I don't think I saw Ringling Bros. back then but around 30 years ago I saw the Moscow circus when they performed on an American tour during Glasnost. I remembe

I don't think I saw Ringling Bros. back then but around 30 years ago I saw the Moscow circus when they performed on an American tour during Glasnost. I remember it being very exciting, well worth the watch. For other distractions at the time I had a Commodore 64 and plenty of television. Perhaps there has been a lack of entertaining circuses, but even in the 80s the circus was much different from the version in the 30s. Circuses used to show up almost overnight and pop up hastily. They would promote themselves, make a few bucks, and move on just as quickly. By the 80s they performed mostly in arenas, competing not just for attention but also for performance dates with bigger acts that are cheaper to run.