The final days of the Ringling Bros. circus
Sunday marked the last time the Ringling Bros. Circus will send in the clowns.
After 146 years of entertaining audiences with clowns and animal acts, "The Greatest Show on Earth" hosted its last and final performance on Sun., May 21, 2017, in Uniondale, N.Y.
While the show will go on in other circuses around the world, Ringling is special. The size, the spectacle and the history -- stretching back to P.T. Barnum and his traveling museum in the 1800s -- set it apart.
Ringmaster Johnathan Lee
Ringmaster Johnathan Lee Iverson opens the final show of the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus, on Sun., May 21, 2017, in Uniondale, N.Y. Ringling's circus began its final show Sunday evening after 146 years of wowing audiences with its "Greatest Show on Earth."
Dazzling performance
An acrobat performs in a transparent ball suspended above the floor during the final show of the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus, on Sun., May 21, 2017, in Uniondale, N.Y.
The scene at the final night
The final show of the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus begins, on Sun., May 21, 2017, in Uniondale, N.Y.
Big Cat trainer
Big cat trainer Alexander Lacey hugs one of the tigers during the final show of the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus, on Sun., May 21, 2017, in Uniondale, N.Y. Ringling's circus began its final show Sunday evening after 146 years of wowing audiences with its "Greatest Show on Earth."
Boss Clown
One of Sandor Eke's earliest memories is of an elephant comforting him, stretching its trunk through his trailer window, while he lay recovering from illness.
Now, at age 41, he's the Boss Clown, leader of the clowns on the unit. He's also dad to 2-year-old Michael, and they are enjoying the waning days ahead of a show in Providence, Rhode Island.
"That's how I want to be remembered"
"When you're a circus kid you have your own zoo," says Eke, holding up his son to pet a camel before the show in Providence.
Knowing it's coming to an end has been difficult for his fellow performers and crew, and Eke has been spending his time trying to make his circus family laugh.
"I don't stop until they smile," he says. "And I do everything. I don't care if I have to dive into a trash can. That's how I want to be remembered. And that's how I want to remember myself. I'm going to go and cry. But I'm going to be happy."
Past clowns
A cabinet door inside a clown's living quarters on the train displays messages and signatures from past clowns who have lived in that room.
Clown Alley
Eke, left, and Ivan Vargas put on makeup as Eke's son Michael watched videos before the performance.
Vargas is sixth-generation circus. His mother performed on the high wire when they met, his father on the trapeze.
He's part of Clown Alley. It's not just a place. In one sense, it's the private area backstage where clowns get ready to perform. But it's also how the clowns refer to themselves, a mini-fraternity within the circus, and a microcosm of it.
"Clown bible"
Clown Brian Wright started collecting signatures four years ago when he joined the circus.
His "clown bible" is now filled with memories, thoughts and jokes from clowns past, along with their pictures. He says he plans to give it to the International Clown Hall of Fame in Baraboo, Wisconsin.
Circus animals
The circus animals are owned by Feld Entertainment, which owns Ringling, and tiger trainer Tabayara Maluenda had to say goodbye.
The animals will be sent to a center that specializes in tigers, according to a Feld spokesman.
As Maluenda wiped away tears during their last appearance together, he thanked each animal individually as it leaves the ring. He embraced and kissed the first tiger Feld got for him when he joined Ringling 13 years ago, which he raised from its days as a cub.
High-wire troupe
The Danguir high-wire troupe is lead by Mustafa Danguir, the first in his family to perform in the circus. He was discovered doing acrobatic tricks as a child in Tangier, Morocco, and invited to circus school. His wife, Anna Lebedeva, originally from Moscow, is sixth-generation circus.
She executes her tricks so effortlessly, it's hard to believe she had a baby three months ago.
It was important to her to perform in Ringling Bros.' last shows, she says, and she pushed herself to get back in condition after their son, Amir, was born.
Last night on the floor
In a few days, Eke and his son will fly back to Hungary to visit family before their permanent move to Las Vegas. Eke is planning to visit a circus he has heard about there.
"Any time I have a chance to see a circus," he says, "I will be there."
But tonight, he stands on the arena floor one last time, holds his son in his arms, and cries.
"It's crazy how much I love circus"
Eke knows Michael may never join the circus.
His wife, a former circus aerialist, has already established their new home. When the circus closes, Eke hopes to get a job as a "flair" bartender in Las Vegas, doing tricks like juggling bottles.
He wonders how life will change.
"My normal life is this. My normal life is going on the train, going every week to a different city," Eke says. "It's crazy how much I love circus."