Dustin Portillo helps light up Ringling Bros. Circus
A clown's dream comes true
Mar. 27, 2011At the tender age of 4, Dustin Portillo knew exactly what he wanted to be when he grew up. Unlike other youngsters whose career goals typically ranged from astronaut to nurse, baseball player to policeman, Portillo had a more unusual ambition — one that amused his family and friends in Missouri, but one they didn't take that seriously.
But Portillo was as deadly serious as a 4-year-old can be when he announced he wanted to be a clown — not any clown, mind you, but one in the legendary Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus.
For the past six years, Portillo, now 24, has been fulfilling his childhood fantasy, touring the country with “The Greatest Show on Earth,” taking pratfalls, hits and slaps and delighting audiences with stunts and such funny routines as changing one light bulb with help from 11 other clowns.
His next stop with Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus is Louisville for six performances beginning Thursday and continuing through Sunday at the KFC Yum! Center.
Circus promoters are quick to point out that this is the first time since 1995 that Ringling Bros. has returned to Louisville with its big blockbuster show, not the scaled-down Boom-A-Ring version that performed locally in 2008.
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