This isn't a 3-ring, Ringling Bros. circus. Nor yet a 1-ring Cirque de Soleil.

This was a half a ring, playing for spare change in public parks kind of circus.

Chloe and I were walking up Mass. Ave, when we saw a crowd of people near the fenced-off memorial in the center of Cambridge Common. We went over to check it out. Two sheets were hung on the fence saying "Circus, Cambridge Common, fuck your permits" and such.

There was a spoken word performance going on as we got close... one guy speaking, another beating a counterpoint on a drum. I think maybe there was a police car there already, because I remember being shy of moving in close enough to really hear him. But gradually we did.

The spoken word gave way to a skit--a girl unwilling to be a suburban drone and quietly watch TV was institutionalized. Years later, she learned from her experience, shooting someone dead. Yeah. The skit gave way to flame twirlers gave way to belly dancers. The first belly dancer was all right. Did a neat thing with her hands snaking out from behind a screen before she actually appeared-- gloved hands, and that and her build reminded me of julia. The second belly dancer was amazing. She had long, light hair, and hair and build reminded me of Lisa. She really had the hips-moving-independently thing down. Free and easy, and reminding me of why I've always wanted to learn how to belly dance (besides the fact that I can ripple my stomach, which seems a good starting point). She started dancing in front of the crowd, but made her way over to the right hand side and soon was weaving her way between people in the audience. She bent way over backwards as she danced, her body rippling... one of the guys behind us said something about not thinking you could actually *do* that.

It was a suggestive move that I would have had no idea *was* suggestive a couple years ago... it wasn't a raw, obvious thing. It wasn't about allure or seduction at all... it was suggestive of sexual pleasure. She lifted smoothly back up and didn't miss a beat as her hips picked up the rapid swing again. I said "Awesome!" and she caught my eye with a hint of a smile before going off to do the dip thing in front of another guy. Loose hair swung as she moved, but not much. Because, you know, all the motion is centered at the hips, not moving the whole body.

I think it was after her that I gave money to the collectors who occasionally made their way through the crowd. We turned to face another part of the park, and torches on rods were being spun around in bright circles.

Twirlers gave way to a reading of Ozymandias; yet another skit; drums here there and everywhere.

Somehow during all this one squad car turned into five. They drove right up the paths into the center of the Common. They had tried to break the show up about the time we got there... they did again. One girl told us, "I'm sorry, but the law says we've got to stop. We had a great finale for you." And she described a fire- filled extravaganza. Nobody left, we were all hoping for more. Someone called out "Keep going!"

She said, "Should we stop? or should we finish?" and the crowd cheered for the show to continue. Several of the police were out of their cars by now. She had the drummer start up again, and took a mouthful of liquid (alcohol?) from a bottle into her mouth. Between twirls of the torch, she blew the liquid from her mouth across the flame, creating a fire-breathing-dragon-like effect.

As others got ready to join her on "stage", a policeman stopped the drummer. The fire-girl just kept walking around the stage for a moment, and some few started clapping. I joined in as soon as I heard them. Before long, the whole crowd was clapping, not in applause, but rhythmically. We replaced the drums. There was a little bit of tension, but mostly a feeling of fun.

Her hips picked up the rhythm, and the show went on. She was joined by others with more torches. A policeman walked right toward her, and she just sauntered away from him, bringing the bottle to her lips yet again. A moment later, "Fwoom", another dragon breath.

.

It was inevitable, they broke up the show before much longer. There were about ten policemen there. They didn't actually arrest anyone, though I thought for a while they might.

.

I know the police were doing their job, and I didn't resent them for doing it. But I didn't want that show to end. I went and talked with some of the performers afterwards. They started in San Francisco many months ago, and have been traipsing around the country, picking performers up as they go. On Wednesday they were going to be in Worcester, and on Friday in NYC.

They were performing for money to feed themselves as they went... they didn't have enough to pay for permits too. But they were so vigorous, so vital. I didn't care that they didn't have permits, I wanted to see what they had to say. I wanted to lose myself in the fire and the drums and the hair and the hips and the laughter and the stars and the night.

.

.

Ever want to run off and join the circus?

(written 970906, tweaked 990830)