Corteo

It’s been a few years since Marina and I attended a Cirque du Soliel show. So we were both excited to go to Corteo this evening. After I picked Marina up from school, we had dinner at home before heading out to the arena. We ran into some pretty awful traffic, but fortunately we had left early, so we arrived in plenty of time for the show. In the lobby we ran into a former coworker of mine who we talked to for a while.

Before taking our seats, we stopped to pick up popcorn and drinks. We had a good view of the stage. The past two shows I brought Marina to were inside a large tent in the parking lot. This show was actually inside the arena, so if didn’t feel as close as those others.

The performance started with aerialists performing on chandeliers. Marina loved that part. It also featured trampoline stunts, juggling and acrobats. It was a very strange storyline, but we enjoyed it. After it was over, we were both tired and fortunately we arrived home quickly.

Barnum

This afternoon we had tickets to see the musical Barnum at the Fine Arts Center in Colorado Springs. We ran into more traffic than we expected but we still arrived early for the show.

Since we were early, we spent some time looking at the display of “curiosities” from PT Barnum. Those were interesting, although some were kind of gross!

The theatre was decorated like a circus. There were colored lights strung over the audience and huge posters on the wall. The musicians we replaying circus music. It was a fun atmosphere. Fifteen minutes before the show started a group of actors came out and interacted with the audience.

The two little girls next to me had several actors show them card tricks. We enjoyed watching them.
Once the show started it was filled with acrobats, jugglers and other stunts. It was a great show and Marina loved it. Marina waved to an actress we know at the curtain call.

As we were leaving the theatre, Marina mentioned we never got to see the mermaid mentioned in the show. But when we got to the lobby, there she was! Of course we got a photo with her. We waited in the lobby for our friend and talked with her for a while. As we were talking, the actors who played PT Barnum and Jenny Lind came by. So we took photos with them as well. Traffic wasn’t as bad going home and we made good time back to Denver, arriving around dinner time.

Italian Festival

We had a good time at the Italian Festival last year, so Marina and I decided to go again this year. We decided to go to the festival late and have dinner there before the show.

When we arrived we caught the end of a circus show. Unfortunately they didn’t have any more performances for the day. But we did get a few photos with the performers. We shopped some of the booths. Marina loved looking at candles, cork art and accessories. We watched part of the flag throwing performance.

Marina was thrilled to see fried calamari for sale at one of the booths, so she picked that for dinner. I got an Italian beef sandwich. We sat down with our food and listened to a singer while we ate. Once we finished eating, it was time for grape stomping. Marina didn’t spend as much time on that as she did last year. When she finished, she wanted to watch a ventriloquist who was performing nearby.

We wandered around the booths again. Marina had a cotton candy flavored lollipop for dessert. I stopped to listen to a Frank Sinatra song and Marina petted a nearby dog. By that point, we were ready to go.

The Scottish Play

This evening, I was assigned to judge a production of Macbeth. I wasn’t sure this would be a show Marina would enjoy, but she was excited to see it.

We left early in anticipation of heavy traffic. Despite our hopes, we were in rush hour most of the way there. When we finally arrived, we found that the location was right at the foot of the a nationalpark. Since we were a bit early, we drove into the park. We wanted to get out and look around a little bit, but we couldn’t find a place to park. So we decided to go to the show.

The theatre was actually a tent set up in a historic park. Around it were historic buildings, a covered wagon and the park in the background. It was stunning. Marina and I were both impressed by it. Near the tent were food trucks, a woman playing guitar and singing as well as an acrobat. Marina was impressed with the acrobat and spent most of her time before the show watching and talking with her.


We went into the tent for the show a bit early. While it went on she seemed to be following along the whole time. She said she felt she understood the story and she really liked the three witches. After it was over she said she really enjoyed the show.

We had a long drive home. I thought Marina might sleep since she’s had to get up so early, but she ended up talking with me for the whole trip.

Alice in Wonderland Circus

Alice in Wonderland has been a favorite character for Marina this year. So when I heard about the Alice in Wonderland Circus Adventure, I knew Marina would want to go. Angie made the suggestion and we all went together. Marina decided to wear a dress with Alice on it.

Angie met us at the theater. Marina had a cookie while we waited for her. The show was similar to Cirque du Soleil, filled with acrobats and stunt performers. Marina loved the Cheshire cars and Alice. The Queen of Hearts was hilarious. We all enjoyed the performance.  At intermission, Marina went with Angie who bought her M&Ms.

After the show was over, Marina was thrilled that the performers came into the lobby in their costumes. Our first photo was with the Cheshire cats. We also took pictures with the Mad Hatter and Alice. Alice loved Marina’s dress!

 

We were in high spirits after the show. It has been a wonderful visit to Wonderland!

Pirate Festival

At the Unicorn Festival this summer, Marina and I ran into Captain Jack Sparrow who gave us a flyer promoting the Pirate Festival. Of course, Marina was excited to attend it. It was scheduled for this weekend, so we made plans to go. We both dressed up as pirates for the occasion.

