We were invited see the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus presents: XTREME on opening night. We started our evening at the fun media party. The kids loved all the circus themed treats and gifts. We got to meet some of the performers, like Lindsey the clown and Mustafa from the high wire act, as they walked around during the party. We found out later that Mustafa is actually the troupe leader. Everyone was super friendly and willing to answer questions.
After the media party we headed to the All Access Pre-Show on the arena floor. The pre-show starts an hour before the actual show starts. There were raffles, tattoos, a bouncy house, costumes to try on and more. My daughter headed straight to the bouncy house as usual. The pre-show is free but there is a fee for the bouncy house. It is $5 for one “bounce” and $6 for unlimited “bounces”.
The elephants were featured in the beginning of the show. From sitting to lying down to dancing these gentle giants are amazing. This will be the last time to see them in the show. Starting in May of this year the touring Asian elephants will retire to the Ringling Bros. Center for Conservation in Florida. This will allow Feld Entertainment, Inc (the parent company of Ringling Bros.) to focus on their conservation program and their effort to help pediatric cancer. Did you know that elephants have a really low incidence of cancer? Maybe they hold the key for humans. (Thanks Katie B for sharing the awesome shot of the Asian Elephants with us).
The hire wire act is always exciting, especially after meeting the troupe leader earlier in the evening. At one point the only woman in the troupe did a split on the high wire. I can’t even do anything that looks anything like a split on the solid ground.
It was nice to see the camels and the cute little poodle act but we thought both acts lasted longer than needed.
My favorite performances were the aerial artists. They are so graceful and beautiful. The glow-in-the dark skydivers were awesome and so precise with their movements.
The “circus” is always full of action with all the different performers from the super strong Mongolian Marvel troupe, the Art on Trampoline troupe flipping and jumping everywhere to the BMX riders and silly clowns. One of the Mongolian Marvel lifted several troupe mates and weights with his teeth….yes his teeth. I wonder how that was suggested in the staff meeting.
We also enjoyed the colorful costumes, all the dancing and the music performed by a live band. With so much going on you are bound to find a few favorite performances of your own.
The 145th Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey circus will be in Baltimore until the March 27. Don’t miss your opportunity to see the amazing elephants one last time.
Show Details:
When: March 16 – 27, 2016
Where: Royal Farms Arena, Baltimore
Remaining Show times:
Thursday, March 17 | 7:30 p.m.
Friday, March 18 | 10:30 a.m., 7:30 p.m.
Saturday, March 19 | 11:30 a.m., 3:30 p.m., 7:30 p.m.
Sunday, March 20 | 1:00 p.m., 5:00 p.m.
Tuesday, March 22 | 7:30 p.m.
Wednesday, March 23 | 7:30 p.m.
Thursday, March 24 | 7:30 p.m.
Friday, March 25 | 1:00 p.m., 7:30 p.m.
Saturday, March 26 | 11:30 a.m., 3:30 p.m., 7:30 p.m.
Sunday, March 27 | 1:00 p.m., 5:00 p.m.
Tickets for Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Presents Circus XTREME start at $15. Restrictions, exclusions and additional charges may apply. All seats are reserved, and tickets can be purchased at all Ticketmaster outlets, by phone at 800-745-3000, via www.ticketmaster.com, and the Royal Farms box office. For group rates and information, call the Royal Farms Arena Group Sales department at 410-347-2006.
Thanks to Feld Entertainment and Qorvis MSLGroup for the invitation to the media party and the show and the opportunity to review the show. All opinions are my own.
