For centuries the circus has captured the imagination. The daring shows of agility and strength combined with amazing and exotic animals are enough to make everyone from children to adults smile. The Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey names are some of the oldest and most famous in the circus business, and for good reason. On Feb. 27-28 and March 1-2, this famous travelling entertainment venue is coming to Fayetteville to present the Super Circus Heroes show.

One of the main attractions of this event is the Lopez family. This tight-knit family of 12 has been wowing crowds for years, and this is their second year with Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey. They specialize in a high-wire performance and another crowd favorite, the motorcycle globe. The hollow steel globe is the smallest of its kind in the United States. It is only 12 feet in diameter. This makes their act even more challenging and thrilling when they cram motorcycles into it and they zoom around inside at dangerously fast speeds. “There is room for 1-2 cycles only but they wanted to do more crazy and cool things,” said Maria Dominguez, a performer in the Lopez Family Troupe. “It takes a lot of practice and focus. For me, I have to focus because it is hard to [manage] the speed. You can’t go too fast or too slow but if you like the job it is fun and gives you good adrenaline.”

The high-wire act performed by the Lopez Family is just as daring. They perform acrobatic stunts and even sword fight 25 feet in the air and without a net. It takes copious amounts of practice and years of experience to master. The performers practice on average 1-2 hours a day, and many of them grew up in the circus. “My family is from Chile. My dad got a contract in Mexico and I knew my dad worked in the circus. In 1997, I went to Mexico to be in the circus, too, and I never got home,” Dominguez said. She has 14 years of experience on the high wire now.

The high wire and motorcycle globe are breathtaking, indeed, but the there is still more to enjoy. There are traditional acts like trained animals and acrobats. There are also some newer things like karate performances. At this circus even the most traditional acts are thrilling and given a new edge.

Before the show even begins, there is a lot of fun to be had. “Every ticket has entry to the preshow where people can come and meet all the performers and take pictures. You can try on the costumes and see the motorcycles. You can also meet the Lopez Family and try the low wire that is one or two feet high. We can teach people how to do the low wire. We open the back stage area and all the families can go back and see the animals and the performers and what it takes to put the show together. That part is very fun because you can see behind the scenes and how they do everything for the show,” Dominguez said. Patrons can also take pictures and ask all the performers questions.

Feb. 27-28, the shows start at 7 p.m. March 1 will have performances at 11 a.m., 3 p.m., and 7 p.m. March 2 will have shows at 1 p.m. and 5 p.m. All performances are held at the Crown Coliseum located at 1960 Coliseum Dr. Tickets start at $20 and can be purchased at www.ticketmaster.com. For more information visit www.ringling.com.

Photo: Ticketholders are invited to a preshow event where they can meet the performers, try on costumes, see the animals and even learn a few circus tricks -- like how to walk on the low wire.