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THE last time I attended a circus was on a field trip during my days as a student at The Indian School Bahrain. I remember quite vividly the massive tent, the caged lion show and the slapstick clowns. I also remember how scared I was that one of the flying trapeze artists might slip off the rope and land on my head.

Fifteen years later, as I approached the circus tent in Zinj I fully expected to be greeted by noisy families, food hawkers, toy sellers and cotton candy stalls.

Instead, 30-minutes before the start of the show, the area remained quiet and quite barren apart from a scattering of cars parked by students from a neighbouring university.

We wandered backstage and spotted a Russian acrobat performing stretching exercises and a clown painting his face. The caged animals, including lions and a tiger, looked anything but ferocious.

After we spoke to the artistes briefly, we walked around to our seats in readiness for the action.

GulfWeekly Photographer Jayson De Leon and I remained alone until two families with children arrived shortly before the show was scheduled to start. Organisers waited a further half an hour to see if more folk would come, but their wait was in vain.

But the show must go on ... and on it did with lights flashing, music blaring and the small crowd waiting in eager anticipation.

The first act, Russian Sveta, did not disappoint. She performed stunning swirls on a blue cloth tied from the roof.

Next came Zakhir Hussain, who ran in to the arena with vigour and enthusiasm. He wowed us by rolling three different objects using his feet, held high up in the air.

Then came Dima, the clown, a hit with parents and children alike thanks to his cute smile. Six-year-old Jawaher Kazim, sitting to my right, was peeling with laughter at his innocent stupidity. I confess, I laughed too.

Rope walker Vladimir was next and came in trying to juggle rings, followed by resting a couple of baskets on top of his head.

Next came Ira, the snake charmer from Ukraine, who danced into the limelight in her white dress, holding a huge, lazy, yellow python, which looked more interested in catching a nap than performing.

Svelte Sveta performed an amusing three-legged 'Chihuahua' act before Zakhir Hussain returned as a daredevil jumping through a ring of sharp knives and fire. His oozing confidence was wasted on the inaudible claps he received from the meagre audience.

Clown Dima popped into the rink to juggle and draw! He drew a picture of little Jawaher and her brother Abdulla. I was so amused that I requested one for myself for which he obliged - I now posses my first ever caricature, drawn by a Russian clown.

The show ended with the lions and the tiger. Once the area was secured with metal gates, the trainer jumped in wearing a shimmering black outfit and whipped his cane on the ground.

The big cats, with their droopy, sad eyes jumped through hoops, on stalls, through a ring of fire and even played dead.

This wasn't how I expected it to end. Instead of adding a thrill factor the animals dampened our spirits.

Show review - Shilpa Chandran