Every now and then a group of travelling entertainers comes by and the circus is in town. It’s been a long time since I last saw a live circus performance, but a pair of ticket discount vouchers, good company and the need for a little nostalgia made me go again earlier this week.

There’s always a risk associated with going to a live performance of any kind, at least if you’re seated in the first few rows. Go see a stand up comedian, and he’ll probably make fun of you at some point. Go see a magic show and the magician will chop you in two or teleport you out of the building. Go see a circus clown and you’ll get popcorn all over you. Thankfully the clown didn’t happen to me, since I was strategically positioned in the fourth row, just outside the danger zone.

Or so you might think, the clown with this circus defied all circus clown etiquette and suddenly picked people totally at random in the entire audience. Especially one lucky guy was very uncomfortable with being a chosen one, but he eventually decided to go with the flow. When you’re picked up by the clown you really don’t have a choice.

Why so serious? Let’s put a smile on that face…

I brought my camera with me, hoping to get a few good shots, but the lighting conditions and the constant movement made it rather hard. Circus performers can’t stay still for a second. What gives?