The Cirque d'Hiver in Paris is considered one of the oldest, if not the oldest, active circus in the world. Some say it's only the oldest circus venue, since it has hosted many different kinds of performances over the years. So technically, it's not just one circus. But you get the point, it's old.
The past weekend, I attended Spectaculaire, the circus currently showing. What can I say? Going to the circus is amazing. It's real human beings doing amazing things, the sort of things we mostly see in videos or movies these days. It actually reminded me of The Greatest Showman, one of my favourite movies.
The experience of being there in person is so different though. Watching a circus movie is like stimulating a tiny part of your brain; seeing it in person stimulates your whole body.
On the seat next to me was a mom with her baby. Every time a new part of the show began, the baby got so excited. You could observe that full-body stimulation happening in real time. Compare that to babies looking at a screen, they seem lifeless, hypnotized.
A reminder to my future self: go to the circus, especially when you have kids.
