Costumes tell the story of Ringling circus history
SARASOTA (FOX 13) - Thousands and thousands of costumes fill a room at the Circus Arts Conservatory in Sarasota.
"We are always taking something old and giving it new life or taking something new and making it look old," said Courtney Wyatt.
They are fitted for performers - from elementary to high school - who grew up learning acts and performing for the Sailor Circus.
"It's an intricate part of how we tell the story of what the circus is about," said Kenji Trujillo.
Circus Sarasota works year-round, preserving each costume and making sure each one is ready for future generations to use.
"It's like traveling back in time and we've been able to preserve so many of these costumes and are able to use them year after year," said Trujillo.
There's a dozen or so costumes that carry the history of the circus with them.
"Several of these costumes go back to kind of the golden age of Ringling," said Wyatt.
LINK: Ringling Museum works to preserve circus history
Some were donated by Ringling Circus. Others were donated by past performers of Ringling. Each has it's own story.
"They're antiques so we only use them for very special occasions," Wyatt said.
As the Ringling Circus closes it's doors, others like the Sailor Circus continue to thrive. It would become a dream come true if more pieces of Ringling history made their way to the Sailor Circus.
"Our closet doors are open. The pieces that we have are true treasures and they are very very special pieces to us," said Wyatt.
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