'Cirque' Offers Magnificent Show

By The FAMUAN

Wednesday, September 28, 2011

Cirque du Soleil's "Dralion" will be at the Tallahassee Leon County Civic Center from Sept. 28 - Oct. 2.
Cirque du Soleil originated in Europe with a fusion between Western and Eastern culture. Over time, the show has become a global phenomenon.
Jenny Bello, 21, Florida State student, remembers her time at a Cirque du Soleil performance.
"It was spectacular," said Bello. "Nothing like any other circus."
Dralion promises to bring the best in entertainment to the Big Bend area showcasing Chinese acrobatic arts more than 3,000 years old. The name "Dralion" is representative of two creatures important to the Eastern and Western world, the dragon and lion, respectively.
The overall theme of the Dralion performance is human harmony with nature. The performers will be wearing different colors to represent the different elements of nature: Blue for air, green for water, red for fire and ochre for earth. Tickets are on sale now.
Show times are Sept. 28 and 29 at 7:30 p.m., Sept. 30 and Oct. 1 at 3:30 p.m. and 7:30 p.m., and Oct. 2 at 1 p.m. and 5 p.m. Adult tickets range from $35 - $75, and children tickets range from $28 to $61. Military and student tickets are discounted to range from $31.50 to $63.

Sound Off caller not happy circus came to town

By MARY PEREZ Sun Herald

A writer to Sound Off doesn’t like the sound -- or the smells -- of a circus in his backyard.
It’s been six years since Hurricane Katrina wiped out the drugstore and movie theater on the property on U.S. 90 east of Veterans Avenue and across from the new Shaggy’s in Biloxi.
The writer questioned a circus being permitted next to a residential Area.
Jerry Creel, Biloxi’s community development director, said the zoning on that vacant parcel allows a circus and most of the property along Beach Boulevard is zoned for major commercial.
“One of the requests we get all the time is to bring family entertainment to Biloxi,” he said. “It’s only going to be there two to three days.”
Cole Bros. Circus of the Stars will perform two shows each day on Wednesday and Thursday.
The Sound Off writer also objected to limbs from his Live oak tree being cut to make way for the circus trucks.
Creel said if limbs are hanging over onto another property, city ordinance allows them to be trimmed.
The city doesn’t get complaints from neighbors when the circus is held at the Mississippi Coast Coliseum, Creel said.
This year, the Coliseum is hosting “Disney Live!” on Friday. Matt McDonnell, assistant executive director, said he asked Cole Brothers to change the dates so the circus wouldn’t conflict with another family show. “They were unable to do so,” he said.
McDonnell said the Cole Brothers circus returns the grounds to the original condition when they leave and said he hopes the circus will come back to the Coliseum in the future.Read more: http://www.sunherald.com/2011/09/27/3465729/sound-off-caller-not-happy-circus.html#ixzz1ZF2vcBcf

More is More Mom: An Afternoon with the Universoul Circus; the Greatest Show on Earth!

from: www.triblocal.com

By Vanessa Nunley

As the More is More Mom®,

I’m all about…….more going to the Universoul Circus! Ladies and gentleman, boys and girls, friends of all ages, step right up to see the greatest show on Earth! Sunday, Amanda and I had a little adventure; we attended the Universoul Circus in Washington Park. While on the road, we may have fought off Bears fans heading to Soldier’s Field, we most certainly got the better end of the deal (the Bears suffered a devastating loss to the Green Bay Packer’s. Ouch!).
When I was a little girl, I fondly remember my parents taking me to the see the spectacle that was the circus; the ringmaster dressed in his shiny red jacket with a black top hat and lapels. There were clowns with their whacky antics, tigers, elephants, acrobats, tightrope walkers and trapeze artists, like the Flying Wallenda’s.
While my pal’s have enjoyed the spectacle of the Ringling Brother’s & Barnum and Bailey Circus, their generation is much more familiar with the music, artistry and daring acts of the likes of Cirque De Soleil. I was really excited to take Amanda to the Universoul Circus; the perfect blend of old and new.
One of the things I loved the most was that the circus was actually under the big top; a great big tent in the middle of the park. Even though the surroundings were a throw back to yesteryear, the upbeat tempo of the show was anything but. Instead of a boring and staid ring master, the master of ceremonies was the lively and entertaining Tony Tone, who kept the show rolling through costume and set changes with his humor, singing and fabulous dance moves.
We sat in awe (and mock terror) as we watched the tightrope walkers make their way; dancing, bike riding, walking two-men high and then three-men high across the rope. Our hearts were in our mouths as one of the fellas leap frogged over another two, landing perfectly on that wee, little tiny rope. Wow! And we thought the balance beam looked hard.
This circus has everything, but with soul and style. To the smooth sounds of Luther Vandross, there was Jean Claude who performed stunts of amazing strength, artistry and elegance. In a giant sphere, there were 4 motorcyclists riding round and round (and upside down, rockin’ to the rhythm of the funky sound) and Chinese acrobats on bicycles hand-standing, arabesque-ing, leaping from bike to bike, all whilst the girls were cycling around and around in a fast circle. The circus just wouldn’t be complete without leaping and dancing tigers and beautiful and majestic elephants.
While the entire show was great fun, my absolute very favorite part was the Zhukau Acrobats; a kind of Michael Flatly, Lord of the Dance, meets strong man tumbling sensations. Swinging from pendulums, these fellas performed heart-pounding, death defying acts; twists, flips, triple backs and triple fronts with a half twist. Fortunately, Amanda knew exactly what they were up to.
What a completely unexpected treat; an afternoon full of funk, soul, daring acts, and entertainment with my favorite gal, all thanks to the Universoul Circus! If you get a chance, you can check them out at http://www.universoulcircus.com/

Kids' stuff Sept. 27

from: www.reflector.com

Tuesday, September 27, 2011

Greenville, NC--Circus Pages is coming to the Greenville Convention Center, 303 S.W. Greenville Blvd., with shows at 4:30 and 7:30 p.m. Thursday. The show includes elephants, tigers, camels, acrobatic dogs, lions and horses as well as aerial acts, juggling and clowns. Tickets are $15 for adults and $2 for children. Visit www.circuspages.com.

LANE TALBURT'S NEWEST VIDEO--
Circus under glass
LaneInConn



Uploaded by LaneInConn on Sep 26, 2011

Building acrobatic skills and self-confidence is the mission of Circus Harmony, a social circus founded and directed by Jessica Hentoff. Lane Talburt reports from St. Louis, Missouri.

Death-defying thrills are part of circus life

By KYLIE STEVENS

from: www.blacktownsun.com.au

26 Sep, 2011

FOR those who have ever contemplated running away to the circus, be warned — it’s not all fun and games.Those who travel with Webers Circus 11 months a year insist it’s hard work and often risk injury and sometimes death each time they perform.
Wonita Weber is the only woman in Australia to perform a double somersault on the apparatus and admits her husband has dropped her several times.
Columbian thrillseeker Herwin also risks his life every time he performs the death-defying Wheel of Death without a safety belt.
He once needed stitches and was out for three months after he ‘‘cheese-grated’’ down the wheel from nine metres up.
There are 25 chances it could go wrong in front of an audience of 600 while the circus is at St Marys until October 9.
Emma Hodge performs and also makes the popcorn and fairy floss.
Webers Circus sells 25 kilograms of popcorn and sell 500 bags of fairy floss each week.
A qualified teacher, Emma also tutors four children who are part of the circus.
Circus staff say the show isn’t the same as the one it presented at Marys two years ago.
‘‘We don’t have a ringmaster,’’ Emma said.
Wonita added: ‘‘We keep the routines fresh and change the costumes every few months.’’
Her parents Rudy and Natalie Weber started up their own circus five years ago and come from long line of circus performers in Australia and Germany.
Wonita, with sisters Dakota and Wonona, are seventh generation performers.
The circus has been part of Wonita’s life for 22 years and her son River, 2, will eventually get a chance to perform before they return to a normal life when he starts high school.

The Bello Nock Circus: The Defying Gravity Tour

Mill City Management and Mills Entertainment are pleased to present the World Premiere of The Bello Nock Circus: The Defying Gravity Tour at the Lowell Memorial Auditorium on October 29 at 2:00pm and 7:00pm, and October 30 at 1:00pm. Tickets go on sale on August 22. Tickets start at just $15.00, and will be available for purchase in person at the Lowell Memorial Auditorium box office located at 50 East Merrimack Street in Lowell, by calling the box office at (978) 454-2299 or online at www.lowellauditorium.com.

