The last time I went to the circus was when I was seven years old. I think that's almost when everyone goes, unless they're parents with their own seven year olds. Well, that's wrong. Believe me now when I say that the Big Apple Circus is truly fun for all ages. After all, if a jaded college guy can love it, so can you.
The Big Apple Circus celebrates its 20th anniversary this summer -- it was founded in 1977 by Dartmouth alum Paul Binder '63. It's grown from a tiny operation to one of the best circuses in the world. With more skill and humor than the Ringling Brothers and less artsiness than the Cirque du Soleil, Big Apple delivers on old-fashioned fun.
The circus never fails to put a smile on people's faces. From the first glimpse of the big top, kids (and me) light up. The men and women of the Big Apple Circus are incredible showmen. The show kicks off with a pitch-black tent and a smoke-filled ring. Ghost-white horses filter out from the giant arch of the big top while eerie music plays. The audience is completely hushed. Then acrobats, dancers and one particularly talented clown enter, beginning two-and-a-half hours of nearly nonstop action.
The circus seems principally to be an exhibition of abilities which no ordinary human being should have. It's an unending chorus of "oohs" and "aahs" for your average audience member. The Big Apple has it all, from tumblers to trapeze artists, elephants to a woman who can do a one-handed handstand on top of a man standing on the shoulders of another man.
The elephants are truly amazing. Just seeing elephants here right outside our very own town of Hanover is shocking enough, but to see elephants that can dance better than me is truly flabbergasting. The elephants prance around the ring, kicking their legs to the beat. Acrobats vault over three at a time without batting an eye. The highlight comes when the biggest of them all gets in the middle and actually gets down to a hip-hop tune. Truly, it has to be seen to be believed.
Equally remarkable are the aerial artists. The first act is a female contortionist high above the ground in a small ring. She contorts herself in more directions than I can properly describe, all without the security of a net. The trapeze swinging foursome is just as astonishing. One guy spends the entire set swinging on an opposite trapeze, catching every person who flies his way. The other three spend their time on the platform coming up with more and more ridiculous ways to fly over there. One man does a triple flip on the way over. A woman rides her trapeze holding on only by one foot.
The best part of the show came near the very end (naturally). They had a juggler beyond all jugglers. He began with bowling pins, pretty pedestrian. By the end, he was juggling with ping pong balls using only his mouth and sombreros with his head. The speed and skill of this man are superhuman.
But when it's all over, the memories you'll take home from the Big Apple Circus are the laughs and the total vacation from the problems of an increasingly complex life. It's a complete escape from your everyday worries and a return to a more innocent time. So eat some cotton candy, chug some overpriced Coca-Cola and "ooh" and "ahh" for a while. It'll do your soul some good. The Circus will be here until Sunday.
