Circus Life – Page 3 – Paul Binder Blog

“Fearless” Show at Circus Sarasota

Feb 162015

Did you know that “the circus capital of the world” is in Florida? Truly. At least, that’s how many of us lovingly refer to the city of Sarasota. If you keep up with my blog posts, I’m sure you’ve noticed that I take a few trips annually down the east coast—and not just because this bird likes to fly south for the winter. I was just in Sarasota last week for the “Collecting Recollections” interview at the John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art, and I was fortunate enough to get a chance to see Circus Sarasota for a dress rehearsal and, later in the week, a performance of their show “Fearless.”

Pedro Reis and Dolly Jacobs in front of the Circus Sarasota big top, photo courtesy of the Circus Arts Conservatory

The Circus Arts Conservatory in Sarasota is a not-for-profit training and performance organization dedicated to community outreach and service. And, they perform in an intimate one-ring, European-style tent … very much like another circus very near and dear to me. The company was founded by Pedro Reis and Dolly Jacobs. Dolly performed multiple times with the Big Apple Circus before she and Pedro (who also performed with the Big Apple Circus) began touring together with their pas de deux aerial act. Based in Sarasota, Circus Sarasota’s outreach programs (Humor Therapy Program, Education Program, and Sailor Circus Academy) serve the community year-round, in addition to their big top performances.

Their newest show is called “Fearless,” and with a featured act showcasing the extraordinary seven-person pyramid on the high wire, the show earns its name. The star turn is the Wallenda family, led by the audacious Nik Wallenda. In 2012 Nik became the first person to walk a wire across Niagara Falls, and a year later he outdid himself, walking a wire over the Grand Canyon. And under the big top at Circus Sarasota, the seven-person pyramid—first created by the legendary Karl Wallenda, Nik’s great-grandfather—is extraordinary and stunning to witness.

The Fabulous Wallendas’ seven-person pyramid at Circus Sarasota, photo by Rick Purdue

Another excellent act in the show is the hand balancing Duo Shcherbak & Popov. The Ukrainian performers began their training as international gymnasts, and their strength, balance, and control is a sight to behold. The duo has received a gold medal at the Festival Mondial du Cirque de Demain in Paris and the Golden Clown at the International Circus Festival in Monte Carlo (where I had the honor to serve on the jury with both Prince Rainier and Princess Stephanie).

Duo Shcherbak & Popov performing at the Monte Carlo Festival, photo courtesy of Spectacle Magazine

David Burlet and Anton Monastrysky also do wonderful solo acts, and the clown Renaldo (whose career started at the Big Apple Circus … as an usher) has a very funny audience volunteer entree.

The new show is scheduled to run through this next weekend, closing Sunday, February 22. If you can get to the show in Sarasota, do it.

Big Apple Circus Family Benefit for our Community Programs

Nov 252014

This past weekend was the annual Big Apple Circus Family Benefit. It’s a terrific event where supporters of our not-for-profit circus get to see the year’s show and interact with the performers. Before the performance of Metamorphosis kids were invited to join Clown Care Unit members in the reception tent where they get to learn juggling, wire walking (very low), plate spinning, balancing, and other circus skills. During intermission there was an auction for kids (or their parents) to become a guest ringmaster for a future performance. And if that wasn’t enough, after the show there was dessert in the ring!

The auction and event were staged to help raise funds for our five award-winning community programs:

Clown Care, the signature community outreach program of the Big Apple Circus, brings the joy of classical circus to hospitalized children at 16 leading pediatric facilities across the United States.

Circus of the Senses is a unique performance that enables children and adults with vision or hearing impairments and other disabilities to experience the magic and joy of the circus.

The mission of Circus After School is to provide a unique opportunity for at-risk youth to develop life-enhancing skills such as teamwork, commitment, and responsible risk-taking through a structured program of learning and performing the circus arts.

Vaudeville Caravan brings the uplifting power of the circus to delight the residents of nursing care facilities.

The mission of Circus for All! is to give every child and every family the opportunity to see a live performance of the Big Apple Circus. We distribute up to fifty thousand free tickets every year.

