On Friday, I went to my first ever Cirque du Soleil experience: Kurios.
I don’t know if I’ve ever really thought about going to Cirque du Soleil before, but when we saw the ads for this new one, Ro pointed out that if I was ever going to go, it would be to the steampunk inspired show. So we did! We had great seats – side stage, row D – so we were really close. For the most part, it’s easy to follow along with what’s going on on-stage, though, like all productions, it can be distracting if there are other characters in the background and you can’t decide where to look. There were many different acts, but I can’t decide which one was my favourite. The opening was, of course, very fun because it (literally) set the stage for what was to come. The invisible circus was hilarious, especially when -MINI SPOILER ALERT- Felipe the invisible lion escaped and ran down the aisle. I’d probably have to say the upside-down dinner party – I didn’t even notice them setting up the upside-down table until the lights brought it to my attention. That was the other thing: these acrobats moved so fast. It was incredible to see how quickly they could move from one position to another, both in terms of how fast they could twist their bodies around and how fast they could get from one side of the stage to the other. 
The act that I thought was the most mind-blowing was the contortionists. HOW IS IT PHYSICALLY POSSIBLE TO BEND YOUR BODY LIKE THAT? I can’t even touch my toes without bending my knees (don’t judge, I’m working on it). 
One thing we didn’t count on: the stress of watching people catapult themselves across a stage without safety nets/harnesses. Yes, it was fascinating, but every time someone leaped through the air, we both cringed as they dropped down to the stage. Of course, they were always caught, but there were some moments – for example, when three guys were standing on top of each other’s shoulders and a fourth guy was tossed on top of them – where there was some staggering and swaying and genuine looks of alarm. I don’t know if that was part of the show, to make it more visibly death-defying, but it was a little scary. I didn’t know what to expect going in, but I really enjoyed it. It’s amazing what people’s bodies are capable of with the right training and a good dose of flexibility.
bellsiebooks 
I wonder if the slightly old-fashioned nature of the circus attracts its creators to the steampunk aesthetic. I’ve only been to one circus in recent years, can’t remember the name, but that too had a slightly steampunk aesthetic and certainly would have fitted into any steampunk story.
Thanks for reading and commenting! Steampunk and circuses do seem to go very well together, don’t they? I tend to associate steampunk with magic and there’s a definitely a magical element to circuses (a fantastic (fictional) example would be Erin Morgenstern’s The Night Circus).