FROM THE U.K.

CIRCUS MOVIE POSTERS

Le Grande Cirque smashes Sydney box office records

From: Herald Sun

December 31, 2010
ITS 35 acts range from strong men to contortionists and ballerinas sourced from Brazil to Mongolia. In other words, Le Grand Cirque has something for everybody.
The famous circus, which twice broke box office records at the Sydney Opera House, last night had its premiere at Melbourne's Regent Theatre, kicking off a three-week season.
Le Grand Cirque, which made its debut in in South Carolina in 2004, is a combination of classic and innovative acrobatics.
The white-knuckle stunts are performed by an company hand-picked from around the globe.

Circus fun for the entire family

Le Grand Cirque is showing at the Regent Theatre. Picture: Chris Scott Source: Herald Sun

Stephanie Glickman

From: Herald Sun January 03, 2011

CIRCUS is a competitive business, so every company needs a selling point. Le Grand Cirque, an American-based outfit with a mostly Chinese cast, is going the family route.
The show has hearty lashings of clean entertainment that will appeal across ages. Amidst the sparkles and smiles is an overall high-level of acrobatic talent and technical rigour in traditional acts such as hoop diving and contortion. A few truly spectacular moments stand out - especially the rarely seen Wheel of Death routine that lives up to its ominous name.
But the abundance of large, unrelated group routines, with their crude classical music remixes and predictable formations, flatten out dramatic potential.
The few solo numbers, such as Australian Julian Aldag's magnificent aerial rope and Zhang Qiang's aerial straps routines, are standouts.
LE GRANDE CIRQUEWhere and when: The Regent Theatre, until January 23.
http://www.heraldsun.com.au/entertainment/arts/circus-fun-for-the-entire-family/story-fn7euh6j-1225980602480

Acclaimed animal show coming to Yuma

BY DARIN FENGER -
A former juggler with the Moscow Circus comes to town Jan. 7 with a troupe of comical critters that Jay Leno has called the funniest circus act he's ever seen.
Lots of people adopt stray cats and dogs from animal shelters, but only Gregory Popovich trains his beloved beasties to perform tricks worthy of careers in show biz. The World Famous Popovich Comedy Pet Theater has been written up in People magazine, lauded by The New York Times and featured in more than 20 nations around the world.
But Popovich quickly declines taking credit for his animals' amazing talents. The proud papa instead points to animals' natural proclivity toward amusing stunts of physical and comical hijinks.
“I don't believe that I ‘train' the animals to do a certain trick or stunt. Instead, I teach the animals to perform on stage by allowing them to show off their individual personalities and talents.
“Just like people, every pet has a special quirky little thing they like to do. This thing, or trait, allows the pet to show a unique part of his/her personality to their owner. This is what makes them who they are.”
Local animal lovers will see exactly what Popovich is talking about when the World Famous Popovich Comedy Pet Theater performs in Yuma on Jan. 7. There will be a shorter matinee performance at 2 p.m. and a full-length performance at 7 p.m.
The performances are part of a larger event called Petsapalooza, a celebration of animals planned for Jan. 7-9 along Main Street.
World Famous Popovich Comedy Pet Theater is based in Las Vegas and features 25 “furry family members,” along with Popovich's wife, Izolda, and daughter, Anastasia. But the animal cast doesn't stop at cats and dogs. The show includes everything from geese and ferrets to white mice.
Sunset Magazine has called the show the Best Family Attraction in Las Vegas.

read more at:http://www.yumasun.com/articles/popovich-66338-circus-pet.html

The Great Bombay Circus packs in loads of fun for its guests

Trapeze artists performing at the Great Bombay Circus in Coimbatore. Photos: K. Ananthan