Gee Gee Engesser Tribute
Floridaroadtrip



Uploaded by Floridaroadtrip on Aug 10, 2008

One of the greatest animal acts of the American circus. Short bio of the great Gee Gee Engesser: The Blonde Bombshell.

Full steam ahead for Circus Oz

KEN LONGWORTH

from: www.theherald.com.au

26 Sep, 2011

CIRCUS Oz has gone back to the future for its latest show, Steampowered, with the male performers in leather uniforms with wide buckled belts and the women in tightly laced corsets.That, at least, is how the audience sees the show.
As artistic director Mike Finch pointed out, buckled belts could be dangerous when people were performing hair-raising trapeze acts and tight corsets would certainly restrict dexterity.
“The buckles and the corsets are actually made of soft material,” he said.
The look of Steampowered, which is at Newcastle’s Civic Theatre from October 6 to 8, was suggested by Melbourne designer Darryl Cordell.
“He asked if we knew anything about steampunk,” Finch said.
Steampunk is a science-fiction strand that shows contemporary technology in use in past eras.
So, in a reversal of the stories of writers like H.G. Wells, who transferred people from the 19th century into the future, Steampowered has its hip 21st century circus acts performed in a pre-petrol Victorian setting, with men in overalls controlling steam-operated devices, including rosewood-cased computers.
The show’s opening musical number is performed by cast members playing brass instruments, which, said Finch, was a “very steampunk image”.
Circus Oz has won an international reputation for its re-invention of circus performance since it was founded 33 years ago.read more at:http://www.theherald.com.au/news/local/news/entertainment/full-steam-ahead-for-circus-oz/2302176.aspx

Big Apple Circus’s ‘Dream Big’ focuses on the imagination

from: The Washington Post
By Jane Horwitz,
September 26
Big Apple has launched “Dream Big” at Dulles Town Center, where its run continues through Oct. 10. Then the company will head to its fall-winter venue at Lincoln Center’s Damrosch Park.
The large, painted set piece at the back of the ring has a picture-book look that’s totally kid-friendly. Performers enter and exit through it, and above, there’s a giant, red-lipped mouth that provides a hideout for the band, led by music director Rob Slowik.
Amiable ringmistress Jenna Robinson, sporting a turret of flaming hair and rhinestone glasses, is a welcoming rather than an imposing presence.
Big Apple’s tent seats 1,723, and it advertises that no one is more than 50 feet from the ring. It does feel like an intimate space. At the 4:30 performance on Sunday, kids as young as 2 and 3 seemed transfixed by the acrobats, jugglers, trapeze artists and animals, and amused, if not convulsed with laughter, at the clowning.read more at:http://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/style/big-apple-circuss-dream-big-focuses-on-the-imagination/2011/09/26/gIQAVVF7zK_story.html

BILL PRICKETT VISITS

THE JOE FRISCO FAMILY

Carol (73) and Joe (78) Frisco
I met Joe Frisco, Sr, in the summer of 1962, when he came to Glen Oak Zoo, Peoria, Il, as the animal trainer.
One of the favorite acts was Donna the elephant. Joe also presented mixed cat act with seven animals, and a chimp act.
The Zoo later added a petting Zoo with farm animals. Joe was at the Glen Oak Zoo for seventeen years, leaving in 1979. Upon leaving, Joe acquired the seven cats and Donna,
the elephant. For the next 30 plus years, with his sons Joe,Jr, Tim, and Terry, they worked fairs, festivals, and circus fill-in spot dates,with the cat act , the four elephants, and a petting Zoo. Joe,sr, is now retired, but still drives the 53' long rig for the traveling Petting Zoo.

Joe and cat act, Glen Oak Zoo about 1974
The elephants were Donna (deceased), Gina (now in Memphis Zoo breeding program in 2009), Joyce (Brookfield Zoo in Chicago, and now in a park in New Jersey), and Dumbo - June 2011, to a Zoo to be announced later.
Several years after coming to Peoria, Il, Carol and Joe purchased acerage outside of Peoria, near Dunlap, Il., where they have resided for the past 43 years..

