Circus! : /

I dragged Steve to a traveling circus in the outskirts of Otavolo.  I don't really much like circuses, but see them as providing interesting cultural insights --what amuses, what skills and talents are appreciated, what animals are engaged and how kindly, what foods are a part of the local scene, etc.  I have been thrilled in the past.  Not this time.  Steve dislikes circuses no matter what.

We arrived at 5 for the 4:45 kids show, content to miss some of it.  We were the first into the big top.  Sketchy seating.  We watched as stage hands assembled a rickety set of floor to ceiling poles for the first aerial act.

At 5:45, there were about 30 of us on the bleachers.  Loud music began, and about 10 minutes later the the first act -- dancing!.  The three "dancers" shimmied and shook their thonged bottoms.  For the kids show.

Pole tricks were next, with a group of four (aged about 20, 14, 12, 7?), in dirty pajama type spandex long johns.  They went up and slid down, mostly.  The 12 year old had presence.  No one was hurt.  Yay.

The aerialist appeared, one of the earlier dancers.  She ascended on her swing, tugging regularly on her costume, working to avoid malfunction.  No acrobatics, just tugging at her costume, then laying across the swing, do it again the other way.  Very hard to watch -- lacking athleticism, flexibility, artistic interpretation, but again, relief in a safe descent.  Almost no applause . . .  is that cultural?  Or an appropriate response?  May never know.

The pole and aerialist equipment pretty much dismantled itself, with the distraction of a clown act -- two guys kicking each other, poking fun of audience members -- including Steve, with his shiny pate, an extreme rarity among the locals.  Little laughter for any of it.

Then a guy with balance . . . his showmanship was strong; he was working it, and fell off a number of times, but walked away unhurt.

Then the animal acts.  A dog to pushing a little barrel with its front feet, and another jumping over a few low fences.  No applause.  Then out came a llama who was led around the ring on her knees  : (.  And then a goat who walked a little plank and was forced to turn around three times, shaking the entire time.  Aww.

We paid $4 pp for bleacher seats; the plastic lawn chairs were $5, and went unoccupied.

The food was mostly popcorn and sodas, although there were offerings of candied fruit and saltipapas, fries topped with a hotdog and squiggles of mayo and catsup.  The performers traded off, put on coats to disguise themselves as vendors before they went back for another act.  Clearly a small staff.

Performers' children sat in the bleachers, crowding in with us, shills asking for food and drink pretty constantly.

I guess I'm happy to have seen it, otherwise would wonder if it was awesome.  But it made me sad.  Probably should have followed Steve's  lead on this.