Bringing the Greatest Show on Earth to Our Heroes
My first experience with the USO was during my brief hiatus from The Greatest Show On Earth. I was embarking on a career in theater, film, television — really any…
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Circus and the Healing Balm of Laughter
As I tour the country, I often have the opportunity to visit children in the hospital as part of the community outreach efforts of Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey®.…
Read More Cantaleta: Cuba’s Funniest Import
“I feel a little magic,” is how Joan Fernández Cabrera describes his transformation into his clown alter ego, Cantaleta — a hyperactive blend of mischief, athleticism and a hapless romantic…
Read More How Sjana Venson Juggles Her Passions
She was grinning from ear to ear. Her honey-brown complexion was beaming like the noon-day sun in the middle of a Texas summer. Her gait was a gleeful bounce —…
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A Little Person’s Antidote to Bullying
Imagine there’s nowhere you can go where you are not the curiosity that tempts roving eyes and odd glances. Imagine that your very presence evokes a profile in the imagination…
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The Circus Wonder Woman
Adrielle Alves had a secret. A secret she’d been clinging to since joining Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey approximately four years earlier. Initially, she was hired to perform alongside…
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The Last Ringmaster
His voice is what I remember most. Its timbre was bathed in authority. It wasn’t the kind that evokes intimidation, mind you, rather the sort that would cause you to…
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Jerry’s Gift: The Art and Passion of a Circus Super Fan
His is a presence that is impossible to miss, even in an arena filled with thousands upon thousands of enthusiastic patrons. He doesn’t walk, but marches gleefully through our All…
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A Brooklyn Clown Is Living His Dream
As a child, Brian Wright’s discomfort about and around clowns was the product of Hollywood’s sordid depictions, including most notably Stephen King’s infamous classic, It. Not until his first trip…
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