Acts & Performers
Lillian Leitzel (aerialist-Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus)
2
While the circus in itself was extremely ahead of it's time, the performers and circus acts that came to be throughout the late 20th century embodied that same theme in themselves.
Often times, entire families entered the Circus business as it was a fun and easy way to stay together and provide a life for the family.
Over sixty combined circus cars housed the various acts and performers of the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus (3).
Standout exhibits in the show included, the Flying Wandellas, "a family of high-wire artists", Con Colleano, an acrobat, aerialist Lillian Leitzel, lion-tamer Clyde Beatty and Emmett Kelly the clown. (1)
1. Tina Gianoulis. Ringling Bros and Barnum and Bailey Circus. 2nd ed. Vol. 1 of 1910s: The Way We Lived." Bowling, Beatniks, and Bell-Bottoms: Pop Culture of 20th- and 21st-Century America. 2012. http://go.galegroup.com/ps. (February 1, 2017)
2. Lillian Leitzel, extraordinary aerial gymnast. 1929. N.p.: Youtube,2010. Filmstrip. (February 1, 2017).
3. Ibid, "The Way We Lived."
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All photos on this page: Barnum and Bailey Circus. Photograph. Circuses and Slideshows. 2013. http://www.circusesandsideshows.com/circuses/barnumandbaileycircus.html. (April 1, 2017).