Wednesday, September 28, 2011

More is More Mom: An Afternoon with the Universoul Circus; the Greatest Show on Earth!





By Vanessa Nunley


As the More is More Mom®,


I’m all about…….more going to the Universoul Circus! Ladies and gentleman, boys and girls, friends of all ages, step right up to see the greatest show on Earth! Sunday, Amanda and I had a little adventure; we attended the Universoul Circus in Washington Park. While on the road, we may have fought off Bears fans heading to Soldier’s Field, we most certainly got the better end of the deal (the Bears suffered a devastating loss to the Green Bay Packer’s. Ouch!).
When I was a little girl, I fondly remember my parents taking me to the see the spectacle that was the circus; the ringmaster dressed in his shiny red jacket with a black top hat and lapels. There were clowns with their whacky antics, tigers, elephants, acrobats, tightrope walkers and trapeze artists, like the Flying Wallenda’s.
While my pal’s have enjoyed the spectacle of the Ringling Brother’s & Barnum and Bailey Circus, their generation is much more familiar with the music, artistry and daring acts of the likes of Cirque De Soleil. I was really excited to take Amanda to the Universoul Circus; the perfect blend of old and new.
One of the things I loved the most was that the circus was actually under the big top; a great big tent in the middle of the park. Even though the surroundings were a throw back to yesteryear, the upbeat tempo of the show was anything but. Instead of a boring and staid ring master, the master of ceremonies was the lively and entertaining Tony Tone, who kept the show rolling through costume and set changes with his humor, singing and fabulous dance moves.
We sat in awe (and mock terror) as we watched the tightrope walkers make their way; dancing, bike riding, walking two-men high and then three-men high across the rope. Our hearts were in our mouths as one of the fellas leap frogged over another two, landing perfectly on that wee, little tiny rope. Wow! And we thought the balance beam looked hard.
This circus has everything, but with soul and style. To the smooth sounds of Luther Vandross, there was Jean Claude who performed stunts of amazing strength, artistry and elegance. In a giant sphere, there were 4 motorcyclists riding round and round (and upside down, rockin’ to the rhythm of the funky sound) and Chinese acrobats on bicycles hand-standing, arabesque-ing, leaping from bike to bike, all whilst the girls were cycling around and around in a fast circle. The circus just wouldn’t be complete without leaping and dancing tigers and beautiful and majestic elephants.
While the entire show was great fun, my absolute very favorite part was the Zhukau Acrobats; a kind of Michael Flatly, Lord of the Dance, meets strong man tumbling sensations. Swinging from pendulums, these fellas performed heart-pounding, death defying acts; twists, flips, triple backs and triple fronts with a half twist. Fortunately, Amanda knew exactly what they were up to.
What a completely unexpected treat; an afternoon full of funk, soul, daring acts, and entertainment with my favorite gal, all thanks to the Universoul Circus! If you get a chance, you can check them out at
http://www.universoulcircus.com/


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