It is the end of another era. A world-famous company that embodied an entire entertainment industry is folding its tents for good.
Per Yahoo News:
“After 146 years, the curtain is coming down on "The Greatest Show on Earth." The owner of the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus told The Associated Press that the show will close forever in May. The iconic American spectacle was felled by a variety of factors, company executives say. Declining attendance combined with high operating costs, along with changing public tastes and prolonged battles with animal rights groups all contributed to its demise.”
But this is not only a story of an industry becoming irrelevant. It is also the story of rebirth and reinvention. Because Cirque du Soleil was born in the mid-1980s in Canada, as an offshoot of traditional circus. Its founders had the foresight to evolve the core offering, and successfully blend it with elements of theatre, ballet, opera, and dance. The result is a whole new type of live entertainment with mass appeal.
