Greatest Show on Earth: The circus, animal-free and reimagined
Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus returns Feb. 9 – 11
When the Greatest Show on Earth returns to the Bon Secours Wellness Arena Feb. 9 – 11, it will not be your parents’ circus. This one is new, reimagined, animal-free and embracing the best of live performing arts and technology, all in one daring show. Comedy, stunts, acrobatics, extreme sports, music and more mean there is something for everyone – sometimes all at once.
Jan Damm, performing as the character Nick Nack, joins Lauren Irving and Alex Stickels to guide audiences through the show.
“It's still a show for children of all ages,” Damm said. “We still call it the greatest show on Earth, but we reimagined what the greatest show on Earth would be in 2024 – so this is an all new version of the show that uses human achievement, music, dance, acrobatics, and comedy to create a one of a kind experience that will delight the child in all of us. The circus has always been about reinvention, and we can't bring back the exact same show that we did a generation ago. We can bring back the feeling, and it also opens up possibilities to use technology. We have a little robo dog in the show that I interact with and it delights the audience. And we can use video, we can use modern costuming and lighting to create something that you've never seen before.”
Performers represent 17 different countries, and like Damm, have spent years honing their craft.
“We have so many acts in the show that you literally can't see anywhere else in the world, that are one of a kind,” he said.
Damm has been performing since he was 11 years old. He said passion and skill creates a unique show and a “dream team of a circus.”
For audiences, Damm said the new version evokes familiar thrills.
“The number one thing that people come and tell us is about their memories they had coming as children and being able to bring their children or their grandchildren back to Ringling, to the greatest show on earth to have that same kind of experience,” he said. “You don't know what's going to happen next, where you think anything is possible, and they really can't find that anywhere else. It's exciting, and to be able to share with the next generation I think is special. We can feel that when we perform the show.”
Want to go? Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey The Greatest Show On Earth is presented at 7 p.m. Feb. 9, at 10:30 a.m., 2:30 p.m. and 6:30 p.m. Feb. 10, and 10:30 a.m. and 2:30 p.m. Feb. 11 at the Bon Secours Wellness Arena. For details and ticket information, visit bonsecoursarena.com/events/detail/ringling-bros-and-barnum-bailey and ringling.com/show/greenville-sc-2024-bon-secours-wellness-arena.
This article originally appeared on Greenville News: Greatest Show on Earth: The circus, animal-free and reimagined
