Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey is coming to a city near you. SIDEWALKS ENTERTAINMENT went to the granddaddy of circuses.
It was time to be a kid again.
Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey® continues its long tradition in bringing the annual circus to a town near you. Me and members of the SIDEWALKS ENTERTAINMENT crew attended “Legends,” one of the three independent units (Red, Blue and Gold) touring. “Legends” represents the 144th edition of the long-running circus that was merged in 1919 when The Ringlings purchased the Barnum & Bailey Circus.
The “legendary” acts that represent the circus are still present. There’s the dangerous lion and tiger acts (led by Alexander Lacey), the high-flying trapeze artists (Tuniziani Troupe), the acrobatic dogs (Hans and Mariya Klose), the zany clowns, and, of course, the most famous trademark of this circus, the Asian elephants (The Friscos) standing on each other. When you see the lion/tiger and elephant acts, you experience that forgotten circus-feeling within you return. It did to me. I was eight again!
Another fast-moving animal-related act is the Tachalabaev Cossack Troupe showcasing their acrobatic maneuvers on horses in a 46-foot diameter ring with speeds reaching 25 miles per hour. Meanwhile, Vicki Zsilak and Alex Petrov bring their animal training to the forefront with their assortments of llamas, kangaroos, donkeys, goats and ponies performing jumps and dancing around.
Many of the other segments in the lineup bring human-only action. There is a motorcycle act, performed by the Torres family, that have the riders enclosed in a steel globe ~ racing around without hitting each other, while glowing colorfully in the dark. Another 2-wheel act is the motorcycle highwire where the cycle is rotating on a tightrope above the audience with two women swinging on ropes.
Surprisingly, China-based acts populate most of the show’s lineup. The China National Acrobatic Troupe from Beijing, featuring 28 individuals, performs acrobatic moves on a pair of bicycles (there is a sequence where twenty performers are standing and connected together on the moving bikes); diving through hoops; using amazing arm strength while pole climbing; and swinging and juggling a little diabolo on just a string. Strangely, watching some of these “people’ acts gave me the feeling I was at a Cirque du Soleil show (like the recent “Amaluna” tour) and not the circus. All of the acts were very interesting, with the hoop diving a personal favorite.
There is actually a minor storyline in “Legends,” where Paulo (Paulo Dos Santos), who is called the Legend Seeker, is on a quest to discover living legends around the world. He joins the Ringmaster (Johnathan Lee Iverson) on his journey. Iverson, a former child member of the Boys of Choir of Harlem and off-Broadway performer, introduces the acts and sings throughout the 90-minute show. Dos Santos, who stands around 3 feet or so, appears throughout the show dancing around, hanging from a “hot-air balloon,” and showcasing his art of Capoeira, a combination of martial arts, dance moves and acrobatics. The storyline may be there, but it’s really the twelve or so acts that deliver the action in a non-stop “talent show” format.
The “Legends” presentations move very quickly … and I mean quickly. Almost every act starts in a seamless transition. No catching your breathe here. Sometimes it can get very confusing what’s happening right in front of you. For instance, one of the segments had two animal acts performing concurrently on the floor. I was watching the dog act (along with two poor pigs being forced to ride down individually on a slide) directly in my eye sight, and the other act — with their llamas and goats — performing in the main, one-ring layout. I didn’t get a chance to enjoy the other act with my focus on man’s best friend. I didn’t understand why they couldn’t show these acts separately. There wasn’t much collaboration between these animal acts, except for one of the dogs jumping over the llamas. Oh well.
While the circus acts kept my attention, especially for the happy and screaming kids, one of the wonders for me is watching the behind-the-scenes crew racing around the floor to prepare for the next act in a timely manner. What an incredible job in 30 seconds or less to put up a trapeze net or taking down a steel globe while the show goes on. Seriously, there should be a circus act for the crew themselves.
Even though I am older now, the circus is still fun to watch. I wish the pacing was a little slower between acts, so I could appreciate and take a moment to enjoy what I saw. It was a little hard to hear the Ringmaster introduce the performers, because the live band was louder than his microphone. Regardless, Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus can still hold their catchphrase and trademark as “The Greatest Show on Earth.”
The “Legends” show is performing throughout the United States. In the Bay Area, the show can be seen in Oakland, San Jose and San Francisco.
Photos by Veronica Castro and Richard R. Lee.