Elephants trundle and horses canter, camels trot about, their long necks wobbling, green-winged macaws and African grey parrots sing loud and proud. Joining this motley crew are clowns, acrobats, trapezists, hoopers, jugglers and more – sounds familiar? The Great Bombay Circus is here in town! Returning to the city after a five year gap, the big top has been pitched at Shastri Maidan, R.S Puram this time around.
If you thought television and internet have driven this travelling company of performers to extinction, think again. They only seem to be getting better and better. Though they've thrown in an act here and an act there to keep apace with the changing times, the Great Bombay Circus is traditional in every sense. The flying trapezists, the tube juggling Russians, the smiling girls with hula hoops, the jocund clown who catches your eye are all intact, so are the obedient dogs and the fluid acrobats.
An artist performing at the Great Bombay Circus in Coimbatore. Photos: K. Ananthan
Nostalgia
The show is bound to take you back in time when you walked in grasping your father's hand tight expecting a rogue lion to pounce on you any second! There are no lions here, mind you – just the cricket-loving elephant who can hit the ball higher than the Master Blaster himself! The African acrobats act is a new addition and the bouncy Safari, Joshua, Issac, Juma and Richard steal the show with their charm and agility.
The girls are not far behind – if the roller balance and Russian sari balance acts push you to the edge of the seat, the hoop dancing act and the cycle acrobats let you sit back and smile.
Subhash, the only cycle acrobat in India to have mastered the pocket cycle act, rides the midget vehicle balancing two people on his shoulders.
This man is incredible – “I rode it first at a show in 1996,” he says. “Practised for three days with the help of videos of foreign artists.”
The clowns enter the ring now and then, and when they do, it's the kids who are in splits. The tent reverberates with their laughter – how do these clowns do it?

MAN, ANIMAL AND MERRY MAKING At The Great Bombay Circus. Photos: K. Ananthan

The favourite act
But suddenly, they all disappear, leaving the ring desolate. And then it starts – at first a low rumble that rises to a deafening vroom. The gutsy bikers inside the motorcycle cage ball shoot inside it like bullets. This act still remains the favourite of young men the world over. So much so that even after the act is over and the spotlight shifts, you can see a lot of heads straining to get a load of the biker-heroes. The pyramid juggling act and the hanging acrobat act are two of my favourites. While the former elicits a lot of oohs and aahs from the crowd, the latter makes you wonder if the acrobats actually have rubber limbs! These artists never fail to impress. With practised perfection and a cool as a cucumber face, they simply glide across the ring. Are they ever afraid? “Only during the opening day” admits Subhash. “Once I get used to the ring, I'm fine.”
“Our circus is a miniature India by itself” says instructor Balachandran. We have artists from all over the country – Gujarat, Nepal, Jharkhand, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, you name it.”
For most of the performers who visit their families only once or twice a year, the circus is more than a mere workplace.
For clowns Pappu, Hari, Mustafa, Bagva, Brij Kishore and Tulsi Das “Circus is family.” “It's tough to make people laugh” says Hari. “But when they do, the satisfaction I get it indescribable.” Tulsi Das, the senior most clown has been with the troupe for 50 years. In broken English he says, “People happy, I am happy.”

from:http://www.thehindu.com/life-and-style/leisure/article520564.ece

FROM CASEY GIBBS:

Celtic Woman live from the Helix Center in Dublin, Ireland performing A Christmas Celebration.Just got this but had to send it on.One of the nicest presetations i have seen.

Casey

FROM HEARTLAND SMITH:

I have attached a photo I found in an old collection. I assume it is one of those pix sold by folks in sideshows. It looks like something from the late 1890's or early 1900's. You might want to see if any of your viewers can identify the giants or the midget. The little fellow looks almost as though he could be a child, dressed as an adult.

Take me to the circus

Where’s Bubbles?: No animals at Great American Circus, but lots of Michael Jackson tunes.

THE X-PAT FILES By Scott R. Garceau (The Philippine Star) January 02, 2011

Do kids still dream about joining the circus? That notion seems as quaint as carnies and funhouses. But somebody’s got to join the circus, damn it; they still exist, and even in the days of iPads and DSI devices, people still sit and watch, jaws agape, as daredevils race around spinning Wheels of Death and fire breathers make like Gene Simmons.
All this is on view at the Great American Circus, a traveling troupe that recently set up tent at SMX Convention Center (until Jan. 4, after which it heads to Cebu).

