They get a bad rap in some fairy tales for scorching villages with fire and locking princesses in impenetrable keeps, but dragons do have some good qualities.

Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus will pay tribute to the fantastical creatures’ finer points in “Dragons,” their latest incarnation under the big top.

Playing through Monday in downtown Phoenix, the show features the usual circus acrobatics and feats — Shaolin Kung Fu Warriors, Cossack riders, Asian elephants, tigers, a Globe of Steel, double motorcycles on a high wire — but with a good dose of dragon lore.

The audience will even get glimpses of the beast as the spectacle builds around one big question: What will it take to lure a true dragon from its lair?

The venue opens one hour before showtime for a pre-show, where ticketholders can learn juggling and balancing skills, get performer autographs, watch an elephant paint and meet clowns.

DETAILS >> 7 p.m. Friday; 11 a.m., 3 p.m. and 7 p.m. Saturday; 1 p.m. and 5 p.m. Sunday; 11 a.m. Monday. U.S. Airways Center, 201 E. Jefferson St., Phoenix. Tickets start at $10 for kids 11 and younger, $15 for teens and adults. (800) 745-3000 or www.usairwayscenter.com.