It actually wasn’t the first time I had been to see the Universoul Circus. The first time I went there was a tornado warning mid-way through the show, right after they had just loaded the lions and tigers into the cage in the center of the Big Top. The whole tent began shaking in heavy wind. Except for the nervous roaring of the imposing beasts in the ring about 20 feet away from us, you could hear a pin drop. Everybody was scared. It wasn’t long before the Ringmaster stepped forward to ask the audience to exit the tent in an orderly fashion. Always the nonconformist, I was never so anxious to obey another person’s orders in my entire life.
But this story isn’t about tornados. It’s about an elephant. A rather large, gentle, forlorn but accommodating elephant who became a magic carpet ride for dozens of eager kids (and a couple of fun-loving grown-ups). As I recall, my friend Cheri and I were the only two humans over 42 inches tall who rode the elephant. I recommend that more adults ride elephants. It’s a great stress-reducer!
The Universoul Circus is an amazing African-American influenced circus that still travels under a Big Top. Being a circus fan, the Big Top is what takes the circus-going experience to a whole new level. Seeing the big orange and blue tent from a distance in the Military Mall shopping center parking lot made my pulse race. Experiencing a circus in a tent isn’t all “nice and neat” like seeing it in an arena. There are smells. Unusual smells. Unusual smells emanating from unusual animals. There’s a certain immediacy to watching acrobats and daredevils perform right in front of you. What might seem dangerous 40 yards away suddenly becomes death-defying a mere 10 feet away. You come away with a whole new respect for the performers who do this every single day.
Universoul Circus, having been in existence now for over 15 years, has grown and expanded its schedule to include some 500 shows during its cross-country tour. With 75 performers, it has all the trademark circus elements: animals, acrobats, and clowns. But it’s different. There’s an intensity, a love of life that overwhelms all those inside the tent. It’s billed as “Hip Hop under the Big Top.” It’s alive. You fall under its spell and forget where you’re from and what color you are. You’re not just a spectator. You feel like a PART of the show.
As soon as I saw that they were giving elephant rides during intermission, I knew I had to ride. How many opportunities do you get to RIDE an actual elephant? My friend Cheri needed no coaxing. We sheepishly got up out of our seats and made our way to the line. Naturally, the line was forming on the OPPOSITE side of the ring. So, everyone in the entire tent, young and old, saw two grown circus nerds inching their way to the head of the line to plop down $10 each to ride a real live elephant. We dutifully stood behind a line of excited, squirming children. When our time came, we climbed up the steps to the loading platform.
Cheri “climbed on board” first. Fortunately I am fairly limber because it seemed like I had to stretch my legs EXTREMELY far apart to straddle that elephant. It was a gigantic elephant as far as elephants go. They strapped us in (well, sort of) and we began our slow and deliberate saunter around the circus ring. We both started waving at people we didn’t even know, like complete idiots. We were consumed by fame. Here we were, riding around on an elephant in front of a thousand people like actual circus stars.
That’s when it occurred to me that I had never touched an elephant’s bare skin. Would it be slimy? Hairy? Dry? Thick? As nonchalantly as possible, I reached my hand around and touched the elephant’s butt. Just a quick rub. When there was no reaction from the elephant, I became bolder and rubbed my hand all over the elephant’s rump. It felt sort of like rubbing my mom’s leather purse. But with wiry hair. The more I rubbed the more I noticed the elephant’s tail swishing me. Cheri deduced that the elephant thought I was an insect that he/she was trying to swat away. I think the elephant just got annoyed with me and wanted me to get my hand off its rear end. All the same, it felt weird, foreign, alive.
All too soon our ride seemed over before it even began. It was time to say goodbye to my new friend. I gave her one more swat on the rump. She gave me one more swat with her tail, and even turned her head to stare at me with an evil eye. I think she was glad to get rid of me.
As we walked back to our seats, I could sense that other audience members were whispering about us. Okay, we were a little old to be riding the elephant. But honestly, life is about experiencing new things. And in the end I felt vindicated. Cheri’s husband, Alfred (who is about as white a white boy as it gets) was selected to compete in the “Soul Train” dance-off later in the show. He out-danced everyone else (male AND female), and was an instant star. People were talking about how funny Alfred was as we left the Big Top. They even came up to us and congratulated him! Where I once felt mocked for indulging in a little childish fun by riding the elephant, I now felt empowered because I was with the new star of Universoul Circus.
I highly recommend Universoul Circus if it comes to your town. Even ride the elephant. You’ll be glad you did.
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