Lucy in the sky: Aerialist works the trapeze at The Great American Circus.
As you might guess, this is an American group of performers who bring back some of the old-fashioned spectacle of the one-ring circus. One ring? What happened to three? According to ringmaster Tuffy Nicholas — he of the wavy amber hair and booming voice — the one-ring circus is meant to keep audiences focused on a single spectacle instead of dividing their attention (it has nothing to do with budget constraints; no, no, nothing like that). As Nicholas likes to say, again and again, during the show: “It’s a wow!”

Top of the world: Great American Circus offers old-fashioned thrills, but thrills nonetheless.

Family fun: You can’t fool kids; they either enjoy a circus, or else it’s no good.
read more at:

http://www.philstar.com/Article.aspx?articleId=644363&publicationSubCategoryId=86

Things to do in: Tampa Bay North Tampa Tampa St. Petersburg

Ringling Bros. and Barnum and Bailey CircusSt. Pete Times Forum401 Channelside Drive, Tampa FL 33602The "Greatest Show on Earth" roars into town bringing breathtaking dare-devilry, superhuman stunts, the world-famous clown alley, the Human Fuse and lots of animals. Beginning 90 minutes before each show, families can get up close with the animals in a free Animal Open House. One hour before the show, ticket holders join on the arena floor for an all-access pre-show.
Price: $15-$85

Categories: Animals, Family, Kid-friendly

Phone: (813) 301-2500

Dates for this event: January 5, 7:30 p.m.

January 6, 7:30 p.m.

January 7, 7:30 p.m.

January 8, 3:30 p.m & 7:30 p.m.

January 9, 1 p.m. & 5 p.m.

The circus of life

The Bombay Circus has come to town to regale Bangaloreans. People's changing tastes and new rules on the use of animals have taken away some of the thrills associated with this event. But what still draws people to the shows is the undying spirit of the artistes for whom circus is bread and butter. The artistes tell their stories to Rakshita Adyanthaya and A Veeramani who paid a visit to them in their tents.

By Elizabeth Soumya Place: Bangalore Agency: DNA

The unrelenting pace of city life can have us lost in our fishbowl existence. Faces of Bangalore is an opportunity to meet those we share this burgeoning city with.
Name Situ Rajesh Occupation Circus acrobat
Ask Situ Rajesh when she joined the circus, and memory fails her. Born into a family of Chinese circus acrobats, she says she started performing long before she learnt to record even memories. "I was too small, I could have been three," she says.
And since then Situ's days have followed a disciplined cyclic ritual of hard work and performances. No matter how good you're at your acts you have to practise every single day, she warns.
Her training time slots span between 7am to 10.30am every single day. Even after all these years, she warns that the amusing antics of a circus can't be taken for granted and even now she falls down and scrapes her knees at times.
The acrobatics change according to the age of the performer. When she was a young child, she did cycle tricks and balance acts, since it's easier for a child who weighs much lesser to climb over people.
As a teenager, she did circus swing acrobats. Over the years, she's done juggling acts, roller-skate acts, performances with animals and currently does human pyramid tricks while riding a cycle.
While she started out in Oriental Circus, she fell in love with Rajesh a young acrobat from Kerala. Today the couple works for Bombay Circus and has two children, who study back home in Kerala and travel with the circus during their summer vacations. Situ says that the circus life is a nomadic one, where they get to halt in cities around the India and this lets her experience different worlds.
For those who think the circuses are dying out, she says "Every place we stop at people visit the circus with so much excitement." While animals as a trend are reducing in circuses, the talent of the performers is enough to draw people, she adds confidently.

MUMMMERS DAY PARADE

Mummers strut their stuff

The Quaker City String Band performs during the annual Mummers Parade on Saturday. They finished first in the string band division. (DENISE HENHOEFFER/Courier-Post)
By LUCAS MURRAY • Courier-Post Staff • January 2, 2011
PHILADELPHIA — Sure there are other ways Susan Rosario could spend her time and money, but for 15 years the Vineland resident has dedicated large amounts of both to take part in the annual Mummers Parade.

