SUNRISE, FL (June 15, 2006) – Wannado Entertainment, LLC, and Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey® have teamed up to create the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Clown College® @ Wannado City®. The Ringling Bros.-themed area, located in Wannado City at the Sawgrass Mills Mall in Sunrise, Florida, consists of family-friendly programs designed to teach Children Of All Ages important life skills through the fun, artistry and creativity of The Greatest Show On Earth®.
Wannado City® – America’s first indoor role-playing theme park – gives kidizensTM (aka kid citizens of Wannado City) the chance to live out their dreams in a realistic way – from learning to be a firefighter to piloting an aircraft to working at a television studio. Now kidizens will be able to step into the famed Ringling Bros. circus ring – full of bright lights, shiny costumes and exuberant music – and learn circus skills and the honorable and ancient art of clowning, including juggling and balancing skills, classic clown gags, makeup application, stilt walking and silly clown walks.
Through the distinctive program elements, which will be available exclusively to Wannado City customers, both kidizens and parents will learn about the circus arts, physical fitness, performance skills and artistry. As they test their circus skills, kidizens will be amazed by all they can achieve through practice, determination and creativity, even as they experience the nerves and excitement of performing in front of a live audience.
For Ringling Bros., the partnership with Wannado City also serves as an important way to maintain the fun of The Greatest Show On Earth for families before or after the circus leaves their town.
"Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey is thrilled to bring the excitement of The Greatest Show On Earth to Wannado City through this groundbreaking new partnership," said Kenneth Feld, Chairman and CEO of Feld Entertainment, Inc. - parent company of Ringling Bros. "For Ringling Bros., this project represents the latest step in expanding our brand to encompass leadership in hands-on educational programs that emphasize fun, while also keeping Ringling Bros. relevant to our audiences throughout the year.”
Officially opening to the public on June 16, 2006, Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Clown College @ Wannado City activities and programs will include:
· All Access®: Kids and their families can create a lifetime of memories in this circus-themed interactive photo set. Special backgrounds and crafted equipment allow families and children to take pictures of their experiences while balancing a chair, riding a unicycle, wire walking and more.
- Clown College Educational Programming: Everyday at Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Clown College @ Wannado City, kidizens will be invited to participate in educational and interactive programs designed to help them learn important skills such as coordination and balance while gaining self respect and confidence, including Science of the Circus, Build Your Own Circus Spectacular, The Big Shoe Review and The Clown Skills Workshop.
- CircusFit® @ Wannado City: Part of a national youth program created by Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey, CircusFit encourages children to lead healthy and active lifestyles by combining the fun of circus skills with stretching, strength building and aerobic exercises. Under the Wannado City Big Top, kidizens will be able to participate in a circus-inspired exercise program that includes activities such as warm ups and stretches; dance; hoola hoop; plate spinning and more.
- Clown College Summer Camp @ Wannado City: At this one week summer session, kids will learn a variety of basic and intermediate clowning skills including slapstick, pie-throwing, juggling, makeup application, comedy movement and more. The lessons are followed by a public showing of the newly learned skills at the Wannado City Big Top. Campers will also receive a graduation certificate and a DVD highlighting their participation.
“Wannado City is excited to have Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey’s Clown College join our city,” said Luis Laresgoiti, chief creative officer of Wannado Entertainment. “The circus is an element of our city that has been a personal favorite of mine, and with the introduction of Ringling Bros., we are bringing our kidizens and their parents an experience they will remember for a lifetime.”
To learn more about Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Clown College @ Wannado City or about the 136th Edition of Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey, please visit www.Ringling.com. To find out more about Wannado City, visit www.WannaDoCity.com.
