Animal-free Stardust circus comes to Bloomington

Awe and wonder can be found in small places.

Stardust, a circus troupe of only 12 members, performed at Bloomington’s National Guard Armory Saturday and Sunday.

The setup was modest, staged in the armory’s gymnasium.

Wooden bleachers were packed with audience members, and children who wanted a closer look sat against the border of the ring stage, only feet away from performers.

Acts included a low-wire balancing performance, juggling and traditional trapeze tricks.

After a short intermission where children could get face paintings and popcorn, the finale featured a stunt where a performer rode a motorcycle inside a globe-like metal cage.

There were no animals.

Celeste Garcia, the narrator of the show who was raised in circus life, said the troupe of 12 traveled from its home in Florida and has been all over the country 10 months out of the year.

Where most circuses feature animal acts as their main attraction, Garcia said it was just easier to leave its animals at home.

But many circuses that do use animals have been notorious for animal cruelty since their beginnings.

In 2012, Barnum and Bailey, the biggest circus in America, was charged with the largest penalty in circus history by the United States Department of Agriculture.

The company had to pay $270,000 for violations of the Animal Welfare Act, the only piece of animal-related legislature that directly addresses circuses.

Among other violations, 30 elephants had been killed under the circus’ care between 1993 and 2012 according to PETA.

Garcia said in the circuses she grew up in and eventually helped run, animals were used, but cruelty had never been used as a form of training or punishment.

“Our animals are like family to us,” Garcia said. “We don’t hurt them.”

Stardust, which Garcia said sometimes uses pet dogs in performances, practices a liberal treat system to train an animal to do tricks.

“When we’re training a dog to do a trick, we give him a treat as a kind of positive reinforcement,” Garica said. “If he doesn’t do the trick, we wait. If he doesn’t end up doing it, we just move on.”

While some animal activists said they were impressed that Stardust doesn’t usually employ animals, some audience members said they were disappointed.

Trisha Gentry, who brought her 3-year-old son, said she wished there had been animals.

“I’ve been to circuses before where animals were the main act, and I guess that’s kind of what I was expecting,” Gentry said. “I feel a little let down.”

Garcia said to keep the show exciting, they rotate members.

Stardust consists of three families whose members all participate in the show.

Switching members who specialize in different performances help maintain a sense of variety in their small troupe.

“It’s all about a fresh show,” Garcia said.