Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Present Zing Zang Zoom

On Thursday night we went to see the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey present Zing Zang Zoom with my parents. The fun started with the pre-show, which begins one hour before show time. It's when you're allowed on the floor to get up close with the performers.

ER made a beeline for one, "She's SO pretty," she whispered to me in excitement. The dancer was really nice too, posing for a picture and letting ER touch her multicolored outfit. The antics of the clowns, juggling and acrobats, aerialists, and more are not to be missed! I think I said it last year when we saw Over the Top, but the preshow really makes this one awesome family outing!

With the preshow and circus you get about three hours of LIVE entertainment with highly trained performers. When you consider how much it takes to put on a show the magnitude of Zing Zang Zoom you are really getting great entertainment value for your ticket.
ER really got into the clown act, he just couldn't seem to keep his hat on! She was laughing and pointing to where it kept falling the whole time. We were right behind the ropes and my mom commented afterward, that the preshow was the closest she's ever been to an elephant. We also got a great view of Klose’s Performing Canines jumping through obstacles and hoops. You can see them in the video above. (Email subscribers will need to click over to enjoy the videos in this post) Once the greatest show on earth began, it was hard to know where to look there was so much going on! The opening musical number with aerialist and the acrobats spinning around was amazing, but so was the entire thing. We saw dogs that jumped, danced, and used a slide. Horses and zebras run around and tigers jump, roll over, and stand up. There were elephants that sat down, stood up, and balanced against one another.

There were giant cannonballs, through which people really were shot through! Up until I saw them blast through the air, I really thought that was going to be one of the many amazing illusions. The expression of shock on ER's face after that was priceless! I think the amazing feats of balance and high flying acts were my favorite overall. I'm always most amazed by the human performances of agility.
We saw the tight rope walkers in the preshow when they were just a foot or so above the floor. They were impressive then, and WOW during the show they were so high energy, dancing about the whole time. The only with a safety rope attached to her was the female performer.

The others walked, jump roped, and biked across high off the ground, with no net below! I included a picture the second photo collage to give you a better idea of just how high up they were. A short clip of their performance is above this paragraph.
Zing Zang Zoom is loosely themed around magic and there certainly are several impressive illusions. The circus literally gets turned upside down with one act taking place entirely on the ceiling. At one point a clown and a tiger switch places, and I have absolutely no idea how that happened! Neither did Brad, and he usually has a few good guesses that sound plausible to explain magic acts. What I do know is that it seemed like the entire show all I did was say, "WOW" over and over...and when I wasn't saying it, my mom and dad next to me were!
The double wheels of steel were one of the last big moments of the show and it really was impressive to see the men on top and spinning around and around. It made me dizzy just watching, I can't imagine getting out of them and walking around the wheels as they're in motion!

We all thought it's so clever how they move the show along. The circus floor is a constant hive of activity. While one act is going on and your attention is on that, there are several people moving around sets and getting things ready for the next. I'm really impressed by the level of organization and choreography it takes to pull of a show like Zing Zang Zoom!

Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey puts on a great show and is a really exciting experience. I think it's a great show for all ages, and something an whole family can really enjoy. There is a big variety of acts that will keep everyone's eyes riveted on the stage the whole time! The acts are all over the circus floor and you really can't have a bad seat!

You can find out more about the show at Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey and keep up to date on Facebook. Don't forget to look for a local blogger savings code when the circus comes to your town!



Disclousre: I am a FELD Family Activator and receive free tickets for helping promote the shows. A good review is not required and my opinions and our experience are unbiased by this relationship.