Herman Renz Circus

A classic traveling circus, this little troupe arrives each year in Haarlem for the holidays. Beth and I had never been to a circus before and we were intrigued by the old-fashion style show, the small, intimate venue, and the local holiday tradition. However, our experiences with the Idaho Stampede Rodeo back in Boise had us a bit nervous about going to see performing animals...not exactly our taste in entertainment. But after talking with some of the locals and doing a little background checking on the internet, we decided to give it a go. So, we borrowed a friend's 11 year old daughter and went to the evening show last Monday.

Once the lights went down and the ringmaster entered the big-top, we were in for a brilliant, fast-paced show that kept a smile on our face for most of the 2 1/2 hours. The performers were outstanding and exhibited some great (and bizarre) talents. Their knack for showmanship belied their well rehearsed routines. A pair of clowns (of course 1 was a midget) kept the action moving as the crew cleaned/setup between each act. Some of the strong-men and gymnast sets were really well done. And only in Holland can one see a Russian babe in a studded leather g-string gyrating on the flying trapeze to entertain the "kiddies".

The dogs, horses, goats, and chickens (yes, chickens) loved performing. They went into the ring with gusto and really appeared to be enjoying themselves. On the other hand, the lions and elephants seemed a little bored with the whole ordeal. The only animals that outright did not like being there were the house cats. They hissed at the trainer before they would do a trick. Once the trick was over, they jumped back into the carnival cart and seemed to be much more content watching the action from the sidelines.

An excellent light and water shows were the only high-tech additions, but when these were synchronized with the live orchestra it all came together with a lot of old world charm.

We'll adopt this as one of our own new Christmas traditions