When we arrived at the festival, we entered right by the Mermaid Cove, so of course we checked that out. Some of the mermaids we actually knew! After a short visit, we wandered around the festival. We ran in to Captain Jack Sparrow, who Marina was happy to see. After looking around, we stopped for lunch since we were both hungry. We each ate while listening to a band perform.

After we ate, we picked up a treasure map and went through the festival to check in at each stop on the map. When Marina picked up her “treasure,” a fish necklace, we stopped at a stage to find out what Marina’s steampunk name would be. It was Countess Henrietta. Not sure how she felt about that.

I got a text from a friend of mine saying she and her family had arrived at the festival. So we met up with them. We tried to find a spot to watch the cardboard boat races. The races took a really long time, so we went with them while they ate lunch.  While in line, Angie and Adam ran into the MC for the Circus, so we all decided to watch the show. It was full of magic tricks and acrobats. We all enjoyed watching it.

Marina wanted a turn on the “gerbil balls” so we got in line for that. We went back to see the mermaids and chatted with one for a while. At that point, Angie and her family had to leave. We stayed around for a little while after that but then Marina decided she was ready to go. We made sure to say goodbye to Captain Jack before we left.

On the way home, we agreed that we’d like to go back to the Pirate Festival again in the future.

A Dream of Mexico

Two years ago, I took Marina to see Kurious by Cirque du Soliel. She loved it, so I got us tickets to see Luzia again this summer. Since the performance was an early one, we decided to take light rail to avoid traffic.

The trains took longer than we expected and we ended up being a bit late for the show. We arrived in time to see a group of acrobats dressed as birds. The first act was filled with humor and amazing stunts. This show even had a water feature that added a new element to the performances.

During intermission, we got some popcorn and walked around the tent a bit before going back to our seats. The second act was a fun as the first. We were amazed by a contortionist and two synchronized swings with acrobats jumping from one to the other.

After the show, I asked Marina what her favorite part was and she said “Everything.” We had a less stressful trip home on the light rail.

Golden Dragon Acrobats

This summer I took Marina to see her first Cirque du Soliel show. She enjoyed that so much that when we had the opportunity to see the Golden Dragon Acrobats from China, I knew she would love it. She wore an Asian inspired dress and brought her American Girl Ivy in the Chinese New Year dress.

We arrived early for the show but Marina just wanted to go to our seats. She had a snack while we waited. Once the show started, she was completely engaged. The performance was a combination of dance, gymnastics and acrobatics. Clearly she was amazed at the skill level of the performers.

We stayed in our seats for intermission. Marina soon began a conversation with the woman next to her about her American Girl dolls.

The second act was more amazing than the first. One stunt involved an acrobat creating a tall stack of wooden chairs and performing balancing acts at the top. We were both breathless.

After the show was over, Marina ran into one of her friends from school. They spent a few minutes talking before we left.

Lookinglass Alice

Despite her maturing tastes, Marina still loves all things Disney. The announcement of an Alice in Wonderland play naturally appealed to her. Lookinglass Alice appeared to be a combination of theater and Cirque du Soliel. It sounded like a lot of fun.

Marina decided to wear her Alice costume and bring her Alice plush doll. When we arrived she received many compliments on how she was dressed. The lobby was decorated for the show with giant playing cards and chairs hanging upside down from the ceiling. A giant chair was also set up for photographs.

When we went to our seats, we found we were right up front. Marina was thrilled. The show was as whimsical as the story. It was filled with surprises, humor, amazing feats and special effects. Marina loved it.

Once the show was over, we went on a special tour we bought as an add on for the show. We were able to go backstage to see the many costumes used in the show. The stage manager also showed us how many of the special effects were accomplished. The backstage tour also included seeing a collection of the many awards the theater has won and photographs of the theater and the past productions.

At the end of the tour, we got to meet the actress playing Alice and take pictures. Naturally, Marina loved that. The actress admired her costume and doll as well. Today was clearly a very special one for us.

Kurios

Marina has been interested in seeing a performance of Cirque du Soleil for some time. So this time through I made sure to get tickets. The show was Kurios, Cabinet of Curiosities. I wasn't sure what the show was about and I hoped we would enjoy it.

The performance was in a large tent. Even the decor outside made us feel like we were entering another world. We were excited that our seats were much closer than what we expected.

Before the show began some of the performers wandered around the stage and even through the audience. The show opening had a train of musicians traveling through the audience. Marina leaned over to me and said, "Thank you for bringing me here!"

Each element of the show thrilled and amazed us both. One balancing act left us breathless and we were awed by the trampoline acrobatics. Marina repeatedly said, "That's so cool!" and "He's crazy!"

During intermission we walked around the tent and browsed the gift shop. Marina had fun trying on various masks and hats.

The second act was as exciting as the first. After the show was over, I asked Marina what her favorite part was. She answered, "Everything!"

Artsy Afternoon

When Marina learned about a local art festival, she told me she was interested in going. We'd never been before, but we decided to give it a try.

