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Jose Cole's Circus brings excitement to St. Cloud area
By Sam Baali
 Media Credit: Jason Risberg A clown known as Dr. Yanish performed musical acts for the crowd during the 17th annual Jose Cole Circus in the Sauk Rapids Sports Arena Saturday night.
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 Media Credit: Jason Risberg Nadia and Gina Ramos performed an amazing balancing act Saturday night during the 17th annual Jose Cole Circus in Sauk Rapids Sports Arena.
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Persons of all ages gathered at the Benton County Fairgrounds Saturday and Sunday for the Jose Cole circus.
The event stood as an example to the timeless spectacle that remains popular today.
Jose Cole has been holding his annual circus in Sauk Rapids for 17 years. Cole, who owns, operates and manages the circus also travels all over the Midwest.
A lot more goes into a circus than trapeze tricks and dancing dogs. Many people dedicate their whole lives to the circus.
A typical circus runs for a four month season. However, this isn't the end for many performers. The circus is a small and highly specialized field, it is common for performers to move to other circuses across the country.
An example of the typical circus family is the Ramos family.
Andre Ramos and his two teenage girls, a boy and a four year-old girl were amazing. According the Ramos, his family had been in the circus for about four generations. His love for the circus goes beyond the family legacy, however.
Ramos started out in the circus at the age of five, working full time when similar children his age wouldn't dream of work.
Ramos went on to explain that his specialty was Risly, an art of foot juggling. In an amazing display of skill and balance, Andre juggles his daughters on his feet, one after another.
The daughters, in turn, performed an act where one balanced on the other's head while walking.
This act took two years to perfect, Ramos said.
Not surprisingly, circuses are very expensive to maintain. According to Cole, the elephant Anna Louis would sell for around one million dollars.
Other costs include special hay and a temperature controlled trailer. The highly trained elephant demonstrated its skill by balancing on a stool.
Talent Supervisor Tim Davidson has been with the circus for about thirty years. A Minnesota native, Davidson simply loves working with the circus. Both Davidson and Cole emphasized that working for a circus is not easy.
"You're either working, and when you have a day off you are driving many miles," Davidson said.
In a time where entertainment usually involves something computer generated, projected onto a screen or interactive, the circus offers a real life alternative. For hundreds of years, the circus has entertained with its feats of skill and grand spectacles.
That tradition continues today.
Diversions Editor John Behling contributed to this story.
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