For over 130 years the Ringling Brothers, Barnum and Bailey have been putting on the greatest show on earth. And this past week, January 5-9 they put on another magnificent show, Fully Charged at the St. Pete times forum.
Barnum and Bailey think everyone should be able to attend at least one of their stupendous shows at least once in their lifetime, so they hand out tickets to participating hospitals around the country for doctors to hand to their patients when they have a baby, which they can choose to use at any point in their lifetime.
This show is something you don’t want to miss! First the clowns come out pitting on a performance you will want to live to tell about. They dance to music that people actually listen to on a daily basis and juggle while standing on top of a horse. Then the elephants put on a show of their own! Who knew elephants could dance on 2 legs and stand on their heads? Barnum and Bailey never take animals out of the wild. They are all raised and trained from when they are born, right out of captivity. If they don’t meet all the standards that are required to perform in the circus, they are kept in an elephant sanctuary right here in Polk County. This consists to around 200 elephants.
After their 20 minute break that allows you to quench your thirst with $5 bottles of water and $9 lemonades or to buy $12 cotton candy and $10 pop corn, the tigers are let out of their cages and into the ring. They have to walk through a tunnel and into an enclosed ring so that they aren’t tempted to escape. There is then 14 tigers in a cage with one man. The tigers may be trained but are still vicious animals and can attack at any moment. They only listen to their trainer and no other person is allowed in there with them at that time. One wrong move and good bye lion tamer. The tamer gets the tigers to jump in-between his leg while he stands on his head. After the tigers are out for a reasonable amount of time, they are released back into the tunnel and the next performers are out and about. Acrobats, more elephants, and trapeze artists fill the arena.
For the last event, the acrobats do things that all the best gymnasts wish they could do. Flips, Handsprings, and moves like no other. 10 in a row down a long mat would defiantly make me dizzy but they do it no problem. Then they plan basketball while standing on trampoline stilts, something that would be on every kids Christmas list.
This show is amazing, fantastic, and out of this world! Next time the circus is around, it’s most defiantly something you’ll want to attend.