Family Benefit - Dr. Ima Conused and Susan Ayala at New York-Presbyterian, photo by Susan Watts

Clown Care: Dr. Ima Confused (Julie Pasqual) entertains Susan Ayala and her mother at New York-Presbyterian, photo by Susan Watts

Family Benefit - Rob Torres teaching Franklin Kocheran how to twirl a plate, photo by Amel Chen

Circus of the Senses: Rob Torres (who appeared in last year’s show) teaches Franklin Kocheran how to twirl a plate, photo by Amel Chen

All of us at the Big Apple Circus are extremely thankful for the support of our contributors, and we enjoy spending the day interacting with them.

Judging from applause, one of the favorite acts at this year’s family benefit––and one that certainly fits the theme of metamorphosis––was the Smirnov Duo’s quick change act. Quick change routines are more than just a little circus magic. They’re a lot of circus magic. They require many, many, many rehearsals to get the exact timing perfect. Olga and Vladimir have been working on their timing for over twenty years, working together on quick change along with their other circus skills. The costume designs are splendid, and the ingenuity that went behind the quick change act in Metamorphosis wins over the crowd. When you come see the show, don’t blink or you may miss Olga magically changing her costume 9 times in less than 3 minutes right in front of us without us having a clue of how it all happens. I know how … it’s magic!

The Smirnov Duo in “Metamorphosis,” photo by Bertrand Guay

Camels in Israel, Jordan, and New York City

Nov 052014

We’ve had dromedary camels at the Big Apple Circus before. They’re amazing looking animals. They’re called the “ship of the desert,” and the truth is they’re very unusual looking. They have thick wooly fur, long eyelashes, and humps of fat. Yes, fat. And they can store four days worth of water. They’re also funny looking. Someone once said, “A camel looks like a horse put together by a committee.”

Well amongst a ring full of other exotic animals, Jenny Vidbel has a pair of camels featured in this year’s Big Apple Circus show, Metamorphosis. Standing over six feet tall and weighing about a thousand pounds each, the pair is quite impressive.

Performance of the Big Apple Circus’s “Metamorphosis” at Lincoln Center, photo by maskirovka77

On our second day in Israel on our way down to the Dead Sea, which is more than four hundred feet below sea level, we stopped at the sea level marker where Shelley climbed onto the back of a camel for a photo opportunity. In fact, this was the very first picture that I took on our trip:

So when I got to Jordan, I thought I might try riding a camel. Why not?

We didn’t actually encounter too many camels in Israel. With all of the tourists around us everywhere we went, there simply wasn’t room. But there was room at Wadi Rum (pronounced “room”) in the Jordanian Desert. Okay, I’m playing with words here. But it was true. We finally had the opportunity to try out camel riding when we visited Wadi Rum in southern Jordan and stayed one night at a Bedouin desert camp. Wadi Rum is actually where Lawrence of Arabia approached Arabian chieftains about joining the fight against the Ottoman Empire during the Arab Revolt.

Now, riding a camel is not exactly like riding a horse. It took a bit of time, discomfort, and hump negotiation, but by the end of our first ride I finally started to get the hang of it. Yeah, hanging on of it.

Trying to hold onto the camel in the process of standing up or kneeling down, though, that’s another story …

Go see the Big Apple Circus. Jenny’s camels are exquisite.

Africa Trip #6: Zip Zap Circus and School

Sep 022014

I’ve been so excited to show you photographs from our safaris in Zambia, that I haven’t written much about our days spent prior to that in Cape Town, South Africa. Cape Town is surely one of the most beautiful cities that I’ve ever seen, and it was an extraordinary visit.

When Shelley was invited to teach for three days at the University of Cape Town, I thought I could take advantage of the opportunity and plan my own trip to visit the Zip Zap Circus and School, to which I had been repeatedly invited in years past.

Under Artistic Director Brent Van Rensburg, Zip Zap trains a diverse community of kids in the Circus Arts in order to provide them with future employment opportunities and to help develop the next generation’s confidence and leadership skills. The Circus School has been in operation for over twenty years, co-founded by Brent and Managing Director Laurence Estève “to inspire young people and help build a new culture of peaceful coexistence in South Africa.”

Part of my visit was spent presenting to the students, followed by a very lively and inquisitive question and answer period. It’s always a thrill to speak to the next generation of circus artists, especially when my next encounter with these young performers could be anywhere in the world.

I had a great time at the Circus School, as no doubt you can tell from the photograph below:

For my next and last blog about the Africa trip, I’ll share a brief recap and some photographs from the rest of our time in Cape Town.

