The 124th Edition of the Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey

Circus opens in Knoxville tonight at 7:30 at the Civic Coliseum,

marking the 125th anniversary of The Greatest Show on Earth.

The spotlight stars of this year’s circus are Romeo and Juliette, the first

baby elephants born and raised by Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey. The

two Asian elephants were born on the Circus Elephant Farm, founded 10 years

ago by circus president and producer Kenneth Feld. Feld named Juliette

after his daughter. When the second calf from the farm turned out to be

male, they knew they had to name him Romeo.

Feld presents more than 120 circus artists from around the world, from

Russian high wire artists to colorful Chinese acrobats to British animal

tamer Graham Thomas Chipperfield.

From Russia, Fatima, the “Ballerina of the High-wire,” of the “fearless”

Mednikov family will thrill audiences with her balancing skills. Other

Russian troupes will present acrobatic feats in a variety of exercises. The

Qi Qi Har Acrobatic Troupe of China will show their expertise in bamboo

pole balancing.

Chipperfield, a descendant of England’s oldest circus family, will display

his animal training abilities with Asian elephants and Royal lions.

Of course, clowns are the life-blood of any circus, and the Ringling Bros.

circus has the best in the business. They are even holding auditions for

the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Clown College this Thursday, March

9, at 5 p.m. at the Coliseum. Auditionees must be at least 17 years of age

and be able to travel. A serious interest in clowning is also a must.

Auditions will also be held for female circus dancers. A strong background

in dance is suggested, notably in jazz, modern and ballet. Auditionees must

be at least 18 years old, a high school graduate and available to

travel.

Other acts featured in the show include Jon Weiss and Giovanni Anastasini,

carrying on the human cannonball tradition with the world’s only

double-barreled cannon.

The circus runs through Sunday, March 12. Showtimes are Thursday at 7:30

p.m., Friday at 3:30 and 7:30 p.m., Saturday at 11 a.m., 3:30 p.m. and 7:30

p.m. and Sunday at 1 p.m. and 5 p.m. Tickets are available at the UT

Central Ticket Office. All seats are reserved and priced at $11.50 and

$13.50. Discounts are available for groups of 25 or more by calling

522-9663.