The circus is in town

The annual Oddfellows Circus has become a well-loved tradition in Middletown, CT.

Every year, the circus master, and several alumni instructors spend months teaching a large group of kids, the skills of old-school circus performance. Tumbling, stilt-walking, juggling, acrobatics, clown comedy, dancing. And in these months, the students build sets, construct props, learn routines and walk away with skills that are essential to life - juggling, tumbling, acrobatics, stilt-walking, dancing and clown comedy.

This year's event, Circus Reversus, was a delightful set of routines reflecting on the idea of what would happen if things were the opposite of what we expected. Which, of course, is the nature of things.

It was a steamy evening, but the energetic performances by the circus actors, and the band (who performed everything from classical music to the Beatles, "Day in the Life") brought a breath of fresh air to a little corner of Middletown, and left the audience shouting for more "Circus."