A Circus Accident

May 052014

This morning I went on CNN’s “This Hour” with John Berman and Michaela Pereira. They asked me to be on as a circus expert.

If you haven’t already heard, there was a terrible accident yesterday in Providence, Rhode Island. During an aerial act in Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey’s “Legends” show, something went wrong with the rigging equipment and eight female performers fell from a height of over twenty feet. A dancer on the ground was also injured. A few audience members caught the tragic moments on camera and have posted their clips online. The video footage is startling. Fortunately, the Ringling team responded immediately to the accident, and emergency vehicles arrived quickly. As of this morning, eight circus members were still hospitalized. CNN reports that two of them are in critical condition.

One of the young ladies, Samantha Ellen Pitard, posted on Facebook that all of them were conscious and talking, even those said to be in critical condition. My thoughts and prayers are with the performers, their families, and the entire circus community.

This is an awful and tragic accident. As circus performers, we know that such accidents are always a possibility, but because of our extreme care and safety practices, these types of things rarely happen.

This Hour with Berman and Michaela

A major question of the broadcast was whether or not dangerous circus performances should even be performed. As John Berman said, though, part of the circus is about taking risks, and as I reiterated, safety is always a huge concern with the development of any act. Safety measures are put into place as each act develops, and equipment is meticulously inspected before and after rehearsals and performances, often by the performers themselves. Yesterday’s accident seems to have been a rigging failure, and an investigation is currently underway to determine the exact cause. However, I’m positive that Ringling Brothers was thorough in their safety inspections prior to the incident and would have done anything within their power to prevent such a thing from happening.

The other guest on CNN during the segment was Luciano Anastasini, who has worked with the Big Apple Circus. Long before his time with us, Luciano suffered his own tragic performance accident. About 25 years ago he fell from a considerable height while performing on the “Wheel of Destiny.” After many years and several surgeries, he was able to recover, although his career as an aerialist was over. When he worked with us at the Big Apple Circus, he had re-invented himself. His new act is a comedy animal number featuring dogs rescued from animal shelters across the country. It’s a real crowd pleaser. He’s featured with the Big Apple Circus on the six-hour PBS documentary series “Circus.”

It was great to see Luciano, and it was also a pleasure to meet John and Michaela on CNN. I only wish it had been under happier circumstances.

Paris Festival # 2

Feb 022014

Festival Mondial - Troupe Nationale de Chine

The National Troupe of China

The other gold medal at the Paris Festival was won by an extraordinary handstand act performed by four Chinese artists from the National Troupe of China. Their balancing act involves a mechanical contraption that transforms during the final trick of the act to hoist one of the acrobats over fifteen feet into the air. Quite impressive.

the troupe after their win

One of my favorite acts from this year that did not finish with a medal but was pleasurable to watch was Les Zim’Probables. The duet of Evelyn David and Antoine Broussard is based out of France. This duo’s act is listed as “excentriques” in the program, and eccentric is no understatement for these clown characters! Their routine combines elements of visual comedy, sketch comedy, and audience interaction. I laughed out loud.

Les Zim’Probables (Evelyn David and Antoine Broussard) with Calixte De Nigremont
Photo from Les Zim’Probables

Naomi and Renaldo

And I don’t want you to get the impression that the greatest circus acts are only to be found abroad. The United States was well represented at the Paris Festival.

Kyle Driggs

Trained by the Montreal National Circus School and Circus Harmony in St. Louis, Missouri, Naomi and Renaldo received a silver medal for their classic hand to hand adagio routine. Their joint act is based upon the pair’s gymnastic training, combining the artistic forms of circus and dance with some very impressive acrobatic feats.

Also from the United States was silver medalist Kyle Driggs. Kyle began juggling in Philadelphia, and he has a very unique juggling style, incorporating both rings and a red umbrella. In fact, Kyle can juggle a set of rings while balancing his red umbrella on his chin. He has a graceful, artistic style, and he even composes his own music to accompany his acts.

VIVA LES AMERICAINS!!!

But, still … my favorite photo is: (drumroll please!)

some wonderful trapeze artists (and yours truly)

À bientôt from Paris.

One more thing. I want to alert you to my next adventure (and be sure to watch out for more information about it on this blog). I’m going to be on the Moth Radio Hour! Although the broadcast date has not been set, I’m recording it in front of a live audience on Monday, February 10th. I’m excited about this event, and I’ll be sure to fill you all in as it happens!

