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The American circus, that institution of a traveling show that defined entertainment to so many for so long seemed to be gone forever after Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey folded its tents for the last time in 2017. Animal rights activists and changing consumer tastes rang the death knell for the 150 year-old circus. The Greatest Show on Earth was gone.
Well, not so fast. Seven years after leaving the center ring the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey circus is back in town. Come one, come all!
The circus has been totally reimagined to better appeal to 21st Century audiences. The animal acts are gone, and the traditional ringmaster has been replaced by three show guides, as they are called. The new show is comprised of 75 performers from 18 countries with not an animal to be found (except for a robot dog who interacts with one of the show guides.)
The new circus includes traditional acts like trapeze artists (George Caceres and the Flying Caceres), aerialists (Giulia and Mattia Rossi, Kaity Mussio and Maximillian Bennett), highwire artists (the Lopez Family), acrobats (Black Diamond Trio, Duo Dust in the Wind) balancing acts (Gemini Twins) and, of course, clowns (the Equivokee trio from Ukraine).
There are also acts of a more modern variety, like the folk-dancing Argendance troupe and the BMX bike ensemble Freestyle Riders, performing on giant vertical ramps. And the singular “Double Wheel of Destiny” act performed by the Navas Troupe, a twice-as-wild variation on the routine where acrobats dive in and out of gigantic rotating wheels that twist and turn in mid-air.
By the way, ever since its inception the American circus has constantly undergone revamping and changes. What P.T. Barnum began was more or less large emporium side shows. Once upon a time freaks were a major part of circuses, as were exotic creatures and aberrations from distant and mysterious parts of the world. Throughout the decades the circus has evolved and adapted itself to the changes in the tastes of its audiences.
When it appeared that the circus was gone from the American scene, I had mixed emotions. I fondly remembered going as a child, sitting in the stands with my father, smelling the popcorn and eating cotton candy and watching the exciting acts. The circus has been an American tradition for so long; the romance and mystery of it is captured in decades of books, movies and personal memories. When the circus came to town it was a celebration. The circus paraded down main street, kids sitting on their parent’s shoulders with wild expectations. Yes, I’ll say it. The circus was as American as baseball and apple pie.
On the other hand I never liked animal acts. Even as a kid they bothered me. (I never cared for clowns very much either, but that’s another story.) So when the circus began to react to public complaints of animal cruelty and started to divest itself of its animals and ultimately closed down completely, I was okay with that. I don’t ever need to see a performing animal again and my hope was that the circus did the right thing and sent the animals to places where they could live out their lives in comfort and peace.
But now the circus has reemerged, revamped and without live animals. This is good news. Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus is still a part of the American scene. In my estimation, the Greatest Show on Earth has gotten even greater without the animals. (Although I think I’d still like to see a ringmaster.) I wish them the very best of luck.
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