![](https://media.journoportfolio.com/users/385616/images/6fb8395a-979a-4f05-8fa8-190d3626e719_max-600.jpg)
Ethel's "Circus—Wandering City" | Hudson Hall
Characterized by daring acts of heroism and thrilling displays of courage, the circus has delighted the American consciousness for generations. However, the advent of increasingly convenient forms of home entertainment—an evolution that has taken us from the humble VCR into the abyss of a never-ending Netflix queue—has made 21st-century leisure time more of a daily expectation than a special event. As a result, the art form of circus has suffered a gradual decline, eventually forcing even mainst