The term circus (Latin circus, “ring,” “race track” for horse and chariot racing, cf. circenses, “circus games”; French cirque; German Zirkus; the word in English also has the meaning of a “circular open public space”) has two meanings of relevance here. First, the circus program (acrobatic riding, clowning, dressage, floor and apparatus acrobatics and forms of circus artistry such as high wire, trapeze, and balancing ac…