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Ringling Portraits
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Created 25 Nov 2015
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![Portrait of Ringmaster Johnathan Lee Iverson, who was born and raised in New York City. Iverson was Ringling Brother's first African American ringmaster. "As the ringmaster of Ringling Brothers, you're the ambassador of the great American circus tradition. When you're speaking for Ringling Brothers, you're really speaking for the entire industry. What I love most [is that] it is possible to have extraordinary entertainment, high art, and appeal to anyone. Everybody loves the circus. [It's] a buffet of the extraordinary."<br />
<br />
"I don't think people really know circus, and they don't really know circus people. They know, like, the myths and legends and romance of it, and you know, we're thought of as nomads and we're thought of as mysterious. And at one point that worked, you know, that sort of drew people in, but I think in this day and age, social media, where everybody knows everything it can kind of be strangely, it can work against your favor in the sense. So I think, now, we have this opportunity to really let people know who we are and what it takes to do what we do, inside our world. We humanize what we do, because if people don't know you they dehumanize you, whether for good or bad. They just dehumanize you, that's just what we do."<br />
<br />
"Circus is the only craft I know of where people can actually use the very thing that people used to berate them with and become a star with that."<br />
<br />
After 146 years, the "Greatest Show on Earth" will close its curtain in the end of May. <br />
Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus started in 1919 when the circus created by James Anthony Bailey and P. T. Barnum merged with the Ringling Brothers Circus. The circus' parent company, Feld Entertainment, made the decision to end the show after waning ticket sales and long court battles over the treatment of animals, particularly the elephants, made the costly entertainment event unsustainable.](https://m.psecn.photoshelter.com/img-get2/I0000iOM27rSfiAs/fit=250x250/fill=/g=G0000Z3YEBrwngkc/I0000iOM27rSfiAs.jpg)
![Portrait of school teacher and contortionist Laura Sutton, who's been traveling with the circus the teaching the staff's children for two years. "[A] big part of the lifestyle here is that we train together. I'll be training in the classrooms in the mornings and the kids will come in and drop off their school bags and go do something else while I'm in the middle of a backbend. And then after school I'll go out onto the floor and I'll train with them and the little ones are learning to do their splits and their handstands, and I'll be doing more contortions."<br />
<br />
"I think it takes a lot of it to survive in the circus. I mean, you can't just get caught up in your one skill. I've heard a lot of students whose parents really encourage them to learn more than one skill, like more than just trapeze, more than just motorcycle riding, so they can be valuable to other circuses because maybe they won't spend their whole lives here." <br />
<br />
After 146 years, the "Greatest Show on Earth" will close its curtain in the end of May. <br />
Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus started in 1919 when the circus created by James Anthony Bailey and P. T. Barnum merged with the Ringling Brothers Circus. The circus' parent company, Feld Entertainment, made the decision to end the show after waning ticket sales and long court battles over the treatment of animals, particularly the elephants, made the costly entertainment event unsustainable.](https://m.psecn.photoshelter.com/img-get2/I0000N2fLg5527EE/fit=250x250/fill=/g=G0000Z3YEBrwngkc/I0000N2fLg5527EE.jpg)
![Portrait of trapeze flier Andrei Ricardo Peixotode Oliveira with his dogs Julia and Bobby, who travel on the train with him. "I'm the fifth generation of trapeze flyers. My grandparents, my dad, my brothers -- I have seven brothers -- We [are all] trapeze flyers. I am the new generation. It [is our] culture. My mom is 63 years old, my dad is 74 years old. They stopped circus just two years ago. They say it's so hard. For us, normal life is traveling. It's hard to live at home, to have a normal life, like normal people." <br />
<br />
After 146 years, the "Greatest Show on Earth" will close its curtain in the end of May. <br />
Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus started in 1919 when the circus created by James Anthony Bailey and P. T. Barnum merged with the Ringling Brothers Circus. The circus' parent company, Feld Entertainment, made the decision to end the show after waning ticket sales and long court battles over the treatment of animals, particularly the elephants, made the costly entertainment event unsustainable.](https://m.psecn.photoshelter.com/img-get2/I0000Vlus6A9FSHM/fit=250x250/fill=/g=G0000Z3YEBrwngkc/I0000Vlus6A9FSHM.jpg)
![Portrait of Alexander Lacey with his leopard Mogli. Alex travels with 19 lions and tigers, in addition to Mogli. "I’ve been around animals since I was 4 years old – baby tigers, lions, chimps, bear cubs. My parents owned two zoos in England. [They] said to me, 'It’s a way of life. It’s not a job. We have to be here 365 days a year. Your life revolves around the animals.'”<br />