Donna and Joe at the Hotel Pere Marquette in downtown Peoria, Il, about 1964.

Joe and Donna at Glen Oak Zoo about 1963.

Joe, Jr, his son Joey, (Joe #3), and Lucas (Joe #4 - age 4 yrs) are in Peoria,Il., with RBBB, blue unit, 9-23/9-25, where they handle the herd of 10 elephants.
Son Tim manages the elephant breeding program for Carson & Barnes circus outside Hugo, OK area., and works spot dates with these elephants. Son Terry still presents the cat act, with daughter Felicia, and is currently preparing to open at the "Big E" in Mass.
Story continued in Part 2, next week.

Mid-South Fair kicks off 156th edition

DeSoto center is host of 10-day event for 3rd year

Photo by Stan Carroll

The 156th Mid-South Fair began its third year at the DeSoto Civic Center Friday, drawing folks to the midway for games, rides and food. The 10-day event runs through Oct. 2.

By Yolanda Jones

Memphis Commercial Appeal

Posted September 24, 2011

Cheryl White came with a strategy.
Fair food first, she said just before biting into a mustard-slathered Pronto Pup.
White was one of the first guests to cruise the midway on the opening day of the Mid-South Fair. A ribbon-cutting kicked off events at noon.
This is the 156th year for the fair, but only its third year at the DeSoto Civic Center in Southaven since moving from Memphis.
"We're here and love being down here," said Milton Rodgers, the fair's new executive director.
The fair is slated to call the Southaven facility home until 2015, but officials are looking at a possible long-term partnership.
"Tunica is completely off the table due to the recession," said Mid-South Fair president Belinda Anderson.
Anderson was referring to previous plans to relocate the fair to a 150-acre site in Tunica. Those plans fell through because of the economy, and the fair landed in DeSoto County instead.
For fairgoer White, a Memphis native who has been coming to the fair for 60 years, this was her first time at the event since it relocated to Mississippi.
"Curiosity finally brought me and my husband down here," White said.
Local vendors who bought booth space inside the Civic Center hope curiosity will turn browsers into customers during the fair's 10-day run.
Because of the lingering economic slowdown, entrepreneurs like Carrie Triplett of Walls have found it hard to sell their wares at other festivals and fairs. She hopes to turn her luck around at the Mid-South Fair.
"It has been a struggle," said Triplett, who sells hand-sewn items that include purses, children's dresses and blankets. "This is my first time at this fair, and I'm hoping things go well."
The fair runs through Oct. 2. Gates open at noon except Saturdays and Wednesday, when they open at 10 a.m. Tickets are $10, $5 for ages 5-12 and seniors 60 and older. Children 4 and under get in free.

Circus of the sun shines

2011-09-25 07:57

By Zhang Kun (China Daily)

Saltimbanco is Cirque du Soleil's longest running show on the road and it will add to that record with extended performances in Shanghai.

Provided to China Daily

from: http://www.chinadaily.com.cn

Canada's Cirque du Soleil is so popular in Shanghai the troupe is extending its stay. Zhang Kun has the story. The circus is in town, and it intends to stay another week. Cirque du Soleil has added seven more shows of Saltimbanco in Shanghai, encouraged by the enthusiastic response to its original seven shows.
Four weeks after the company announced its plan to stage Saltimbanco in the city, 60 percent of the tickets were sold out. The show features more than 50 performers and musicians from 20 countries.

