Yes indeed, Siena. Attending Cirque Du Soliel at such an early age was exciting, but attending her first Ringling Brothers circus at a little older age, where a lot of it made sense was really exciting. As a last minute thought Lisa and I decided to catch the last show before they packed up the train and went north. So, on a sunny Sunday afternoon we headed for the Honda Center.
We got there early and got down on the circus floor for the preshow. There Siena had the chance to meet some clowns. She didn’t really like any of them. I would be skeptical of men in make-up with red noses too. Then the stilt walkers came out, some 20 feet up in the air. Siena wasn’t so afraid of these guys and they readily took her off my shoulders and posed for pictures with her, yes 20 feet up in the air. While Siena didn’t seem to mind, Lisa explained to me if I ever gave her child to a man on stilts again it would be a mistake. Being in a crowd with so much to see had Siena’s little head on a swivel. Once the painting elephant and the trapeze artists finished, we moved on to our seats and the show.
Since it was Siena’s first circus we bought seats that got us out on the floor during the show to be part of the circus. When I was a kid my parents did this for me too, (although I don’t think they paid extra, I think we just had good enough seats to get picked from the crowd or dad tipped the usher). Either way it was fun. So, it made perfect sense to do it for my little girl.
Somewhere mid-show we got to head out onto the floor. Of course Siena didn’t realize she was supposed to just sit and watch, she thought it was play time and off she went every chance she could get. Luckily she is cute, so all the performers looked out for her and played with her. Ladies and gentlemen we are proud to present in the center ring and any other ring she can get at, Siena.
I think the acts going on while we on the floor were pretty good, but I mostly remember watching Siena. She was mesmerized by the elephants, intrigued by the tigers and mildly amused by the llamas. The rest of the show was good as well and then we visited the elephants outside before they left.
Funundrum was a good show. Jonathan Ives was the ringmaster, a talented singer we had seen 10 years ago in his first season with the circus. The circus was the way I remember it when I was kid. Maybe that is because I was looking at it through a child’s eyes once again.
