QUEEN OF THE ROLLER DERBY

Possibly a last pic from Circus Flora, pending what happens at today's No Kings demonstration in downtown St. Louis. It’s hard to see at this resolution, but there is a sturdy strap around the man’s neck that wraps low on the back of the woman’s head. I was able to use a fast shutter speed to freeze this but just looking at it was a blur. 

This afternoon should be interesting.                   

NO NET

America’s first family of acrobats and aerialists, The Flying Wallendas, joins Circus Flora every June. The act included both a generation older and younger than what we see here. Rough estimate is that these three were +/- 30 feet / 10 meters off the floor, with nothing but their skill to protect them.

I need to do at least one more day of circus images. There are No Kings rallies planned in every city in the U.S. on Saturday, and I plan to cover the one in downtown St. Louis.                   

DOGS AND FRISBEES

One of the reasons we go to Circus Flora year after year is because granddaughter Ellie loves animals (particularly her somewhat indolent tabby cat, Gizmo). Whether it’s dogs, horses, goats, rabbits or you name it, she loves them all. I’ve seen dogs catching frisbees before, but never with such choreographed precision.                        

 

FREE DIVER

That’s what the image makes me think of, someone floating through the deep blue without a mask and tank. She performed a ballet in three dimensions, emphasizing the vertical.                    

ARC SEGMENTS

The circle, gentle arc and lines in this picture make me think of high school geometry class. Of course, this is a bit more interesting and, by definition, there weren’t any girls in my boy’s Catholic school.                           

LEVITATION

Or close to it. I can’t imagine the strength, balance and coordination (not qualities I am known for) it takes to do this. At some point the performer was straight up on his hands with his legs perpendicular to his spine. Stunning.                   

THE CIRCUS IS IN TOWN

One of the nice things about St. Louis is that we have our own resident circus company, Circus Flora. Last night was opening night. Dad and all four grandparents took Ellie the kid, who can’t get enough of this stuff. One of the acts was this young group of tumblers and acrobats known as the St. Louis Archers. More to come.