The iconic Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus will premiere its newest production, The Greatest Show on Earth, for audiences in Washington D.C. at EagleBank Arena from March 28 to April 6, 2025, and then move on to Charm City from April 11 to 13 at the CFG Bank Arena. A spectacle of superhuman feats and thrills, this unforgettable performance includes jaw-dropping innovative acts that can only be seen at Ringling.
Our guest today will be seen flying across the venue as part of the trapeze troupe Flying Caceres. Let’s welcome Daniel Butler to SNAPSHOTS.
Daniel, welcome to SNAPSHOTS!
Thank you for having me. Great to have you here.
I heard just moments ago that you are in Norfolk, Virginia. How long have you been with the Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Circus?
I’ve been with Ringling since we’ve started back up back in July, or we started performing in September in Bossier city. It’s been about a year and eight months.
Now, how old were you when you first discovered the circus?
My parents actually founded a circus called Circus Juventus in Saint Paul, Minnesota. It’s a youth circus. I started getting into when I was two years old, and my dad was actually a catcher. So that’s one reason I wanted to get into catching. And about six or seven years ago, I just told my dad I wanted to start catching, and he started helping me. I just fell in love with the act. I fell in love with the art of trapeze, and just pursued it. I was lucky enough to be offered an amazing job with Ringling, and I’ve been performing with them ever since.
For those who are not familiar with the term catching, can you tell us what that means?
In flying trapeze, usually there is a flyer and a catcher. The flyer is flying from the bar, doing the somersaults, doing the flips, and the catcher me. I’m upside down. I hang from my legs and I catch them from the wrists.
What does it take to become a catcher? You must have great feats of strength to make sure that you’re catching your other partner flying across the arena.
We’re practicing as much as we can because it’s such a obviously, it can be a very dangerous act, so the timing and everything needs to be almost perfect. We’re always staying on top of that. But for me, I’m always in the gym five days a week. I’m always trying to stay on top of my nutrition, because that’s a huge part. You need to be in good shape. You need to be feeling ready. You need to be on top of it 100% of the time, because they’re trusting you that they’re going to be okay and safe. I need to do that for them.
You’re absolutely right about that. What is the most challenging aspect of performing in a circus multiple days a week, going from town to town.
Honestly, I think you just said it. Going from town to town every week could sometimes be the most challenging. You know, having to pack your bags and go to a different hotel every week. It’s part of the job. And I do enjoy being able to see a different city every week, it’s so cool, and be able to perform in front of so many different audience members every weekend, different kids, different parents. They’re just cheering. They love it. The kids love the show. And it’s so heartwarming to see everyone’s so happy.
Is this your first time performing in the DMV area?
I think we were in Baltimore more towards the beginning of the tour, but besides that, it’s our first time.
Why do you love being part of the circus?
That’s a good question. Growing up in my parents’ circus, always being a part of it, and being a part of something so unique has always just been something so cool. And to be able to do something unique, but that you love is just the best feeling that you know, being able to do something that you love, but that’s so unique. The people love to see. You can do your job, and people come to see the show. It’s just, it’s a really incredible feeling,
Why do you feel that people should see this newest production of the famous circus?
I think that this show is just so different from the other shows, the especially the act that I’m a part of, the criss cross flying trapeze act. It’s never been done like this before. When you see a flying trapeze act, it’s just in a straight line from flyer to catcher, but this act is a criss cross. There’s two catchers, and there’s eight different flyers, four different flyers on each board, and we literally criss cross as we’re flying. We have got tons of acts that people just have never seen before, just a lot of unique things.
Come see the amazing Daniel Butler perform on March 28 – April 6, 2025 at the EagleBank Arena in Fairfax VA & April 11-13th at CFG Bank Arena in Baltimore tickets are available thru TicketMaster or by calling the Main Box Office: 703-993-3000 for Fairfax or (410) 347-2020
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