What is Circus?
{{Cleanup|date=January 2025}}{{Restructure|date=January 2025}}[[File:Barnum & Bailey clowns and geese2.jpg|thumb|right|250px|Advertisement for the Barnum & Bailey Circus, 1900.]]A '''circus''' is a special kind of entertainment that can be enjoyed by [[children]] and [[Adult|adults]]. ==Overview== Circuses are a group of performers that may include acrobats, clowns, trained animals, [[trapeze]] acts, musicians, [[hoopers]], [[tightrope walker]]s, jugglers and other artists who perform stunts. Circuses usually travel about to different parts of the country or to different countries. They perform in a huge tent called the “Big Top”. There may be room for hundreds of people in the audience. The seating is tiered (the seats at the back are higher than those in front). In the middle is the circular area where the artists perform. This area is called the “ring”. The person in charge of the whole show is the “ringmaster”. Not all circuses travel about. A few circuses perform in their own way. ==Acts== There are many different acts in circuses. Some people do [[acrobatics]] and [[gymnastics]]. Often a group of gymnasts will finish up standing on top of one another in a [[pyramid]]. The gymnasts may also do jumping acts on [[Trampoline|trampolines]]. Some people are [[Juggling|jugglers]], throwing things in the air and catching them. There may be people who walk on stilts or who ride on [[Unicycle|unicycles]]. They may perform [[magic]] which may include sword-swallowing, knife throwing or fire-eating. There are always [[Clown|clowns]] who do funny things to make people laugh. They trip over things and fall over, throw buckets of water over one another or put custard pies into one another’s faces. Sometimes these clowns are also very skilful acrobats, musicians or jugglers. They may pretend to be stupid at first, but they often show that they are very clever. ===Animal acts=== [[File:Female animal trainer and leopard.jpg|thumb|left|240px|Female [[lion tamer]] and leopard. [[Animal rights]] activists say that these acts