<br />
After 146 years, the "Greatest Show on Earth" will close its curtain in the end of May. <br />
Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus started in 1919 when the circus created by James Anthony Bailey and P. T. Barnum merged with the Ringling Brothers Circus. The circus' parent company, Feld Entertainment, made the decision to end the show after waning ticket sales and long court battles over the treatment of animals, particularly the elephants, made the costly entertainment event unsustainable.](https://m.psecn.photoshelter.com/img-get2/I00004TglnL3Goxc/fit=250x250/fill=/g=G0000Z3YEBrwngkc/I00004TglnL3Goxc.jpg)
![Portrait of train mechanic Jerry Lee Bentley, who was born on a train. <br />
<br />
"I've been in the show business pretty much all my life. I was born and raised on another traveling show. I took some time off in between with the service, [but] I had to come back.<br />
<br />
I have been traveling with the shows for over 64 years. Ringling Brothers, I've been with them 16 years.<br />
<br />
I've been doing it now all these years. It's the only thing pretty much I know what to do is making sure to make the train comes out, you know, goes from one town to the other, make it safe for the people who live on there. Pretty much that's all I've been doing.<br />
<br />
[When] I see families come out and they have big smiles, and the kids are happy, it's like it hits home. You know, I've done my job good because I made sure we got here safely and everything was going good with the show and no one got hurt, and you go on from there.<br />
If I can put a smile on someone's face, I feel okay. I've done a good job."<br />
<br />
After 146 years, the "Greatest Show on Earth" will close its curtain in the end of May. <br />
Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus started in 1919 when the circus created by James Anthony Bailey and P. T. Barnum merged with the Ringling Brothers Circus. The circus' parent company, Feld Entertainment, made the decision to end the show after waning ticket sales and long court battles over the treatment of animals, particularly the elephants, made the costly entertainment event unsustainable.](https://m.psecn.photoshelter.com/img-get2/I0000suchYEUU5jQ/fit=250x250/fill=/g=G0000Z3YEBrwngkc/I0000suchYEUU5jQ.jpg)
![Portrait of clown Sandor Eke and his son Michael Eke. "I [was] born in Hungary and my parents were worked in the circus. [Since] I was one and a half years old, my mom and my dad, both worked in circus. She [was] an announcer and my dad became a tent master. For me lions and tigers and elephants walking around me was just natural. [We traveled] from town to town. My son was born into the circus and many people ask me 'Oh, next generation of clowns, performers,' and I'm like 'Absolutely not! He's going to be a dentist, a lawyer, a professional athlete, a millionaire, a billionaire, I don't know.' But of course, it's kind of a joke. If he likes it, if he has skills for it. I mean... he's already trying to juggle. He can disappear really fast, so he might be a magician. I don't know."<br />
<br />
After 146 years, the "Greatest Show on Earth" will close its curtain in the end of May. <br />
Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus started in 1919 when the circus created by James Anthony Bailey and P. T. Barnum merged with the Ringling Brothers Circus. The circus' parent company, Feld Entertainment, made the decision to end the show after waning ticket sales and long court battles over the treatment of animals, particularly the elephants, made the costly entertainment event unsustainable.](https://m.psecn.photoshelter.com/img-get2/I0000Gwep4H755lI/fit=250x250/fill=/g=G0000Z3YEBrwngkc/I0000Gwep4H755lI.jpg)
![Portrait of Tatiana Tchalabaeva, who is an acrobat with the Thundering Cossack Warriors. "It's a lot of fun, [but there is] a lot of danger to it. Anything can happen. Horses can fall, you can fall, anything can happen. But you just go out there and you enjoy it, it's fun. It's an amazing feeling, the bond between animal and you. We love it. Our horses are just like our kids, we love them. They're part of our family."<br />
<br />
After 146 years, the "Greatest Show on Earth" will close its curtain in the end of May. <br />
Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus started in 1919 when the circus created by James Anthony Bailey and P. T. Barnum merged with the Ringling Brothers Circus. The circus' parent company, Feld Entertainment, made the decision to end the show after waning ticket sales and long court battles over the treatment of animals, particularly the elephants, made the costly entertainment event unsustainable.](https://m.psecn.photoshelter.com/img-get2/I0000gdz6mrDLSxo/fit=250x250/fill=/g=G0000Z3YEBrwngkc/I0000gdz6mrDLSxo.jpg)
![Portrait of school teacher and contortionist Li Jiahui and Zhao Qianyu, both of the China National Acrobatic Troupe that is currently performing with Ringling Bros.<br />
<br />
