It's always exciting to see the Big Apple Circus tent poking above the walls of Damrosch Park at Lincoln Center. Such a funny juxtaposition. A few years ago we were invited backstage at Cirque du Soliel. The performers were stretching and walking around, dodging racks of costumes and props. Everything looked different without the magic of the lights and the ring. Why is it that the simple act of dimming the lights, or pulling open a curtain changes the ordinary into the magical and allows for the suspension of disbelief?
Some of my favorite books are collections of circus posters. The artwork is really amazing. Here is one that I look at every so often: American Circus Posters.
This is a great doc on PBS: Circus