Judging by the performance last weekend under the big top in the parking lot of Orland Square Mall, the reports of the death of the circus have been greatly exaggerated.
Though there were no elephants, there was plenty to see at the Cirque Italia, a traveling circus that will perform its last shows in Orland Park on Saturday and Sunday.
Geordann White, 5, of Markham, said her favorite act was a woman who flipped and twirled doing aerial acrobatics holding onto only two ribbons, with no bars or wires.
The two-hour performance is billed as a water circus and many of the acts are performed inside a perimeter of water fountains.
There were modern circus feats, such as a swinging double trapeze where two women performed synchronized maneuvers bearing each others weight, and another women duo performing a mermaid act of aerial amazements.
There were also some throwbacks, including BMX bike stunts and a male and female couple performing upside-down stunts while spinning at dangerous speeds.
Kelly Shaeffer, of Minooka, said it was her second time at Cirque Italia. Last year, she and her husband brought their children, Ricky, 6, and Thomas, 4, and decided to return again this summer. When asked what their favorite acts were, each person gave a different answer.
There was a high-wire act where two men rode unicycles and hopped their way across a tight rope, at one point blindfolded. Saving possibly the best for last were the astonishing acrobats and a man who literally balanced an upside down boy on top of the head of another boy.
Tickets range from $25 to $50 for adults, and $10 to $45 for children. Children 12 and under enter free with a paid adult admission in certain sections when purchasing online using the code FREE. Performance times are Saturday at 1:30 p.m, 4:30 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. and Sunday at 1:30p.m. and 4:30 p.m. More information is at www.cirqueitalia.com.
Erin Gallagher is a freelance reporter for the Daily Southtown.