At a cost equivalent to that of a weeklong trip to Wildwood, Rosario's latest entry into the parade was inspired by -- of all things -- a Britney Spears song."We based it on the song Just Like a Circus. It's a bit of a sideshow, a little freaky," Rosario explained riding atop an elaborate flatbed truck dressed as a fortune teller. "My daughter has a parasitic twin. We have a cobra queen and a ringmaster. It's supposed to be a little on the dark side."To her right, a prominent Vineland pediatrician swallowed swords. Suspended from a hoop hung over Rosario's shoulder, her niece Rachel performed flips and waved to the masses while wearing a 1940s pin-up girl outfit

READ MORE AT: http://www.courierpostonline.com/article/20110102/NEWS01/101020342/Mummers-strut-their-stuff

NEW SHANGHAI CIRCUS

California Center for the Arts, EscondidoPlate-spinning act performed by the New Shanghai Circus coming onstage Jan. 23 at the California Center for the Arts, Escondido.

NEW YEAR ARRIVES IN SYDNEY, AUSTRAILIA

SARASOTA CIRCUS FESTIVAL, 12-29-94,PART #3, FROM BILL PRICKETT

Frank Cain & Curly McCormick

Heidi Herriott


Bobby Gibbs & Frank Cain

Laura Herriott

Tanya Herrmann & Bill Prickett

Jelly Bean (J.B. Dick) & Musical Bottles

Le Grand Cirque - big cirque's little cousin

Reviewed by Jordan Beth Vincent, January 1, 2011

Australian tour comes to Perth in April, 2011
Cirque du Soleil has positively ruined the circus for me. It has raised my expectations to unrealistic heights. I want a seamless, faultless and effortless circus experience. I yearn to see death-defying acts, be swept away in a mystical storyline and hear those quasi-French accents.
And so, from this spoilt vantage point, Le Grand Cirque, now on tour in Australia, is like a little cousin with delusions of grandeur. Sure, the quasi-French accent makes an appearance thanks to lead clown Salvador Salangsang, with Charlotte Davies' costume design reputedly inspired by dragons, spirits and magical horses. But let's be honest - with regular tours by Cirque du Soleil, truly exemplary performances by Circus Oz and a talented group of local performers, there is no shortage of quality circus acts to satisfy audiences. Le Grand Cirque does have some good things going for it. A solo act by Australian Julian Aldag on the vertical rope is beautiful. His skill and strength is allowed full expression on a quiet stage, unhampered by the masses of sequined dancers and acrobats that clutter many of the show's other acts.
Two acrobats are exciting as they run circles through a massive spinning hamster wheel, which is referred to (hopefully) facetiously as the ''Wheel of Death''. On the opening night in Melbourne, one performer brushed the top of the Regent's proscenium arch and nearly lost his balance. Regardless of whether his wobbles were a ploy to shock a captive audience, I was thankful to not be in the front row.
Patrons willing to brave the close proximity to the Wheel of Death must also risk Salangsang's clowning antics, which rely heavily on audience participation. His ''balloon boy'' routine is clever and amusing, allowing us to almost forgive his humiliation of more than one good-natured guinea pig.
With its soundtrack featuring techno Tchaikovsky and an array of tacky outfits on display (one-legged sparkly unitards are never an easy look to pull off), Le Grand Cirque packs plenty of razzle-dazzle. It is generally entertaining and fun, sometimes funny and often impressive - everything you might expect from a cirque.

Setting up for First Night River Bend

Tightrope walker Trevor McNabb takes a test run across the wire Thursday afternoon in preparation for the Circus Flora performances Friday during the First Night River Bend celebration at Lewis and Clark Community College in Godfrey. McNabb crossed the metal rope 25 feet above the River Bend Arena floor without a safety net.

Entertainers rehearse Thursday afternoon in the arena, which was transformed into a circus venue for First Night. The circus act included regional performers from the St. Louis Arches youth circus troupe and marks the first time First Night River Bend had included a circus in its attractions.

from: http://www.thetelegraph.com/articles/circus-48929-first-night.html