First Circus Performance in America episode artwork

EPISODE · Apr 14, 2026 · 18 MIN

First Circus Performance in America

from The 52 Weeks of Firsts Podcast · host Visit Philly

Host Marisa Magnatta sits down with Gracie Valdez, Artistic Director of Cirque du Soleil’s LUZIA, and Zorè España, a 6th-generation circus performer and Cyr wheel artist. Together, they trace the lineage of the American circus – from John Bill Ricketts’ 1793 "riding school" in Philadelphia to the multidisciplinary spectacle of the modern-day circus.

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First Circus Performance in America

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This episode was published on April 14, 2026.

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Host Marisa Magnatta sits down with Gracie Valdez, Artistic Director of Cirque du Soleil’s LUZIA, and Zorè España, a 6th-generation circus performer and Cyr wheel artist. Together, they trace the lineage of the American circus – from John Bill...

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