July 1, 2021 was the opening night for the UniverSoul Circus and they opened it with vibrant energy in the DMV. Fred and I drove to National Harbor in Maryland for this.

I had to take him because he said he had never went. My sister and I went as kids and I enjoyed the experience.

Thanks to Less Is More Events — I’m sure you’ve seen them on this publication before — we attended the show and had great seats! I’m pretty sure I was no more than 13 steps from the performance area.

History of UniverSoul

The founder and owner of the circus is Cedric Walker. The goal of the circus was entertainment for families and the African American audience. The big top circus has elements of hip hop, tricks and performers from different countries. Not just countries known for having a population that looks like me. This circus filled with so much soul started in 1994.

The hostess

I was thrilled by so many things from last week’s show. I may be wrong by calling her a hostess of the night. She may be considered a ringmaster. But she was beautiful! Her costume and makeup were on point! The energy she had — and the other hosts that night — really got us in the audience involved with the show. She would get us hype! Do a dance move or two and it was great seeing a Black woman provide fun in a trigger-free and family oriented fashion.

Her accent was alluring too.

The clowns

During one of the scene changes (I know that sounds too theatre like, but it reminded me of a scene change), a trio of colorful, vibrant clowns took my attention. Their dance moves with the hip hop beats were off the charts. Fred and I couldn’t help but bob our heads or stomp our feet. They had great stage presence as they boogied all under the big tent.

Horses

Fun Fact: I am afraid of a lot of the animals out in the world. However, I’m a bit more calmer around horses. I’m not sure why, but I really enjoy looking at horses or them. I always thought they were majestic animals with so much freedom.

Just imagine how excited I was to see the UniverSoul performers riding in on horses. The horses were regal in my eyes as they performed with the human performers. They were galloping at interesting speeds as the human performers did tricks on the top or side of the horses. I thought the humans were in danger, but no way — they are professionals. I gasped and was in awe at all they did with the horses.

All in all, the performers, makeup and costumers were alluring to me. Maybe it is the theatre in me or the big kid in me, but I really enjoyed the night with my husband. It allowed us to be amazed and enjoy life. It was a moment of “This is what we work for,” or “This is entertainment people need to see every once in a while.”

This was more than a Black experience for me. This was an experience seeing talented performers from all races.

I look forward to going again in a few years. If I do have kids, I think this will be perfect when they are about six or seven.

Have you ever been to UniverSoul Circus? Do you ever plan to go? Have you been to any circus show before?