Trapeze dates back to 1856, when Jules Leotard used to swing from cables attached to air vents over the pool of his parent's gymnasium outside of Paris, France. One day he attached a metal bar to the cables and the Flying Trapeze was born. In 1859 Leotard performed his first feats at a Cirque Napoleon in Paris, now called Cirque d'Hiver. The traditional flyer's costume, the leotard, is named after him. Circus artists still perform at Cirque d'Hiver almost 150 years after Leotard.

He is regarded as the best flying trapeze artist of his generation and one of the best in world. Ever. While performing in Durango, Mexico in 1962, with Lee Stath catching, Tony became the first trapeze artist to complete 3 1/2 back somersaults to a legs catch. This earned him a place in the Guinness Book of Worlds Records, pushing past the triple somersault barrier, the Salto Mortale, set by Ernest and Charles Clarke in 1909. Tonys record remained unsurpassed until the completion of the quadruple somersault by Miguel and Juan Vazquez in 1982.

Between 2001-2004, Tony Steele was a resident instructor at Trapeze High, where he took great pride in sharing his flying expertise and multitude of circus stories with students. Now in his 70's Tony is still flying, performing, and teaching on the flying trapeze. He will always be an entertainer, to be anything else would be against his nature.

In 1947, the Flying High Circus was founded at Florida State University, as an innovative recreational activity, which over the years has evolved into a professional training program for aspiring circus performers. In 1987, Bruce Pfeffer and five Flying High Circus alumni set up the first children’s circus program at Club Med. Today, most amateur circus aficionados first experienced Flying Trapeze at a Club Med, which has spawned a small but close-knit Flying Trapeze and circus skills industry, and provides American circus schools with well-trained teacher/performers and thousands of excited students.  Bruce Pfeffer now runs Circus of the Kids, a touring circus in which children perform a full-length circus after only two weeks of training.  Bruce has visited Trapeze High and staffer Kevin Six spent a summer with Circus of the Kids.