People in Shanghai first became acquainted with the Cirque from 2007 tour with Quidam. Saltimbanco is the Cirque's longest touring show, having been on the road since 1992. Shanghai is its only China stop.
"It is a classic that has not been afraid to evolve with the times. As such, it continues to be fresh and inspire generations of fans," says Neelanthi Vadivel, Saltimbanco's artistic director. "I've always felt the Chinese audience appreciates joyous, colorful, high-energy productions. Saltimbanco is a prime example of all three." More than 12 million people worldwide have seen it. The name "Saltimbanco" is drawn from the "Saltare in banco", which literally means "to jump on a bench".
Cirque du Soleil is famous for choreographing acrobatic stunts connected through emotional and narrative storylines, but Saltimbanco is an exception. Cirque du Soleil describes it as a "celebration of life".
"The open themes of the show allow the viewer to develop their own personal interior dialogue," according to Vadivel. "Each person's interpretation of the show is different and, as a result, reaches a very large audience."
Saltimbanco features kaleidoscopic feats, one of which, the Chinese Poles, showcases seemingly impossible balancing, jumping and spinning although the "Chinese" in the name does not necessarily mean that it is performed by Chinese artistes.
During the segment, acrobats leap from one 7-meter-high pole to another, a colorful metaphor for modern people's busy life in the skyscrapers.
Russian Swing shows acrobats catapulted up to 12 meters in the air and then execute breathtaking aerial jumps before falling on their feet, on the shoulders of their partners or atop a human pyramid.
Guiding audiences through the world of Saltimbanco, is the Baron, an imposing figure in a black-and-white striped cape, long red gloves and a top hat perched on a pile of serpentine locks.
Cirque du Soleil also has 10 other shows performing around the world, including Zaia in Macao and O in Las Vegas, but there are no plans yet to bring these to the Chinese mainland.
You can contact the writer at zhangkun@chinadaily.com.cn.

Greatest shrine on earth: Ringling Circus Museum reveals major upgrade,

exhibition

The greatest circus shrine on earth just got even better.

By WADE TATANGELO - wtatangelo@bradenton.com

Sunday, Sep. 25, 2011

On Saturday, Ringling Circus Museum’s Tibbals Learning Center, which already houses the planet’s largest miniature circus, opened with 11,000 square feet of fresh interactive exhibition space.
Philanthropist, master circus model builder and Sarasota resident Howard Tibbals funded the $7.5 million Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design addition capable of withstanding a Category 4 hurricane.

Courtesy of the Ringling Museum and Howard Tibbals Collection P.T. Barnum’s Greatest Show on Earth & The Great London Circus. Jumbo, the largest elephant ever seen by mortal man, wild or in captivity.
“Then there was a state match of about $3.4 million that happened about 18 months ago,” said Deborah Walk, historian and Tibbals curator of the Circus Museum at the John and Mabel Ringling Museum of Art.
Amazing postersTo coincide with the exciting expansion, the museum has brought in an exhibition featuring 80 beautifully strange and richly detailed circus posters from P.T. Barnum’s “Greatest Show on Earth,” Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus and more.
“The Amazing American Circus Poster: The Strobridge Lithographic Company, 1878-1939” originally opened at the Cincinnati Art Museum, the same city where the posters were manufactured.
Read more: http://www.bradenton.com/2011/09/25/3520040/greatest-shrine-on-earth.html#ixzz1YyTNempf

Big Apple Circus offers perfect family entertainment

Big Apple Circus offers perfect family entertainment

PICTURE MAIKE SCHULZ -

from The Washington Post

Barry Lubin is on a farewell tour as Grandma the Clown in this year’s Big Apple Circus, through October 10 at Dulles Town Center.Where can you laugh, gasp and cheer, and then do it all again?Under the big top of the Big Apple Circus, which has begun its annual run out at Dulles Town Center.The performances are in­cred­ibly family-friendly, with everything taking place in one ring so that nobody will miss any of the action.And action there will be:
●Trapeze artists from Colombia soar, leap and flip high above the ground.
●Arabian horses, adorable dogs and even a porcupine and a capybara — that’s a giant rodent — are among the animal performers.
●Russian juggler Dmitry Chernov will amaze as he moves around the ring juggling objects you’ve never imagined.
●And speaking of juggling, the Shandong Acrobats of China actually juggle one another!
But this year’s show is especially not to be missed because it is the last time that Grandma the Clown, created by Barry Lubin, will be starring in the circus. He/she is guaranteed to leave you laughing.
What: Big Apple Circus “Dream Big”When: Through Oct. 10Where: Dulles Town Center, 2100 Dulles Town Center Cir., Sterling

How much: $15-$49

All smiles at Barlow Fair

Festival sees record turnout

Photo by Jolene Craig

Twins Alexander and Andre Winter, 2, of Cutler, look at the rabbits on show on Saturday during the 140th annual Barlow Fair.

