The Circus!

Yesterday, Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey’s Greatest Show On Earth left town after 24 performances over the course of a week and a half at Madison Square Garden. The circus has always been a part of Madison Square Garden, beginning with P. T. Barnum’s show in 1879 at the original MSG building, continuing with the newly combined Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey’s first performance in 1919 at the second MSG, and continuing through to today, where it performs every year in early spring. This year’s show, Barnum’s FUNundrum!, was especially entertaining, focusing on human feats of strength, balance, and flexibility (with the occasional snake or tiger thrown into the mix). Enjoy these photos from the April 2 afternoon performance (©Madison Square Garden, Inc.):

The Ringmaster kicks things off:

The lion tamer, always a classic:

Not sure what’s scarier, the enormous snake or that crazy hairpiece:

Tightrope:

When regular pushups get too easy, this is what you do:

Believe it or not, there were actually three adult women in that tiny box:

Flying trapeze:

The only thing more difficult than juggling lit torches while swinging through the air is juggling lit torches while swinging through the air hanging by your hair: