These were both what you could "event" days in that we went down to see certain events, or shows. Day Two was for the Superdogs Dog Show and an acrobatic show. Superdogs are a staple at the Ex, yes quite corny but it's dogs playing .. it's like me working, only I'm not
Mostly it's dogs doing an obstacle course and doing high jumping but there was a very special presentation, a remarkable dog trainer from Brazil and his eleven year old border collie
They do a dancing routine that, for me, is like the epitome of interaction and cooperation between an dog and its owner. They are quite flawless. The trainer sometimes uses hand gestures, other times just subtle movements of his body and the dog responds perfectly every time.
Border collies are all about their eyes. Anyone who has met Terra will know that. This dog never took his eyes off his owner, but it was more than just watching for cues. One of the traits of the BC is loyalty, it's why they work so hard for their shephard. This dog loved his owner, and loved being able to work and play with him. There was no denying.
After the dog show we were off to see the acrobatic show. This is becoming another tradition at the Ex, these little Cirque style shows but it tends to be a different one every year. This one was quite good and had some acts that I really hadn't seen before. It did begin with some familiar elements, like a man doing the floating crystal ball routine which we saw a couple of times at Buskerfest
Another thing we've seen before is tumblers on giant bungee chords but these guys did it on the masts of a boat
What I have never before seen was how the ball floater used lasers. He started out with some interesting yet obvious manipulations. Seeming to spawn the lasers out of his hands and pushing them around on the stage
But then he did something unexpected. He took a couple of the laser beams, seemed to tear them off and began swinging them around like asian fighting staffs. It was quite extraordinary. They were lasers, no doubt about that, but he made them seem entirely corporeal and solid. I'm not sure exactly how he did but like all good illusions, I probably don't want to know
The other highlight of the show was a young woman who played a peculiar kind of creature. Actually this woman is indeed a peculiar kind of creature. She was a contortionist, one who could do extraordinary things with her body and use that body and her facial expressions to create moments of pure whimsy
Her body control was amazing. She could do all the obvious stuff like putting her legs over her head but she could rotate her ankles 360 degrees, along with her hands at the same time, while all her limbs seem pulled through all her other limbs. It was more than just her incredible body control, it was her playfulness and just plain goofiness that helped to transform her into a fey, mischievous creature
Not so fey but equally impressive are the airplanes and pilots of the Toronto International Airshow. That was our focus on our third and final day at the Ex. Normally we would sit in the grandstands on the channel across from Ontario Place but that was a little difficult on Monday .. that area has been shut down. Seems my local politicians, while they were dealing with the cocaine addiction and trying to change the lyrics of the national anthem, allowed the quay to fall into disrepair to the point where now it has to be completely removed. So, over to Ontario Place we went
The Air Show is one of the those CNE changes that remains true to its heart with only minor changes. One new thing was the above biplane, a Russian craft listed as the largest single engine biplane on Earth. If you live on the taiga in Russian, this is your mode of transport. It's nickname is the Siberian Schoolbus
Most of the regular players were there. That includes the Harvards, prop planes used as fighter trainers during World War II. I love these big planes, bright yellow and surprisingly graceful and instantly recognizable through the throaty drone of their engines
Of course it would not be the Air Show if you did not see the Snowbirds. Very traditional, no big surprises but always lovely to see, just the precision and, can I say this, delicacy of these pilots flying these little jet planes.
Another great day, or couple of days, at the Ex. It all goes away, fall rolls end, winter slams us around, we wait and wait till summer, summer stumbles around, we try to live as much as possible for two months, we look forward once more to the Ex but that means fall is rolling in ...
Anyway, here's the video
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