Circus Tricks

"Respite" - Phase 4

colored pencil drawing

18 x 20"

On Thursday night, we took our 9 year old son and 6 year old granddaughter to see "Corteo" which is a Cirque de Soleil show. As usual, their productions are amazing, breathtaking and utterly a joy. As an artist, it is almost overstimulating to take in all of the costumes, set designs, colors, musicians, singers, acrobats, and actors. You could probably see one of their shows several times and see something new each time. For as much as I enjoyed seeing it, I'm sure the kids were mesmerized.

However....some of the acrobatic stunts (which were wonderful) also may give impressionable children several ideas. We threatened them with everything short of calling the police if they tried any of these:

1. There was a very tiny, tiny woman (I think the politically correct term is Little Person) who was harnessed into some extremely large helium balloons (think of each balloon as the size of a VW bug). She was then bounced around the audience like a beach ball at a rock concert. No kidding.

2. A troop of very talented, extremely fit, and very well practiced acrobats did a series of tricks jumping on beds. With much flipping, flying and landing without a scratch. What every child wants (and tries) to do at least once in their life, and if lucky, only wind up with a sore behind and not a broken arm.

3. Four extremely fit and beautiful young women (in garters and stockings, not that my husband noticed THAT) performed some incredible, high overhead stunts on some oversized chandeliers. They hung by their toes...without a net. No kidding.

4. An extremely fit and beautiful young couple performed high, overhead stunts on a couple of ropes. They, too, performed without a net, which we, at this point, were kind of getting inured to, until she hung upside down and he held on to nothing but her ponytail. No kidding.

So now I am waiting for the day when the I see our granddaughter sailing over the backyard suspended by six helium balloons probably where she has just been launched by her uncle from our second floor deck..... Thank God we don't have a large chandelier.