It was the summer of 07' and sixth grade has just ended. This was my last year in elementary school. I was worried and I was worried about a lot of things. I was worried that the uniform that I had to wear next year consisted of a tie, buttoned up shirt, a belt and long black pants. I was worried about not being allowed to write in pencil anymore, but in pen and I was especially worried about the added responsibility. I never understood the kids who say that they can’t wait to grow up.

Anyways, my dad noticed that I was nervous so he decided to take my brother and I to the Russian Acrobatic Performance which was only going to be in town for a couple of weeks. So we immediately drove there and my brother and I sat in the backseat wondering what was actually going to happen as we’ve never been to an acrobat show of any type before.

As soon as we arrived, the first thing we noticed was how packed the place was so we wasted no time getting into line. After about ten minutes, we finally entered and it was spectacular. It was this large, mysterious, dark room with an amazing lights show on stage. I assumed it was just there to keep the audience entertained while they prepared and it worked because I couldn’t keep my eyes off of it.

The show initiated with an intense tribalesque drum beat that takes you by the scruff of the neck and tells you, “Pay attention kid, you’re gonna want to see this.” An acrobat suddenly came out of nowhere and sprinted towards a trampoline that I didn’t know was there and propelled himself nearly three metres high while doing countless spins in midair and landing perfectly on both feet. It was a thrilling way to start the show.

The rest of the show was just as good and some acts were even better. However, despite all of the great acts, the final one was incomparable in my eyes.

All the lights in the room were suddenly switched off and everything was silent. It was a complete contrast of the rest of the show. I could tell that everybody was confused, with all the murmuring. But seconds later, there was an explosion of fire and the lights turned on at the same time. That confusion quickly transformed into pure excitement. There was a trampoline set up and it was way larger than the first one we saw. In front of it were rings of fire that were set probably two metres apart and it was incredibly intimidating. The lights then started flashing vigorously accompanied by the intense beating of the drums. My heart was beating uncontrollably. This time, the acrobat took a bow before he attempted the jump. He admitted, “What I am about to perform is incredibly dangerous. We never use real fire during practice, and even without fire I don’t succeed every time.” He then slowly walked into position behind the trampoline, took a deep breath, and without any hesitation, he sprinted towards it and sprung with a completely straight figure as he passed the rings one by one, with unbelievable precision and skill, finally passing the last ring, took a few rolls and stood straight back up. As soon as he took his bow, the lights turned off immediately and the exit doors opened.