We call the time from ages 3 to 10 theWonder Years, and for obvious reason. Probably during no other stage of life would seeing a wild elephant standing upside down on its trunk and two front legs or tip-toeing across a skinny balance beam be more mesmerizing and wonderful.
"The circus to a child is like Christmas: It only comes once a year. And those two hours are the most amazing, because you're seeing things that you're not going to see anyplace else," said Jim Ragona, talent and production manager for the Ringling Bros. Barnum & Bailey Circus, which plays the Nassau Coliseum March 20-26.
Ragona and partner Tim Holst share the responsibility of scouring the world for one-of-a-kind acrobats, trapeze artists, body contortionists and clowns, as well as talented llamas, horses, elephants, dogs, etc., that make up the Ringling Bros. circus.
And the world-wide talent scouting they do is primarily for the 3- to-10-year-old market. "Last year I spent 40 days at home [in Palm Meadow, Fla.]," Ragona said. The rest of 2000 he was at the circus, sitting in on performances around the world, including Paris, Brazil and even Mongolia. (If you think it's cold in New York, consider Mongolian winters, when the temperature averages minus-15 to 0 degrees Fahrenheit.)
As Ragona reasoned, grammar-school kids in 2001 don't have too many options for live entertainment. "Yes, you can watch TV or go to the movies and see great things and stunts, but the guy in the trapeze really is hanging by his fingertips 40 feet in the air. The lady really is in the tiger cage," he said.
When Ragona served as ringmaster for Ringling Bros. in the late '80s, "kids would want to touch me to make sure I was real," he reflected. Ragona believes kids these days are so immersed in television and video games that they can hardly believe they are seeing real-life performers.
With child psychology and development theory in mind, Ragona and Holst have selected as the feature act for the 131st edition of the Ringling Bros. circus, Bo & Bello, an Asian elephant and clown duo.
Appearing now and then throughout the 2-hour, 10-minute show, Bo and Bello play a game of "Follow the Leader." The clown rolls around on a barrel, and Bo steps up on one and follows. Bello walks across a balance beam, and then Bo does. At other points, to the delight of the audience, Bo and Bello reverse roles, with the human following the elephant.
Although the Bo & Bello routine could pass as the feature act purely for its entertainment value, it is also underpinned by thought and purpose. "What we're trying to show is that elephants, although large and lumbering, are actually very agile.When the elephant follows Bello, people say, 'Hey, elephants can do what we do.'"
Ragona first saw Bo and Bello perform as separate acts at another American circus. He wouldn't say which one, but both used to perform for The Big Apple Circus. Ringling Bros. put the two performers together and created the "Follow the Leader" routine for them.
Ragona said one of Bo's best characteristics is his youthfulness. "He has a sense of play, a lot of energy, and has that attitude about what he does."
Bello Nock, who is of the Swiss-Italian Nock circus family, takes his heritage into its seventh generation. On top of his appearances with Bo, he also rides a motorcycle across a high wire and interacts with the audience during a comedy act.
With Bo & Bello tying everything together, this year's show also features the "Max Air Blizzard Battalion," in which seven skiers and snowboarders perform acrobatics off an indoor three-story-high ski ramp.
There's also the "Angels of Fire" routine, in which trapeze artists originally from Tula, Russia, perform feats with the help of swings, a trampoline suspended in air, and bungee cords. Part way through the act, prop people take away the safety net.
Continuing in the never-before motif, the ringmaster for this year, Johnathan Lee Iverson, is the first African-American to serve in that role for Ringling Bros. At 23, he's also the youngest ever.
During the second half of the show, Mark Oliver Gebel returns to Ringling Bros. with his sure-to-please Bengal tiger stunts. Although the routine is a variation of Gebel's death-defying maneuvers, Ragona said "there's a surprise at the end of his performance."
Combining the many and varied acts and performers, Ragona said, "is like putting together a fine symphony." In all, "we intend to scare the crap out of you. We intend to amaze you, and we intend to give you warm moments."

The circus is coming to town!

Tuesday, March 20 - Monday, March 26
Nassau Coliseum
1255 Hempstead Tpke., Uniondale
(516) 794-9303, ext. 272
Ticket prices: $45, $23, $17, $10

*Three Ring Adventure*
Meet the animals and performers "backstage," beginning one hour before showtimes. Nassau Coliseum is one of only two arenas in the U.S. where this preview is being offered.