Paris Festival # 1 (more to come)

Jan 312014

I’m back home in New York after a fantastic week-long trip to Paris to the Festival Mondial du Cirque de Demain. We call it the “Paris Circus Festival.” It’s officially the “World Festival of the Circus of Tomorrow.” It was hosted by the Cirque Phénix in their enormous 6,000-seat venue.

the advertisement poster for this year’s festival

Why “circus of tomorrow”? It’s a festival for performers age 25 and under.

This was the 35th year of the festival, and I still find the entire experience exhilarating. The performers are the newest up-and-comers to the circus from around the world, from countries as far and wide as Venezuela, Brazil, and China. And these solo acts, duos, and troupes are incredible! Circus owners, directors, and agents are on the lookout to discover the next great circus acts, and the level of talent and fresh innovation is often astonishing. All different kinds of circus acts are represented, from tight wire to juggling to trapeze to speciality acts. And because the festival features relatively unknown performers exclusively, the original, imaginative acts that these performers come up with help to constantly reinvent and expand the contemporary circus. The festival truly does showcase the circus of tomorrow.

Aime Morales in action
Photo by Photo CLaza

The Jury, comprised of past medal winners and circus directors, judges each act in three categories: technical virtuosity, artistic presentation, and audience contact. Prizes –gold, silver, and bronze medals– are awarded … plus several more jury prizes.

I want to share with you several of my favorite acts from the Paris Festival.

One of the gold medalists of the festival, and a spectacular performer, was Aime Morales from Venezuela and his Cyr Wheel act, named of course for Daniel Cyr who is a feature act of the Big Apple Circus this year. Aime is masterful in his use of the Cyr wheel, but his performance doesn’t rely only upon his circus skill. He brilliantly blurs the lines between circus artistry and theatrical performance, infusing his routine with playful clowning and artful mime work. Lovely. There are several clips of Aime available on YouTube, and I highly recommend watching them.

Aime Morales and his Cyr Wheel
Photo by Ecole Supérieure des Arts du Cirque

Another wonderful performance was delivered by Avital and Jochen Pöschko. Avital and Jochen performed together on the swinging double trapeze at the Paris Festival, but Avital also frequently performs an aerial straps routine and Jöchen originally trained as a juggler. The Pöschkos were awarded a silver medal, and it was well deserved!

Avital and Jochen
Photos from their website

And just for fun, here is a little photographic gem from the week. The four women pictured here all won Gold Medals at the Paris Festival in previous years on trapeze. From left to right, the lovely ladies are Aurelia Kats (France), Uuve Janssen (Sweden), Darya Vintilova (Ukraine), and Elena Panova (Russia-US). And the guy with the silly grin? Well, that’s me of course.

some wonderful trapeze artists (and yours truly)

In my next blog post, I’ll talk to you about some other wonderful acts that I saw at the festival. See you soon!

The Circus Ring of Fame … What a Day!

Jan 272014

Wagon Wheel Plaque I want to share with you the exciting happenings of this past weekend. Last week I shared with you some information about the Circus Ring of Fame at St. Armand’s Circle in Sarasota, Florida.

Well, this past Sunday I had the extraordinary honor of being inducted into the Ring of Fame. Now a plaque in my honor has been added to the other 114 that circle the park. But the event was even better than I had anticipated. Not only was it a huge honor to be recognized for this award, but I also got to see old circus friends and colleagues (and a couple of college classmates) who came out for the event. It’s the circus performers and staff who truly make the circus the great American tradition that it is, and I’m sincerely humbled to be recognized alongside all the famous names on those plaques. Sharing the honor this past week were Pinito del Oro, Ian Garden, and the Theron family. We are all sharing the park with Cecille B. Demille, John Ringling, Gunther Gebel-Williams, P.T. Barnum and James A. Bailey, Emmet Kelly, and Lou and Dolly Jacobs … among many others.

Accepting the Ring of Fame Award Unveiling the Plaques

Celebrating with Family and the Clowns

Celebrating with me were my daughter Katherine, her husband Sasha, and my grandchildren Leo and Sonya. Little Sonya celebrated a birthday this past month, so it was nice that grandpa could make it down to Florida to celebrate. Representing the Big Apple Circus were Tom and Yvonne Larson, the General Manager and Box Office Treasurer. And a huge thank you to Tom for taking photographs of the event, which I now get to share with all of you. Also with me was my sweetheart Shelley Doctors. And, of course, those wonderfully funny clowns Barry “Grandma” Lubin and Bello Nock who introduced me at the awards ceremony. It was difficult to make a thank you speech after those two spoke … sort of like the guy who followed Lincoln at Gettysburg ….

