woods.

Another one of the shows is more artistic, more open to the interpretation of the watcher. It takes the viewer into the lives of several people from different walks of life and shows us how they defy time and the circumstances effected by it.


The show that opened last evening here in Cincinnati is called 'Quidam', meaning anonymous. The following is a synapses of the show from their website:

Quidam: a nameless passer-by, a solitary figure lingering on a street corner, a
person rushing past. It could be anyone, anybody. Someone coming, going, living
in our anonymous society. A member of the crowd, one of the silent majority. The
one who cries out, sings and dreams within us all. This is the "quidam" that
Cirque du Soleil is celebrating. A young girl fumes; she has already seen
everything there is to see, and her world has lost all meaning. Her anger
shatters her little world, and she finds herself in the universe of Quidam. She
is joined by a joyful companion as well as another character, more mysterious,
who will attempt to seduce her with the marvelous, the unsettling, and the
terrifying.

Yep, does not look like I will get to see any lions, tigers or bears, but I think the abundant amount of men in tights will keep my mind occupied.