Jul 16, 2008 3:20 am US/Pacific
The Circus Comes To The Staples Center
LOS ANGELES
The 138th edition of the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey circus, "Over The Top," begins a five-day run at Staples Center, with 16 acts and 102 performers.
Visitors can expect equestrian stunts by the Cossacks, the Flying Caceres on a double-decker trapeze, seven motorcycle riders in the Globe of Steel, along with animal acts featuring dogs, Asian elephants and Bengal tigers.
Sandor Eke is the circus' "Boss Clown." He worked with Circus Italiano and the Hungarian State Circus and joined the Red Unit of Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey in 1997 as a member of a featured Hungarian teeterboard act, eventually becoming part of "Clown Alley." He said working with elephants is one of his favorite things about being in the circus.
Those who arrive one hour before the beginning of the show can go to the arena floor for the "All Access Pre-Show," meet both human and animal performers and witness performances by plate-spinning clowns, Chinese jugglers and hand-balancers, and Frisbee-catching dogs.
Members of People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals will try to dissuade would-be ticket buyers as part of their long-standing protest against the alleged animal mistreatment by the circus, according to RaeLeann Smith, the group's circus and government affairs specialist.
"After hearing how the animals are treated, many people decide this is the last circus with animals they will see, or decide not to go," Smith told City News Service.
Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey circus executives deny abuse allegations, saying it exceeds all federal animal welfare standards set by the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
After its run at the Staples Center, the circus will head to Anaheim's Honda Center, where performances are scheduled for July 23-27 and July 29-Aug. 3.
(© 2008 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Wire services contributed to this report.)