We headed to the festival after lunch. It was much larger than we expected and it was forecasted to be the hottest day of the year so far. At first we just started walking from booth to booth. Marina glanced at some of the artist's booths, but didn't want to stop to look very often, although several booths of industrial art sculptures got her attention. We picked up a map and found out where the children's activities were. On the way there, we stopped to see an acrobatic performance. We were both very impressed by the feats the trio performed.

The children's art section was huge and, fortunately, all covered by tents. Marina was able to move from one project to another. She tried her hand at spinning art, glass art and pottery. She created art with paint, markers, glitter and clay. We had quite a collection by the time she tried everything she wanted to.

Before we left, Marina wanted to have her face painted. So we located the booth and had that done. Marina asked for a tropical flower. She was pretty happy with how it turned out.

By this time, we were tired and very hot. So we headed to a nearby mall where the local opera company was performing throughout the day. We caught the last two performances of the day. Marina seemed a bit bored by the songs, though I loved them. To close out the show, the soprano sang the Queen of the Night aria from The Magic Flute, a piece Marina knows and enjoys. She beamed throughout the entire song. Following the performance we spoke to her about the aria. The soprano was thrilled that she performed a piece that Marina loved so much.

Once the opera presentation was over, we headed home. We'd had a fun day experiencing art.

The Tempest

Over the past few months, Marina has shown an interest in William Shakespeare. I'm not sure where it started. We read a book called A Lion to Guard Us which is based on the story of a group of English colonists who were shipwrecked on Barbados. The afterward said that Shakespeare based his play The Tempest on the same story. Marina thought that was really cool. She also was excited to recognize the Shakespeare toy in The Lego Movie.

So, because of this interest, I looked into the Shakespeare Festival schedule this year. The Tempest was on the schedule. It seemed like the perfect play to introduce Marina to Shakespeare, so I got us tickets to the preview performance. Marina has been looking forward to it.

The Shakespeare Festival is held on the campus of the university I graduated from, but it's not close to home. So we were prepared for a long night. The campus has changed considerably since I went there, so I had trouble finding the right place to park. Finally we got there.

We had seats in the front row, so we got to see the set and the actors up close. Marina had a bit of trouble following the dialogue, especially when the characters discussed the background of the story. But she loved the comedic parts, special effects and the acrobatic choreography of Ariel, the sprite. She also liked the ice cream we got at intermission!

Once the show was over, she said she liked it. A film crew was asking people to give their thoughts of the show. Marina was happy to volunteer. She told them she liked the show but didn't really understand what happened. She also explained why Ariel was her favorite character.

As we walked across campus to the car, Marina told me she'd probably fall asleep on the way home. I told her that was fine. And she was right, she fell asleep a short while into our trip.

Disney World - Day Two

Today's plan was to see the Animal Kingdom. We were fortunate that Marina's grandparents were able to drive up from the Miami area to join us today. Marina hadn't see them in two years, so they made the day extra special.

Marina wore her Pocahontas costume today. People called her "Princess" and "Pocahontas" all day long. She loved telling everyone it was just a costume and she wasn't the real Pocahontas.

We started off in Africa with some breakfast. There weren't many places to sit, but Marina found a spot for herself and Grandma.

The safari had a short wait, so we went on that first. Marina was disappointed she wasn't allowed to sit near the window, but she really liked looking at the animals. She got especially excited to see the giraffes and the baby elephant. We went on a jungle trek after that. Grandma and grandpa got a chance to tell her about the animals they know about.

We were all really hot, so we took the Wilderness Train to Rafiki's Planet Watch which was air conditioned. There we go a chance to meet Pocahontas. Marina was excited about that. The cast member with Pocahontas acted confused that there were two Pocahontases. Marina did her best to explain it. We also met Rafiki (who played hide and seek with Marina) and Jiminy Cricket.


We had lunch and then went to Camp Mickie-Minnie to see The Festival of the Lion King. It was a wonderful show of music from the movie and acrobatics. We all enjoyed it.

By then, Marina was wanting to ride some rides. So, we headed to Dinoland USA. We all tried out the TriceraSpin. It was much like the Dumbo ride at the Magic Kingdom. She loved it. We also rode the Dinosaur ride. It was much more intense than I had expected. Marina didn't like it at all. There weren't many more rides, but Marina got her face painted and she was happy with that.

We went to see Finding Nemo - the Musical. It was a great show that we all loved. The puppets were very clever and the effects impressive. Once the show was over, Marina's grandparents decided to go back to the hotel. Marina wanted to stay a little while longer. As we were eating dinner it started to rain. We ducked into a store until it lightened up. Then we went back to Camp Mickie-Minnie. The line to meet Mickey and Minnie Mouse was not long, so we got to see them in their safari gear. There was no line for Goofy and Donald Duck, so we stopped to see them as well.

The park was getting ready to close, so we left. Marina wanted to go swimming when we got to the hotel. She's loved having a pool at the hotel.