The Universoul Circus is a Christian and black-focused circus that performs in Chicago and Philadelphia. It has been in Chicago’s Washington Park since October 4th, and it ends October 29th. I used to go to this circus every year, but have not gone for the past few ones. I went to the show on October 14, and here are my biggest take aways:

When my family and I first got there, we had to stand in a very long line that snaked through the outside of the park. It was very annoying because everyone in the line already had their tickets, so we did not want to wait 15 minutes outside in the rain to get in. There was not even any security checks, so I do not understand what took so long. The show started at 7:30, and they started right on time. The “Big-top circus,” is under a huge tent with risers and individual seats. The ticket people walked individual families to their seats, which was very helpful, especially because it was dark in there. The tent was a little hot and humid, but that is understandable given that it was hot and humid outside.

Opening:

The show opened with the Caribbean Dynasty troop. They were from Trinidad and Tobago and had stilt walkers, fire, and high energy: all that you could want in an opening. They were dressed in their ethnic, island wear and danced/performed to the indigenous music. They really pumped up the crowd and got them excited for the show. Next, the ringmaster, Lucky, who was from Johannesburg, and his assistant, “Z,” came out and introduced themselves. Throughout the show they were funny and were very interactive with the crowd. They brought up a total of around 20 audience members, of all ages, throughout the show.

Strongest Acts:

My favorite acts were the Bone Breakers, the Wheel of Death, and the African Dream Team. They all kept me on the edge of my seat because they were so cool and dangerous. The Bone Breakers were a contortion act. They twisted their bodies in so many different ways; they grossed out and enticed the crowd at the same time. The Wheel of Death, from Peru and West Africa, was a team of 3 performers who did crazy tricks on top of these spinning wheels high off of the ground. They would jump-rope on the wheels, and pretend to almost fall, causing every audience member to hold their breath in anticipation. The African Dream Team was an elevated gymnastics team. They performed with no mats, which made it the most nerve-racking performance. They did flips onto each other’s’ shoulders as well as a floating chair, and incorporated dance throughout their performance. Each of the performers had a level of dance in their act, and the style depended on where in the world the act was from. I was able to get a taste of places from all sides of the world.

Weakest Acts/Dislikes:

Overall, I thought the acts were pretty amazing. The first half of the show was very strong. The intermission, however, was entirely too long. It was about 40 minutes, and that is because they were doing elephant rides during this time. They allowed everyone who bought an elephant ride ticket to go, and it took forever. They should sell fewer of these tickets because an intermission should not be more than 20-25 minutes because then people lose focus and interest. Then, after the intermission, a performance needs to come back strong! The first act of the second half was so anticlimactic. It was these “chefs” miming a scene where they were fighting, and they added sound effects. It was supposed to be funny; however, I found it to be irritating. It might’ve been better if I was not already annoyed about the 40 minute intermission just before.

Overall, I thought the circus was really great. The acts and ringmaster made sure to interact with all of the different age groups there. I would recommend this show to people of any ages. There were so many different acts. I only described a few, but you just have to go and watch it to see for yourself. You can get tickets through Ticketmaster. Bring the whole family!