Confession:  I’ve never been to the circus.  Really!  Not even as a kid, but boy did I miss out.  Last week we took my youngest daughter (6) and our nephew (5) to Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Presents Dragons!  Johnathan Lee Iverson was the booming-voiced ringmaster in San Jose’s HP Pavilion for something so grand, I just didn’t expect so much action!

Arriving to our seat there were clowns sitting in the aisles with fans.  There was a huge ball being thrown around by the clowns that invited fun audience participation!

Sure we expected clowns, they’re a staple at every circus, but they really just took it up a notch!

That wasn’t all…we didn’t just see lions and tigers and elephants oh my! What we ended up seeing were horses, llamas, canine and feline troupes, ponies, motorcyclists, acrobats, dancers, martial artists, contortionists, and so much more.  It was a feast for the eyes and my husband and I would ask each other, “wow, is this happening, what will come out next?!”

Costumes were grand, acrobatics were daring, and the lion tamer did get presented against the cage by one fierce tiger and stated, “no need to worry folks, it’s all part of the show!”  That made my heart race but boy was it entertaining.  The kids were in complete awe, hardly getting a chance to speak their eyes were up down left right trying to take in all the action that encompassed the entire arena floor.

The multimedia used was phenomenal, a full orchestra was resounding and added so much more depth and character to the show that a recording couldn’t.  There were screens that fell from the ceiling and rose from the floor displaying scenes and photos during act changes to thrill and entice viewers, check out those dragon eyes above!  The contortionists in the plastic balls and the ladies that hung by their hair were amazing to witness.

Entertainment in every direction, stunning performances 2 and 3 at a time in the air and on the floor.  The motorcycle on the high wire was one of my favorites.

The kids were amazed at the lion tamer in the cage with the lion and tigers, sure I winced a bit especially when he was pushed back against the screen proclaiming it was a part of the show, I am a mom and those people are somebody’s children!

The daredevils on bikes riding inside the steel ball…stunning…EIGHT of them all at one time, mind boggling!!

The night concluded with a spectacular animatronic dragon breathing colorful fire that to an adult perspective was the least impressive performer compared to the animals and humans in the show.  But, the kids left oohing and ahhing and asking themselves, “was that dragon real?”  that made the grandeur of the show just that much more magical.

Dragons plays in California (Bakersfield, Sacramento, and Stockton) through the end of September and moves on to Colorado, Missouri, and Ohio through October.  Check out Ticketmaster.com for more ticket details, and the Ringling Brothers website for information about this show and others!

Tickets were provided for full honest review. All opinions are our own.