This was simply wonderful, Elena! I, too, have fond memories of the circus from my childhood, and some from taking my son (now 31) to the circus when he was little. It still had some big animals then. There’s a really great Billy Joel song about a Russian Circus Clown, that I’m sure you’ve probably heard, but if you haven’t, you must check it out. This past year it became one of my favorite Billy Joel songs. It’s called Leningrad.