September 25, 2011

By JOLENE CRAIG (jcraig@newsandsentinel.com) ,

Parkersburg News and Sentinel

BARLOW - Some days the Barlow Fair has wet weather and other days it's stifling hot, but on Saturday, the weather was perfect for the event, an official said.
On Thursday, the fair opened to a record crowd and the fair board hoped the high attendance would be a trend for the entire weekend.
"Friday didn't start out too good with the rain and it kept some people away, but the weather (Saturday) was perfect for people to come to the fair and our attendance was great," said fair board president Darren Morris. "A lot of people came out for our entertainment and it's just been a good year."
Saturday's main events included the annual feeder calf sale and Nashville, Tenn., recording artist Jordan Carter.
One of this year's attendees was Lara Staples, the 2011 Ohio State Fair Queen, who visited all of the barns and several events on Saturday.
"When I was named Ohio State Fair Queen, I decided that I would make it my mission to attend one day of every fair in the state," said Staples, 18, of Hammersville near Cincinnati. "There are 93 fairs in Ohio and the Barlow Fair is my 90th."
For many people, spending nearly 100 days at fairgrounds in a year would be tiring, but for Staples it has been a lot of fun.
"Each one is so different and it's cool to see the diversity in each fair," she said. "The Barlow Fair is a little bit smaller than most, but it's pretty big for a private fair in Ohio."
This weekend's event is the 140th year for the fair, which makes it one of the oldest and longest running fairs in the state.
"You can definitely see the history here," Staples said.
Morris said little has changed with the Barlow Fair in decades, if not longer.
"It's always about the same with similar things going on," he said. "All except for the weather."
While this year has seen mild temperatures that Morris said were "perfect," past years have seen colder and warmer weather.
"There have been years where it's 50 degrees and we're drinking hot chocolate and trying to stay warm in the barns and other years where it's 90 degrees and all you want is ice in your drink," he said with a laugh. "We never know what we're going to have until the fair starts."
As families gather at the fair for the food, rides, games and to see the animals, the fair will wind down and close this afternoon.
The fairgrounds are located next to the intersection of Ohio 550 and Ohio 339 in Barlow. Today's schedule of activities includes:8 a.m.: Gates open10 a.m.: Open Hunter Jumping Show; church services (gazebo)Noon: Tractor Pull (13,000-, 11,000- and 9,500-pound classes)1 p.m.: Kiddie Tractor Pull2 p.m.: Gospel music2:30 p.m.; 4-H contest4 p.m.: All exhibits released

State's Largest Ag Fair Opens Today in Durham Four-day event expected to draw thousands to fairgrounds.

from: www.chesirepatch.com

It's four days of fun at the Durham FairCredit Durham Fair The Durham Fair kicks off today, marking the start of the state's largest agricultural fair, which also happens to be the country's largest all-volunteer operated fair.
Thousands of visitors are expected to attend the four-day fair, which features more than 12,000 exhibits, hundreds of animals, a variety of fair foods and top notch entertainment.
"I think it's because we have so much to offer," says Karin Thody, Secretary of the Durham Fair Association, about the popularity of the fair.
Thody is one of hundreds of volunteers that spend countless hours getting the fairgrounds ready for the crowds of fairgoers.
"Quality animals, quality exhibits. It's a local fair, but not a local fair," Thody says. "The vast variety of different foods we have here. There's something here for everybody's palate."
There's also something for everyone on the entertainment schedule.
"Last year when we had REO Speedwagon here you couldn't even get near this place. I always tell people to get here early in the day," explains Thody, who says she's often asked how much the concert tickets cost.
"It comes with the price of admission," she says with a smile.
The highlight of this year's entertainment schedule is the Grammy Award winning group Blues Traveler. The group will take the Main Stage Saturday night, at 7 p.m.
KC and the Sunshine Band headlines the Main Stage on Friday night at 7 p.m., and country duo Steel Magnolia will perform Sunday at 3 p.m.
There's a full compliment of local acts performing on the Green stage and Center stage throughout the weekend as well. In addition, the Durham Fair Talent show will be held on Sunday at 2 p.m.
To get to the Durham Fair, visitors must catch a shuttle bus at any one of three designated parking lots:http://cheshire.patch.com/articles/states-largest-ag-fair-opens-today-in-durham#photo-7662063