Circus

This passage is about the circus and the different types of attractions that can be seen there.

Lexile Level: 1040L

Categories: Art & Music


Clowns, trapeze artists, human cannonballs, daredevil stunt performers, acrobats, jugglers, and lion tamers travel together in a circus. Your parents may have taken you to the circus this year. At a circus, everyone sits in tiered seats around an arena, and inside the arena, circus performers put on a show. Often, the arena has three large circles with a group of performers in each circle putting on a different act. A ringmaster announces each act. The history of the circus goes back to the time of the ancient Romans. The first circus in history was called Circus Maximus, which means "the biggest circus." The Roman circus was similar to today's circus. There were animal trainers, jugglers, and acrobats. The circus tradition spread to Europe, and Philip Astley, the father of the modern circus, helped the traveling show to become a popular event. Today, the most popular circus show in the United States is Ringling Brothers and Barnum and Bailey Circus, but there are many others.


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