(Note: I use AI to help me translate my stories from Japanese to English.)
Have you ever been to a circus?
Until recently, I had never been to one. I had only seen circuses on TV. When a circus came to my town, I decided it was finally time to experience one in person.
A circus called POP CIRCUS came to my town for the first time.
The day was sunny and very hot. At first, I got lost and couldn’t find the circus venue, so I started to worry. After a while, however, I finally found it. I saw many people standing outside the huge tent.
I showed my ticket and entered the tent. There were several food stands selling French fries and hot dogs. I wasn’t hungry, so I didn’t buy anything and walked farther inside.
After going up the stairs, I saw the stage surrounded by rows of chairs. There were about 500 seats around the circular stage. I sat in the tenth row, which was close enough to see the performers clearly. I was excited.
There were about 400 people in the audience, and about one-quarter of them were children. They all looked excited and happy.
The tent was air-conditioned, so it was cool and comfortable despite the hot weather outside. Two children and their parents sat next to me. I waited eagerly for the show to begin.
Soon, three clowns appeared on the stage, and we applauded. However, they pretended to be unhappy because our applause wasn’t loud enough and walked off the stage. Everyone laughed.
A moment later, the three clowns came back. They waved at us again, but once again they acted as if our applause was too weak, became “angry,” and left the stage. I realized how funny clowns can be.
Finally, a woman wearing black pants and a red costume appeared. She looked confident and stylish. Although she was a foreign performer, she spoke Japanese fluently.
She said, “Thank you for waiting.”
Then the countdown began.
“10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1…”
“It’s showtime!”
Suddenly, many performers wearing beautiful, colorful costumes ran onto the stage and began dancing together. The entire tent instantly became bright, colorful, and full of energy.
Next, two performers swung high above the audience. As they flew through the air, they came close to where I was sitting, and I was amazed.
The performance was so colorful and beautiful that I was completely overwhelmed. Compared with my ordinary daily life, they seemed to shine brilliantly.
The circus lasted for about two hours, and around 30 performers from many different countries appeared.
One performance featured three jugglers. They skillfully kept several clubs—similar to bowling pins—in the air without dropping them. While juggling, one of them even changed his clothes.
Their movements were so fast that they looked superhuman. I couldn’t help laughing, and I was amazed by what people can achieve through years of practice. Watching them made me want to master a skill like that someday.
Next, five girls from a Chinese acrobatic team appeared. They rode very tall unicycles while balancing bowls on their heads.
Then they placed one bowl on the toes of their right foot, kicked it high into the air, and caught it perfectly on top of their heads.
I was astonished. I couldn’t imagine doing something like that, even if I practiced for many years.
Another breathtaking performance was called Aerial Sword Balancing.
A performer held a sword in her mouth, and several glasses were balanced on the tip of the sword. She kept them perfectly balanced while moving around the stage. At one point, she even performed upside down.
There was also a performance called African Hand Voltage by performers from an African circus school.
About seven performers created incredible acrobatic formations using only their bodies. In one act, two performers formed a human table with their hands while another performer stood on top and performed a backflip.
The most thrilling performance was the Death Wheel.
There was a huge machine with two large wheels attached to both ends of a long rotating arm. It was about 20 meters long.
The machine rotated like a giant Ferris wheel, but much faster. One performer ran inside each wheel, just like a hamster running inside a wheel.
Then, suddenly, one performer climbed outside the wheel and began walking along its outer edge. It looked incredibly dangerous, and the audience screamed. It was so frightening that I could hardly watch.
I couldn’t believe my eyes. He was running around the outside of the wheel without wearing a safety harness. It was like someone running on the outside of a fast-moving Ferris wheel.
Then he put on a mask that completely covered his eyes and continued walking on the outside of the wheel. If he had fallen, he could have been seriously injured. The audience screamed even louder. I had never seen such a thrilling performance before.
Then, while still wearing the mask, he even jumped rope on the outside of the wheel.
I couldn’t believe it. At one point, he briefly lost his balance, and everyone gasped. My heart was pounding.
The final performance was the trapeze.
I had seen trapeze acts many times on TV, but this was my first time seeing one in person.
There were four performers using two swinging trapezes. One performer hung upside down from the left trapeze while another swung from the right. At just the right moment, the second performer let go and flew through the air.
The upside-down performer caught him perfectly by the wrists. After swinging together for a moment, he released him again, and the flyer grabbed the opposite trapeze before returning to his starting position.
Then one performer wore a mask that completely covered his eyes and repeated the same act. When he returned to the platform, he almost fell. The audience screamed in shock.
I had no idea that watching a circus could be so much fun. I went alone, but I think it would be even more enjoyable to watch it with family or friends. The ticket was a little expensive, but it was definitely worth the price.
Watching a circus in person was completely different from watching one on TV. When I was there, I felt as if I were part of the performance. On TV, however, I always feel like I’m just watching from far away.
After seeing all those incredible performances, I started thinking that I also want to master a skill. Since I’m passionate about English, I want to become truly fluent someday.
If you ever have the chance to see a circus in person, I highly recommend it.