Media Event/ Shrine Circus

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You know summer is almost coming to an end when the Shrine Circus comes to town.

We have been going to the Shrine Circus now for almost five years give or take a few years. Michael loves going and he always has so much fun.

This year little did Michael know but he was going to be in for a surprise of his life. I was lucky enough to be contacted and get invited to the media event that was going to happen opening night. With this media access we were going to get to speak with the ring master, Richard Curtis and his wife, Kimberly and get a back stage tour.

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We were greeted at the entrance by Richard and Kimberly and the group proceeded inside the big tent. Did you know that the tent is hand stitched and that 216 pegs were drilled in to hold the tent? Alot of work goes into putting up the big tent and that everyone wears multiple hats. Richard said that along with being ring master that he does other work such as helping to  set up and even driving one of the 18 wheelers.

We also got to see Marie and Shelly get their pre-show baths.

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Shelly
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Marie

What beautiful elephants they were. They were so calm and well behaved. The both really enjoyed their pre-show showers.

The tour was quick because Kimberly and Richard had to get ready for the show but they were very gracious to answer any questions we might have had and posed for some photos with us.

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I was hoping to catch a better picture of Michael because he was thrilled when he found that we had ring side seats. We have never sat in that section before and always said next year we will do it and never did and I have to say that I think this will be our choice of seats when we go again. These are the best seats in the house even though every seat is good this is by far the best.

We managed to get a quick bite in before the show began and by this time we were really excited for the show to begin.

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The pop corn was delicious and also the caramel corn was to die for as well. Neither Michael or myself are big cotton candy fans so we didn’t get that. But I did hear that the nachos were delicious. hmm next time I plan on getting some of those.

Before the circus began there was elephant rides. Michael didn’t do that because will we were in line he told me his stomach hurt. Thankfully it wasn’t anything serious and he was just excited.

2087The show began with all the performers coming out to greet the audience and this is the first part of the circus.

The opening act was suppose to be the Human Cannonball with Saturn Garcis but due to technically difficult before hand he was unable to perform. Hopefully they will bring this act again.

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The first performers we saw were the Zamperla Zoppe. The horse was beautiful and Gino, Ernes and Nathaniel performed balancing acts, juggling, and so much more on horse back. It was amazing to watch then.

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One of all time favorites is always the Videla Family. They have been a part of the circus since we have been going. I believe Piolita is the dad. This is one of many of their acts.

 

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This was also included in this act and funny enough Piolita actually drove that little bicycle for a bit.

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If you follow me on twitter you might have seen my tweet about RRRR there are pirates in the building. These are a Zerbini family and they did sword balancing (which is being done in this photo), knife balancing, and juggling. Robert was amazing to watch.

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Gabriela took my breath away with her juggling. Juggling is one thing but add fire and it brings it to a whole other level.

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I was in total awe of watching Shelly and Marie do their act. They were so graceful. They are such beautiful animals. This was one of Michael’s favorite acts.

 

 

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I was hoping that I could have gotten some pictures of this act but with them moving the pictures came out blurry. This is the Videla Duo and they did an aerial act on this star. It was so beautiful to watch them perform above us.

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Another great act that left us speechless was the Dragomir Troupe from Romania. They did all kinds of jumping off of ladders on to see saws throwing the girls into the air and getting flying in the air. I am always amazed when they can balance poles on their heads and hold it.

The last act before intermission was Piolita and his company of clowns.

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During this act they grabbed four people of the audience to help them out. I think this is always the funniest act because you never know what they will do. They had the guys dancing around and yes they even did the YMCA. During this act Piolita and his son don’t speak but use whistles to communicate.

Michael laughed so hard during this performance. This is his all time favorite act.

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The last act before intermission is the Wheel of Destiny with Saturn Garcia. This is one of those acts that I literally watch through my fingers because I am covering my eyes up. My heart is always in my throat when I watch this. So much can go wrong in a split second.

We are now half way through the show and it was intermission time. During this time they were once again doing elephant rides, the kids could get their face painted, grab some snacks, grab some autographs, pictures  and run to the bathroom if needed.

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The Gino Brother’s returned this time they performed a comedy acrobatic table act. These guys were so funny  and you had no idea what was going to happen. I heard Michael laughing quite a lot during this performance.

 

 

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I have to say that I think the act of Gabriela Zerbini was my favorite of the night. The aerial cast came out at first and with the lighting it made it so beautiful. When Gabriela came out from her cast she was beautiful.

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I wish I could have gotten a better picture of Gabriela in the outfit below because under the lights its was beautiful. The orange just glistened. It was breathe taking. Her act was all aerial and I admit a few times I felt like I was covering my eyes.

 

 

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Sadly this picture doesn’t do the outfit justice but please take my word it was beautiful under the lights.

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The Videla family makes another appearance but this time as musical clowns and this was so much fun listening to them play.

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When the oldest son went to play on the keyboards I thought it was going to be this funny act but it wasn’t. This kid can sing and he did a beautiful job of it. I wish I could remember the songs he sang but I can’t. He rocked and that’s all I can really say.

 

 

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I managed to zoom in because Richard was in the back ground listening to him sing. Doesn’t this picture just show how proud he is of the act?

 

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You know the show is almost coming to an end when Ericka Zerbini comes out. This horse and pony were so cute. They were both so graceful and elegant. If I could I probably would have jumped into the ring just to pet them both.

This is the year of the horse and it was a tribute to that. After this act was done out came these beautiful horses.

 

 

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Its always a joy to watch these horse perform. I believe the horses range in age from 4 to 18 if I remember correctly. It was funny as they were performing there was one horse that would constantly try and bite the horse in front of him/her. Then at one point he/she seemed to get distracted on the far right of the ring. I was thinking that it was perhaps a light stick but not quite sure. They performed amazingly and Erika was a pleasure to watch. She was constantly smiling and beaming.

 

 

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We are now almost to the end of the show. The last act was once again Dragomir and they performed all kinds of acrobatics that had the crowd oohing and aahhing. It was so much fun to watch them.

 

 

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The end of the show brings out the entire cast to wave good bye for another year.

We had so much fun and I just want to quickly thank The Shrine Circus for inviting us to run away and join the circus for one night.

Thank you to the Zerbini Family for putting together such an amazing show and happy 251st Anniversary to you. Wishing you a happy anniversary and hears to another 251 years.

Thank you once again to Kimberly and Richard for giving us a sneak peek into what happens back stage at the circus. Hope to see you next year under the big top.

*Please note that I was provided tickets to attend the circus. These are my own personal thoughts and opinions and in no way was I influenced to write a positive review.*