In 1949, LIFE magazine sent famed photographer Nina Leen to document the daily life of a sassy troupe of young women who had run off and joined the famous Barnum & Bailey Circus in Sarasota, Fla. What developed was a portrait of a sisterhood formed over acrobatics that mixed high-flying wire acts with fashionable high-waisted shorts. Sarasota was once considered “the home of the American circus”. Here: an aerialist smoking while rehearsing for the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus in Sarasota, FL in 1949. (Photo By Nina Leen/Time Life Pictures/Getty Images)

In this March 22, 1975 file photo, a refugee clutches a baby as a government helicopter gunship carries them away near Tuy Hoa, Vietnam, 235 miles northeast of Saigon. They were among thousands fleeing from Communist advances. AP Photographer Nick Ut will be retiring from the AP in March 2017 after 51 years of taking photographs from the front lines of the Vietnam War to the red carpets of Hollywood. (Photo by Nick Ut/AP Photo)

A model presents a creation made of plastic cutlery during Trash Fashion Show in Macedonia's capital Skopje, on Wednesday, June 5, 2013. Teams from 47 high schools from Macedonia participated in the show with creations made of redesigned materials from waste such as plastic bags, newspapers, cardboard, plastic bottles, cans, used paper, etc. (Photo by Boris Grdanoski/AP Photo)

Air National Guard takes to the skies over Puget Sound during Seafair 2015 on Thurs., July 30, 2015 in Seattle, Wash. (Photo by Matt Mills McKnight/AP Images for John Klatt Airshows, Inc.)

Spanish rider Maikel Melero performs a jump during the Malaga Freestyle motocross show at the Malagueta bullring in Malaga, southern Spain, August 1, 2015. (Photo by Jon Nazca/Reuters)

Front end detail of the Hyundai Santa Cruz crossover concept truck as it is displayed during the first press preview day of the North American International Auto Show in Detroit, Michigan January 12, 2015. (Photo by Rebecca Cook/Reuters)

Kaci Fennell, Miss Jamaica 2014, competes in the swimwear competition during the Miss Universe Preliminary Show in Miami, Florida in this January 21, 2015 handout photo. (Photo by Reuters/Miss Universe Organization)

Owner Elizabeth Wilson groomes her Chinese Crested and Coton De Tulear dogs during the annual Crufts Dog Show at the NEC Arena in Birmingham, Britain, March 10, 2016. The world's largest dog show will be held from March 10 to 13 with 22,000 dogs competing for the world class title of Crufts Best In Show. (Photo by Nigel Roddis/EPA)