The Circus

The circus is one of the few remaining Soviet-era relics in Baku. Given the rate of aesthetic change in this city, I figured it was only a matter of time before the place was shutdown and re-modelled. Unfortunately, circus season is about as unpredictable as the ferry schedule--you never really know when a circus might come to town. And when it does, tickets sell out fast.

Call it luck, I guess. I just happened to stroll by the circus one day and noticed that a circus was scheduled for the near future. Even better was the promise of kangaroo boxing. More on that later. The ticket procurement experience was standard, although I can't say I am envious of the women who sit behind a thick brick wall and communicate with customers through a narrow slit in said wall. It really is an awkwardly narrow slit.

You know what else is awkward? Kangaroo boxing.

Finally the day of the circus arrived. As we stood outside waiting for the rest of our group to arrive, a forgotten reality dawned on me: the circus is for kids and their accommodating parents, not for 20-somethings looking for a good time. In hindsight, I'm pretty sure I was more interested in seeing the inside of the building than the actual circus itself.

Glowing cell phones and a sparkly sign that says "2010" are about the only things that make you remember that you're not in 1976 when you enter the circus. The decor, the brass brand, the seats...it was the closest thing to a time warp as I have experienced here. I couldn't help but wonder what the famed circuses of the Soviet Union were like.

The performance itself was bizarre. Monkeys riding ostriches and donkeys, cracking whip routines, middle-aged men in tights dancing with horrified girl from the audience, kangaroos kicking guys in hockey pads, guy in hockey pads entering the ring do a male cover of "Oops! I did it again", drugged lions and tigers jumping from post to post for meat. There was a cool trapeze show by who I could only assume was a gold medal winning gymnast from the 1992 Olympics. I have no way to verify that, of course.

Definitely don't plan on going back, but it was good to get one thing checked off the Baku to-do list.