This post is coming to you from Paris, France where I’m at the Festival Mondial du Cirque de Demain. And more on that in my next few blogs.

The Circus Ring of Fame

Jan 142014

Barry Lubin’s Wagon Wheel Plaque in the Circus Ring of Fame

On Sunday, January 19, I’ll have the honor of being inducted into the Circus Ring of Fame at St Armand’s Circle in Sarasota, Florida. Just as the Hollywood Walk of Fame honors Hollywood greats with a star-laden path, we in the circus world celebrate our very own Marilyn Monroes, James Deans, and Bette Midlers with a ring of bronze wagon wheel plaques. These plaques offer visitors a comprehensive “who’s who” of the circus world. Everyone from trapeze artists to veterinarians to composers to ringmasters – anyone who’s made a valuable and lasting contribution to circus arts and circus history is honored there. Needless to say, I am humbled and delighted to be included among such luminaries.

Two clowns (both fellow inductees of the Circus Ring of Fame) with whom I’ve had the immense pleasure to work alongside for many memorable years, will be there to introduce me: Barry “Grandma” Lubin and Bello Nock. “Grandma” the Clown was a staple of the Big Apple Circus for over 25 seasons, and he is still beloved and celebrated by audiences all over the world.

Grandma the Clown – Last BAC performance

Bello Nock

Bello Nock, who’s performed with Big Apple Circus and Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus, among others, is another world-famous entertainer.

I am happy enough being able to count these two talented men among my friends, and the fact that they will be there to celebrate my induction is merely the delicious icing on an already-delicious cake.

Joining me as this year’s Ring of Fame inductees are: trapeze artist Pinito del Oro, circus owner/animal trainer Ian Garden Sr., and the Theron Family of high-energy bicyclists. I look forward to writing about this ceremony in next week’s blog post.

Oh, and, PS – Happy New Year!!!

Daniel Cyr in Luminocity & end-of-year report…

Dec 172013

Daniel Cyr is a master acrobat and circus performer. He invented and popularized an apparatus called the “Cyr Wheel” after debuting it in 2003 at the “Festival Mondial du Cirque de Demain” in Paris (for which he won the Silver Medal). The Cyr wheel is a single, large, metal hoop inside which the acrobat stands, in a manner resembling Da Vinci’s “Man.”

Daniel Cyr

The wheel then does what wheels do – it rolls around the ring with the performer inside.

davinci_Cyr

Today, the wheel is an act being done around the world by some 200 circus artists. It’s a big-time crowd-pleaser!

Daniel is also a master at the Free Ladder, which he performs with graceful precision in Big Apple Circus’ current show, Luminocity.

Daniel on the Free Ladder in BAC’s “Luminocity”
and
Two Cirque Eloize performers in the Cyr Wheel

I first met Daniel back in Montreal in 1993 when Cirque Eloize was new – a completely fresh and unique stage show. Daniel reminded me recently that I saw him perform his Free Ladder in that terrific performance. Since then, I’ve been a huge fan of his work.

By the way, sharp-eyed circus aficionados will delight in seeing Daniel as the “spotter” in the Mongolian Angels aerial act – both standing underneath the trapeze and holding their safety line while they do amazing tricks high in the air. The Big Apple Circus Artistic Director, Guillaume Dufresnoy, has enormous confidence in this circus veteran to give him such a big responsibility.

You’ve got to catch Daniel doing his amazing stunts in Big Apple Circus’ Luminocity. The show is at Lincoln Center through January 12 and tickets are still available. Get ‘em (by clicking here) while they last!

On a side note, this will most likely be my last blog post of 2013. Reflecting back, it’s been quite an exciting year. I finally completed my memoir Never Quote The Weather to A Sea Lion and other uncommon tales from the founder of the Big Apple Circus. Promoting a book is no easy task, so I want to thank you all – my readers, friends, family, and colleagues – who’ve supported me in this endeavor. AND thanks to super actress Glenn Close, who wrote the Foreword. Here’s to many more great years, and here’s to a whole new memoir’s worth of great stories.

Warmest greetings of the most joyous season and happy new year!

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