In this heartfelt address to Sarasota leadership, Bello (a seventh‑generation circus performer) shares his family’s 7‑generation circus legacy from Italy and Switzerland, recounts the risk‑taking spirit of the historic Circus Knott, and describes his own career milestones—including a record‑breaking show at Ringling Brothers and performances for royalty. He emphasizes that the driving force behind Circus Sarasota and Sailor Circus is pure passion, not money, and urges the audience to experience the circus firsthand to feel that “bug.” Bello highlights the circus’s unique ability to unite diverse audiences—across ages, languages, and cultures—into a single community, describing it as a “United Nations backstage.” He also reflects on personal fears (public speaking, heights, being laughed at) that he embraces as part of his job, illustrating his dedication through daring promotional stunts. The talk concludes with a call to support and attend Circus Sarasota, stressing that no amount of money can replace the joy and lasting memories the circus creates for families.
Chapters
First time I ever got an applause without actually doing something. You know, when you're standing behind someone and you hear all of what they're saying, it's— you all, you're thinking to yourself, what are you gonna start off with? What are you gonna say? I could, well, take it from someone who is— who makes his living as a silent comedian. I usually don't talk, so this is tough, but I'm gonna speak from the heart. Um, most of the time when there's a gathering, people want to get together and want to— what, what would you say— sell you something. Obviously people want to go after the money. And what, what I heard from both of these people that I'd love for you to know, and I'd love for you to get from me, is the passion behind it. In our business, it's called being bitten by the bug. Yeah. So I was only invited, hey, would you show up tomorrow at 8 o'clock? No problem. Didn't even ask what it was. That's passion. Hearing Pedro talk about what he wanted and what it was, it's not the pursuit of the money or the fame. It's the pursuit of the passion to spread that joy. Hearing, uh, Miss Leonard speak is about the passion. If you guys have seen the If you haven't seen the circus, well, if you don't catch the passion just from us, just come visit one of the shows either here, visit one of the facilities. You will see what happens because what happened right now, I'm thinking if you guys don't have kids who are in the program, you might not understand it. If you're not in direct contact with a direct relation, you may not understand it. But if you just come and witness it one time, and if it's not watching what's going on, just turn your head left to right and look to the people either side of you, then you will understand the passion very quickly. 7 generations of my family were entertainers, both sides of my family. My mother from Italy, my dad from Switzerland, 7 generations. I want to talk to you quick about the passion and about risk-taking. When he said he couldn't get booked anywhere and one circus in Europe took a chance and hired basically an untested, unproven act, it was Circus Knot, my family in Switzerland. It's the oldest circus in the entire world that's still still owned by the same family. It dates back, my family, to 1772 as entertainers. In 1840, they founded their own circus, and it's— they call it, you know, one of this same setting and that same feel of an intimate circus. But in Europe, there are over 200 circuses just in Germany alone. Switzerland is is smaller than the state of Rhode Island. There are like 12 circuses. In America, many circuses. But what is the difference in, in business of just being a product or a value-added product? Well, he chose the value-added product. More risk. Once Circus Knott took a risk on an act, what did he say? Within a week, people were knocking on their door. It increased their business, it increased his business, and it just flowed from there. I'm very thankful that Pedro took me back this year. A few years ago, I actually called, and you know, when you become someone and have a name for yourself and have a show called Bellobration, the first, uh, the first person to ever have a show named after them in Ringling's 140-year tradition where they put someone's name in the title. We were seen in my tenure there, even though it was 8, I don't understand that, 8 years, I was seen by over 40 million people live. Over 500 shows a year. Not a single broken bone in my body. Performed from border to border, and coast to coast. So you build a name for yourself. I actually called him and said, Pedro, I want to do your next season. And he said, thanks, fellow, I don't know if I can afford it. I said, Pedro, we're going to team up together, we'll find a way. I'm going to tell you why I did it. Without getting into too many details, I had some insider trading knowledge, I guess, if you could say that's legal. But basically, there was a very large company that was wanting to go after the money. And to me, that's not what it's about. It's about the passion. And there is absolutely no amount of money that can take the place of that. So I wanted to make sure I helped, I hate to say the underdog, but someone who couldn't fight the big bucks and said, you know what? I'm not gonna let something like that happen. I don't know if we'll succeed, but I'm gonna get behind you and I'm gonna take the risk. I've known Pedro since I was this tall. Well, I was this tall. I was this tall, my hair was still that tall. But basically the passion behind Circus Sarasota is what I, what I came after. My parents came to America in 1954 to work for Ringling Brothers. Mother