KANSAS CITY, Mo — The Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus is back in Kansas City and ready to wow audiences all weekend long.
"Resilience is key and we hope that Ringling is here to stay for many years to come. it's over 150 years-old, so to re-imagine it is difficult, but we had multiple years across the pandemic," explained Wesley Williams, unicycle specialist with Ringling Brothers.
Williams is part of the traveling circus' diverse line-up of 75 performers representing 18 different countries. During the pandemic, Williams says he was able to learn and develop new skills and take part in virtual shows.
"We knew the show was going to go on at some point," explained Williams, "obviously, most of us had to stay home during COVID but we figured out how to do different things and most of us practiced and made our craft even better."
Williams is a unicyclist specialist with Ringling Brothers and will be leading the audience during the show. After the the curtain closes, he and his colleagues are getting a taste of Kansas City life.
"We have local stagehands that come in, about 100 of those at every single town we go to, and then we all are tourists, we want to see Kansas City so we're going out spending money in the town and supporting Kansas City because they're going to be supporting us over the weekend.
More than 15,000 tickets have been sold for the Kansas City show, Williams says it showcases the demand for family-friendly entertainment.
"I don't get nervous because I love what I do, I love every second of it, it's not a job, it's a lifestyle," Williams said.
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