Kooza!

This morning I was fishing through my bag - it's summer and I'm carting around a bag that is much like an open wicker box - and it was filled with colourful streamers, little rectangles of tissue paper in yellow, purples and greens, a few bits of popcorn and a little pink ice cream sampler - all fall-out from last night's Cirque de Soleil performance. (OK the spoon was from a trip to Mario's Gelati last week.)

I laughed, I gasped, I was wide-eyed in wonder. Yes it was a fabulous performance. And if I had never heard of Cirque, I probably would have been totally blown away. A few years ago I saw Cirque Eos , which I thought was incredible, but people shook their heads at me and said - "not as good as Cirque de Soleil." So as often happens when your expectations are sky high - reality falls a little short.

I have to say though, I was stunned by the two guys on a double spinning wheel called "The Wheel of Death" suspended at the top of the tent. They appeared to throw away all thought of personal safety and hurled themselves around in a similar way in which I might toss myself into a hammock. They moved like - I don't know - jaguars - totally comfortable, knowing that where ever they flung their bodies, they'd land safely. In the end, I just could not watch - I just keep thinking, "Get down from there!"

While not as acrobatic as Cirque de Soleil, I'm still in awe over Fuerza Bruta, which I saw last summer. I'd just seen nothing like it, and I'd never heard anything about it either. Maybe it's all about expectations .