Italian, dad Swiss. Each one of them were famous in their country, came to America, the basically headline Ringling Brothers. They met here. They made Sarasota their home. I was born and raised here in Sarasota. I have 3 kids. 2 out of 3 of them were born in Sarasota. The other one very far away, Orlando. But that's 3 generations. Sarasota means so much to me. I travel the world. The weekend before I was here, I performed for the Prince and Princess of Monaco for the rally car, and not the Formula One, but in Monte Carlo, the rally car. So I am traveling the world. There is there's no place I'd rather be than here in Sarasota because it means so much, because there is such a passion behind all of what we do. Bravo. Thanks, thanks. My kids, when they heard about the Sailor Circus, they were like— my one daughter said, Dad, I don't know how to tell you this, but I'd love to go be able to, to work out and work with them and see what— learn from them, but also see what I can teach them. What's fascinating about that is I always wanted to do it, but as a kid never really got to. My 3 older brothers either went to Sailor Circus, even though they were professionals, or helped train there. So it was really, really neat to see a circle come back. Like I said, we've been friends for many years, and so there's no there's nothing that can, that can replace the passion. If you come to a show, and Pedro, I would say, works tirelessly with a very great staff. It's, you know, the world of the circus, whether it is Sailor Circus or a real professional circus, you find in the audience or in the performance something for everyone. There is an— it is just to me amazing what happens in a circus setting. Sometimes there's not a single word spoken, but no one feels left out. It doesn't matter if you speak English or not, or if you're your first day, you come in here, it doesn't matter what language you speak, doesn't matter what age you are, what religion you are, it does not matter. Circus can bring together an entire family. And there's no shortage of reasons, or no shortage of things or topics that are pulling our family apart where we don't even have dinner together. But when Barney Live, the stage show, comes, if you have kids, what do you do? All right, I'll take them. Or, hey, let's get a, let's get a A nanny, a babysitter, sorry. And let's leave the kids at home and honey, let's go out. Well, what happens? Circus Sarasota, it's amazing. 4 generations can laugh at the same joke. They can ooh and ahh. You can actually travel the world and never leave your seat. There's culture, there's, to me it's like a United Nations backstage. 12, 16, 12 Chinese, Bulgarian, Russian, Brazilian, American from many different states, many different nationalities, all working together for one common good. Smile, applause, or laugh. That's all they want. But that memory goes on for many years because it's just— there's, there's no CGI, there's no stunt double, there's no 2, this is the ultimate reality show. So if you can't tell by my passion and how I'm speaking, because I witness it every single day, and just the vision— if I— if you have seen me or haven't seen what I do or heard what I do, nothing, no amount of money could pay you to walk around looking like this. No amount of money. What are the top 3 fears in every human around the world? You know what they are? Public speaking. Public speaking, being in front of a large crowd. Heights. Heights. And being laughed at. What is my job? All 3 of them. No amount of money could pay you to be in that uncomfortable zone. Well, I look for I love heights. It's not that I'm not afraid of heights and what makes someone different, "Oh, I couldn't do that, I'm not afraid of heights." The difference between what I do and hanging from a helicopter with no safety devices 500 feet over the circus here just to promote it. I didn't get paid for that. Doing a great performance in here, hoping someone comes, that's only doing the job that you do because they're here. Now you got to help advertise. That's my passion, getting people in here, entertaining them. That's 7 generations, it's in the blood. I have that bug. I'm gonna do my best to entertain, and if I don't do a good job, you won't hire me again. But working together with Jennifer, who is just awesome, working there, being with him, the vision, just working with the staff here and making it so easy that we're all a pleasure of advertising. So hanging from one hand, hanging from your toe underneath the helicopter, being in front of an audience, and after all of that, being a comic daredevil and having people laugh at you, it's all okay because I see the smiles, 1,700 at a time. They only see one They only see one funny thing. I see the memories that last a lifetime and almost makes each and every one of you with the— what's the most synonymous words in the circus? Ladies and gentlemen and children of all ages. And you know what? In the circus, we mean it. It is children of all ages. It doesn't matter if you're 1 or next Tuesday we have someone coming and celebrating their 102nd birthday here at the circus. That is children of all ages. That to me is the magic of circus, and not just any circus, but the value-added of Circus Sarasota. So it's my pleasure to be here and to do what I do, and I would just invite you guys to make sure if you haven't caught the passion of us speaking, or caught the bug, come here and see it because it's a lifestyle. No amount of money could pay us to live more than— for me, more than 300 days out of the year away from home. No amount of money could pay for that. But to be able to look forward and work for that hometown crowd, that is truly amazing. Awesome. So thank you very much.
