Circus arts have been making their way into the contemporary fitness scene and Kerry Tice is a circus performer and yoga instructor who specializes in aerial or flying yoga. Kerry hails from one of the great circus cities of the US, Sarasota, FL, and now resides there teaching his many physical arts. Today, we’ll get [...]
Sarasota, Florida has been home to the Ringling Circus Museum since 1948 and at the time, it was the only museum of its kind to take on the challenge of documenting (and celebrating) the legacy of the American circus. Once it was established, the museum grew quickly due to the exceptional number of circus performers [...]
Tomorrow is the final day of the Ringling Museum‘s temporary exhibition, The Amazing American Circus Poster: The Strobridge Lithographing Company. This collection features, 80 brilliantly colored, boldly bombastic posters advertising the feature attractions from all corners of the globe and peerless performers of the big top. The Cincinnati-based Strobridge Lithographing Company was one of the country’s [...]
In a few short hours, the opening show of Circus Sarasota‘s Cirque des Voix will commence and yours truly will be kicking off the festivities in a group fire act backed by the nationally renowned Key Chorale. Also on the bill are The Flying Wallendas, Dolly Jacobs and Annaliese Nock, daughter of Bello Nock. That’s a [...]
After a leisurely afternoon of admiring ligers, petting goats and snuggling with emus at Sarasota’s Big Cat Habitat and Gulf Coast Sanctuary, my sisters and I were treated to a demonstration by the Rosaire Family and a few of their feline friends. This ninth-generation circus family has been training and rescuing exotic animals for several [...]
The Wallenda family legacy has long been cemented in the circus industry and now, Nik Wallenda is taking his talents out of the Big Top and into other venues. This Saturday, Nik is scheduled to perform two sensational stunts in the New Braunfels Schlitterbahn Waterpark: 1) Fire Slide – 12 pm While on fire, Nik [...]
From 1968 to 1997, the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Clown College educated hundreds of entertainers, eager to hone their clowning chops. Throughout the course of its lifetime, this school was located in Venice, Florida, Baraboo, WI and finally Sarasota, FL. If you were lucky enough to be admitted to this college, (“It was [...]
On January 16th, the “King of the Sideshow” Ward Hall was inducted into Sarasota’s Circus Ring of Fame. The Circus Ring of Fame, located on St. Armands Circle in Sarasota, Florida, is a landmark commemorating those who have made a significant contribution to the circus. The famed shopping district known as St. Armands was originally [...]
Nestled along Orange Avenue in Sarasota, Florida lies St. Martha’s Catholic Church, a house of worship with a colorful past. In the 1930s, Father Elslander was reportedly attentive to the circus community that had begun to accumulate in the town and Ringling Circus Executive John Ringling North decided to return the favor. The circus troupe [...]
The circus legacy has left an indelible mark on the city of Sarasota, Florida. Sadly, however, many are unaware of the town’s back-story and even circus nerds, such as myself, can live there for years without ever fully understanding the depth of impact the circus tradition has had on that town. Doing its part to [...]