Ticket collectors greeted everyone entering with excitement-filled smiles to the Thursday night performance of Circus Gatti. Once you gained access to the night’s show, there was an even bigger surprise waiting. Elephants stood tall in the foyer, hay beneath their feet, playing with each other, one trunk messing with the other.

The crowds that were gathered around the beautiful creatures were torn from the scene by the sound of the national anthem beginning. The night’s event had begun and children’s faces glowed. Many of the attendees had never been to the circus before.

“It’s our first time but we will be coming back every year,” freshman Special Education Major Alexa Deal said.

The opening act was a young woman who could hula-hoop more than one ring at a time. It was nothing short of amazing when she was able to complete her act only missing one ring.

As the night progressed, the audience was indulged in magic tricks and acts where Leo the clown cleaned up the rings in between the featured acts. The impressive acts were few and far between with acrobatics and a motorcycle that could run across a tight rope.

The intermission was 15 minutes longer than the expected amount of time, but children were able to buy light sabers, light up snow cone cups, and balloons. After the intermission, the crowd was anxiously waiting the poodle and elephant acts.

A wagon filled with fluffy white poodles shortly entered the ring with tails wagging. They performed their act with precision as they jumped through their hoops right on cue.

The act exited the arena, and a group of dancers took their place. They danced to a song about Africa and introduced the two elephants to the ring.

The elephants entered with grace and a fast pace. The crowd went wild when they performed their headstands and balancing acts.

“It was fascinating, all the stunts that they did,” Johnny Allen Middle School sixth grader Jose Desantiago said. “It’s my first time at the circus and I liked it all.”

The crowd cheered as the two beautiful beasts left the arena and went back to the foyer where everyone could get pictures after the show and so that they could get some water.

“The elephants were our favorite. They would wave and hold hands with their tails and nose,” Hayden Hughes freshman Nursing Major said. “They just had a lot of personality.”