Ah, the Circus! What does the Circus mean to me...?

"Someday, there is a dreamland crowded with memories and dreams to be,
somewhere, a cake and ice cream land holds all life's treasures for you and me!"
​                                                               John Ringling North
                                                                       Nephew of the Ringling Brothers
"The Circus is the only ageless delight that you can buy for money...It is the only spectacle I know that, while you watch it, gives the quality of a truly happy dream."
                                                    Ernest Hemingway
                                                                Close Friend of John Ringling North
"I grew up in the circus! My mom and dad were lifetime performers and I followed in their footsteps. I am thrilled and thankful to be a part of the great Circus! It is my life!"
​                                                               Cristian Petrea Disney
"I know the Circus!  I have spent months and years in direct contact with everything involved with the Circus. Actually, I have sawdust in my shoes! My adopted son Cristian was actually/literally born in Romania with sawdust in his shoes as he was an aerialist performer for many years! I traveled with the Circus and have made lifetime friends that continue to this day!  There is nothing on earth that compares with the Circus!"
                                                               Charles Elias Disney
​                                                               Close Friend of John Ringling North &
                                                                       Henry Ringling North

​"The Circus has always excited me!  Circus people are great and so talented!  When they are performing I am quite thrilled and forever I also have sawdust in my own shoes because the Circus is perhaps one of the greatest forms of entertainment--ever!  And I was quite sad when the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus closed in 2017--and I was there with my brother and nephew for the final performances!!" 
                                                               Daniel H. Disney
                                                                       Close Friend of John Ringling North &
                                                                       ​Henry Ringling North

​The Circus is essentially a visual performing art and therefore unfettered by language barriers. As a result, it is easily exportable to countries with native languages different from the language(s) of the performers. Early circus companies, realizing this, embarked on extensive international tours. There have been many, many really wonderful circus groups in America and throughout the world and across many years. The most famous circus would be the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus aka "The Greatest Show On Earth."  This great circus was founded by P. T. Barnum and James Anthony Bailey and the five Ringling Brothers: Albert (Al), William (Otto), John, Charles and Alfred. This circus continued for 146 years and its final performance was on May 21, 2017 in Uniondale, New York.

In Ancient Rome, the circus was a building for the exhibition of horse and chariot races, equestrian shows, staged battles, displays featuring trained animals, jugglers and acrobats. The circus of Rome is thought to have been influenced by the Greeks, with chariot racing and the exhibition of animals as traditional attractions. The Roman circus consisted of tiers of seats running parallel with the sides of the course, and forming a crescent around one of the ends. The lower seats were reserved for persons of rank; there were also various state boxes, e.g. for the giver of the games and his friends. In Ancient Rome the circus was the only public spectacle at which men and women were not separated.

The First Circus in the city of Rome was the Circus Maximus, in the valley between the Palatine and Aventine hills. It was constructed during the monarchy and, at first, built completely from wood. After being rebuilt several times, the final version of the Circus Maximus could seat 250,000 people; it was built of stone and measured 400m in length and 90m in width. Next in importance to the Circus Maximus in Rome were the Circus Flaminius and the Circus Neronis, from the notoriety which it obtained through the Circensian pleasures of Nero. A fourth, the Circus of Maxentius, was constructed by Maxentius; the ruins of this circus have helped archaeologists to reconstruct the Roman circus.

The Final Performances for "The Greatest Show on Earth!"
Final Shows were on May 4, 2017 in Providence, Rhode Island &
on May 21, 2017 in Uniondale, New York
Charles Elias Disney & Daniel H. Disney & Cristian Petrea Disney
were in attendance for the final shows in Uniondale, New York.

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Final "Sold Out" audience in Uniondale, New York on May 21, 2017
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Big-cat trainer Alexander Lacey hugs Tigers during final performance in Uniondale, New York on May 21, 2017
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Big-cat trainer Taba Maluenda breaking down after final performance in Providence, Rhode Island on May 4, 2017
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Final audience so thrilled by an aerial performance in Uniondale, New York on May 21, 2017
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Davis Vassalle holding his daughter Adriana as he hugs a member of the trapeze troupe following final performance in Uniondale, New York on May 21, 2017
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Circus fan waves farewell to the Circus Train Red Unit following the final performance in Providence, Rhode Island on May 4, 2017
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The final bows at the end of the last performance in Uniondale, New York on Sunday, May 21, 2017
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Ringmaster Johnathan Lee Iverson
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A boy in the final audience May 21, 2017
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Performers & Crews final performance in Uniondale, New York on May 21, 2017
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Children of performers in front of Circus Wagon on May 21, 2017
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Tatiana Tehalabaev, aerialist, wipes tears away following final performance in Uniondale, New York on May 21, 2017
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Circus clown cheers children prior to the final performance in Uniondale, New York on May 21, 2017
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Flying horses in the final performance in Providence, Rhode Island on May 4, 2017
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Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus retired all of their elephants in July of 2016. The elephants will live out their lives in the great circus elephant refuge in Florida!
Great Circus Stars always will thrill circus enthusiasts!
​Cristian Petrea Disney
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The Circus is a Great Place! And Clowns should NEVER be frightening! Circus Clowns are always ready to welcome everyone to the great show!