"It's a very different experience than being at home," said Jiahui. When we perform in China, we perform in one building and the stage is very small. Here, the stage is huge and we get to travel on the train, which we've never experienced before. [Also] in China, the show is more serious. Here, [they] have clowns and animals. It seems like a lot of performers are playing around onstage. It's more fun." <br />
<br />
After 146 years, the "Greatest Show on Earth" will close its curtain in the end of May. <br />
Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus started in 1919 when the circus created by James Anthony Bailey and P. T. Barnum merged with the Ringling Brothers Circus. The circus' parent company, Feld Entertainment, made the decision to end the show after waning ticket sales and long court battles over the treatment of animals, particularly the elephants, made the costly entertainment event unsustainable.](https://m.psecn.photoshelter.com/img-get2/I0000njSWHsd5dc0/fit=250x250/fill=/g=G0000Z3YEBrwngkc/I0000njSWHsd5dc0.jpg)
![Portrait of performer Paulo Cesar Oliveira dos Santos.<br />
<br />
A victim of bullying when we was younger, he said he was motived by the kids he met through his work. He learned English just in the last few years while on the road with Ringling Brothers. "I see the kids and hug them. Some kids, you can feel it ... some kids need [extra] attention. I can hug [them], I can give love [to] the kids, because that [what] kids need. I love to [give my heart to them] because I feel like them." <br />
<br />
After 146 years, the "Greatest Show on Earth" will close its curtain in the end of May. <br />
Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus started in 1919 when the circus created by James Anthony Bailey and P. T. Barnum merged with the Ringling Brothers Circus. The circus' parent company, Feld Entertainment, made the decision to end the show after waning ticket sales and long court battles over the treatment of animals, particularly the elephants, made the costly entertainment event unsustainable.](https://m.psecn.photoshelter.com/img-get2/I0000Q88.6YG7jsM/fit=250x250/fill=/g=G0000Z3YEBrwngkc/I0000Q88.6YG7jsM.jpg)
![Portrait of clown Sandor Eke and his son Michael Eke. "I [was] born in Hungary and my parents were worked in the circus. [Since] I was one and a half years old, my mom and my dad, both worked in circus. She [was] an announcer and my dad became a tent master. For me lions and tigers and elephants walking around me was just natural. [We traveled] from town to town. My son was born into the circus and many people ask me 'Oh, next generation of clowns, performers,' and I'm like 'Absolutely not! He's going to be a dentist, a lawyer, a professional athlete, a millionaire, a billionaire, I don't know.' But of course, it's kind of a joke. If he likes it, if he has skills for it. I mean... he's already trying to juggle. He can disappear really fast, so he might be a magician. I don't know."<br />
<br />
After 146 years, the "Greatest Show on Earth" will close its curtain in the end of May. <br />
Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus started in 1919 when the circus created by James Anthony Bailey and P. T. Barnum merged with the Ringling Brothers Circus. The circus' parent company, Feld Entertainment, made the decision to end the show after waning ticket sales and long court battles over the treatment of animals, particularly the elephants, made the costly entertainment event unsustainable.](https://m.psecn.photoshelter.com/img-get2/I0000ihOHCi3r2aQ/fit=250x250/fill=/g=G0000Z3YEBrwngkc/I0000ihOHCi3r2aQ.jpg)
![Portrait of Alexander Lacey with his leopard Mogli. Alex travels with 19 lions and tigers, in addition to Mogli. "I’ve been around animals since I was 4 years old – baby tigers, lions, chimps, bear cubs. My parents owned two zoos in England. [They] said to me, 'It’s a way of life. It’s not a job. We have to be here 365 days a year. Your life revolves around the animals.'”<br />
<br />
After 146 years, the "Greatest Show on Earth" will close its curtain in the end of May. <br />
Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus started in 1919 when the circus created by James Anthony Bailey and P. T. Barnum merged with the Ringling Brothers Circus. The circus' parent company, Feld Entertainment, made the decision to end the show after waning ticket sales and long court battles over the treatment of animals, particularly the elephants, made the costly entertainment event unsustainable.](https://m.psecn.photoshelter.com/img-get2/I0000OMLWiicHYN0/fit=250x250/fill=/g=G0000Z3YEBrwngkc/I0000OMLWiicHYN0.jpg)
![Portrait of performer Paulo Cesar Oliveira dos Santos.<br />
<br />
A victim of bullying when we was younger, he said he was motived by the kids he met through his work. He learned English just in the last few years while on the road with Ringling Brothers. "I see the kids and hug them. Some kids, you can feel it ... some kids need [extra] attention. I can hug [them], I can give love [to] the kids, because that [what] kids need. I love to [give my heart to them] because I feel like them." <br />
<br />
After 146 years, the "Greatest Show on Earth" will close its curtain in the end of May. <br />
Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus started in 1919 when the circus created by James Anthony Bailey and P. T. Barnum merged with the Ringling Brothers Circus. The circus' parent company, Feld Entertainment, made the decision to end the show after waning ticket sales and long court battles over the treatment of animals, particularly the elephants, made the costly entertainment event unsustainable.](https://m.psecn.photoshelter.com/img-get2/I0000nXEQFODb9eQ/fit=250x250/fill=/g=G0000Z3YEBrwngkc/I0000nXEQFODb9eQ.jpg)
![Portrait of trapeze flier Andrei Ricardo Peixotode Oliveira. "I'm the fifth generation of trapeze flyers. My grandparents, my dad, my brothers -- I have seven brothers -- We [are all] trapeze flyers. I am the new generation. It [is our] culture. My mom is 63 years old, my dad is 74 years old. They stopped circus just two years ago. They say it's so hard. For us, normal life is traveling. It's hard to live at home, to have a normal life, like normal people." <br />
<br />
After 146 years, the "Greatest Show on Earth" will close its curtain in the end of May. <br />
Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus started in 1919 when the circus created by James Anthony Bailey and P. T. Barnum merged with the Ringling Brothers Circus. The circus' parent company, Feld Entertainment, made the decision to end the show after waning ticket sales and long court battles over the treatment of animals, particularly the elephants, made the costly entertainment event unsustainable.](https://m.psecn.photoshelter.com/img-get2/I0000xCVQ1tYeoWI/fit=250x250/fill=/g=G0000Z3YEBrwngkc/I0000xCVQ1tYeoWI.jpg)
![Portrait of Tatiana Tchalabaeva, who is an acrobat with the Thundering Cossack Warriors. "It's a lot of fun, [but there is] a lot of danger to it. Anything can happen. Horses can fall, you can fall, anything can happen. But you just go out there and you enjoy it, it's fun. It's an amazing feeling, the bond between animal and you. We love it. Our horses are just like our kids, we love them. They're part of our family."<br />
<br />
After 146 years, the "Greatest Show on Earth" will close its curtain in the end of May. <br />
Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus started in 1919 when the circus created by James Anthony Bailey and P. T. Barnum merged with the Ringling Brothers Circus. The circus' parent company, Feld Entertainment, made the decision to end the show after waning ticket sales and long court battles over the treatment of animals, particularly the elephants, made the costly entertainment event unsustainable.](https://m.psecn.photoshelter.com/img-get2/I000046GorslC1TY/fit=250x250/fill=/g=G0000Z3YEBrwngkc/I000046GorslC1TY.jpg)
![Portrait of motorcycle rider and trapeze flier Adrielle Stankowich Alves, a fifth generation circus performer who currently is a trapeze flier and is learning to ride motorcycles in the Globe of Steel. "I was born in the circus. My family has a circus in Brazil. I've been doing the trapeze for 14 years and I love [it]. My daddy did it, [as well as] my mom, my brothers and sisters. It's in our blood. And the globe, it's another passion. The people think that it's crazy and hard. Yeah, it's hard, but it's good because this make me feel calm [and] relaxed. I feel good. And I can’t see my life without the circus."<br />
<br />
After 146 years, the "Greatest Show on Earth" will close its curtain in the end of May. <br />
Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus started in 1919 when the circus created by James Anthony Bailey and P. T. Barnum merged with the Ringling Brothers Circus. The circus' parent company, Feld Entertainment, made the decision to end the show after waning ticket sales and long court battles over the treatment of animals, particularly the elephants, made the costly entertainment event unsustainable.](https://m.psecn.photoshelter.com/img-get2/I0000ZAt_VnodSaY/fit=250x250/fill=/g=G0000Z3YEBrwngkc/I0000ZAt_VnodSaY.jpg)
![Portrait of motorcycle rider and trapeze flier Adrielle Stankowich Alves, a fifth generation circus performer who currently is a trapeze flier and is learning to ride motorcycles in the Globe of Steel. "I was born in the circus. My family has a circus in Brazil. I've been doing the trapeze for 14 years and I love [it]. My daddy did it, [as well as] my mom, my brothers and sisters. It's in our blood. And the globe, it's another passion. The people think that it's crazy and hard. Yeah, it's hard, but it's good because this make me feel calm [and] relaxed. I feel good. And I can’t see my life without the circus.”<br />
<br />
After 146 years, the "Greatest Show on Earth" will close its curtain in the end of May. <br />
Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus started in 1919 when the circus created by James Anthony Bailey and P. T. Barnum merged with the Ringling Brothers Circus. The circus' parent company, Feld Entertainment, made the decision to end the show after waning ticket sales and long court battles over the treatment of animals, particularly the elephants, made the costly entertainment event unsustainable.](https://m.psecn.photoshelter.com/img-get2/I0000miieYW7c8TU/fit=250x250/fill=/g=G0000Z3YEBrwngkc/I0000miieYW7c8TU.jpg)
