circus owners

CIRCUS PERSONALITIES


Harry Hunt 1958

Jack Mills, Mills Bros. Circus, Harundale, MD 1960

 

Harry Rawls  1987
Subject: Kelly Miller Circus
photos from the Sayre Collection, FSU

From the Sayre Collection at FSU

 

 



SANTA VISITS THE SHARKS

 

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Fascinating combination

 

 
Experience also in the advent of 2012 in the Luxembourg Christmas circus a fascinating combination from circus-show variety. Theatre. Artistry, comedy, excellent animal performances, Acrobatics, illusion, voltage, Poetry and modern sound These are the ingredients of the guaranteed non-alcoholic cocktails, precious seasoned with a dash of exoticism and a hint of eroticism.Circus tradition and modern-day showhumor - without wordsand everyone can understand

Events Associated with the Monte-Carlo Circus Festival


The Monte-Carlo International Circus Festival will take place from 17 to 27 January 2013.  Many events are being organised in parallel to the Festival:

The Open Door Show, inside the Big Top, is free and open to all.  This year, renowned trainer Kid Bauer will give a step-by-step explanation of how he trains each animal.
 The Princess Grace Theatre is presenting two exhibitions, one devoted to circus costumes created by Roberto Rossello for the Bouglione, Gruss and Knie circuses, the other by the painter Parice, which is entitled "Totem – Animal Symbolism" (from18 to 25 January, from 12 pm to 6 pm);
 

The Marriott Hotel is hosting an exhibition of circus equipment and a conference of the European Circus Association, a major meeting for professionals, which will take place on 18 and 19 January;
 An ecumenical ceremony will be held on 21 January at 7 pm in the Big Top;
 There will be a friendly football match between H.S.H. Prince Albert II's Barbagiuans and an international team from the Festival (Cap d’Ail Stadium, Monday 21 January at 8.30 pm);
 Finally, as every year, there will be a window dressing competition, organised by the Monaco Union of Traders and Artisans - a competition for the most beautiful window display on the theme of the circus.
 

 

www.montecarlofestival.mc
The second "New Generation" Festival will take place on 2 and 3 February 2013.
The 37th Festival International du Cirque de Monte-Carlo will be held from 17 to 27 January 2013.

Behind the Mexican Circus with Young Explorer Emily Ainsworth


Photo: Emily Ainsworth
by Lauren Ward of NG Staff in Explorers Journal
from:  nationalgeographic.com
May 23, 2012
“Blood, Sweat, and Sequins: behind the Mexican Circus”
 By Jhunehl Fortaleza, Media Intern
 As a journalist, anthropologist, and dancing circus princess, Emily Ainsworth has spent the past few years capturing the hidden lives of performers who’ve tantalized audiences for decades. Emily somehow manages to capture the color and texture of their everyday lives, using a camera lens to uncover what lies beyond the circus veil.

We only ever get a glimpse at them under a bright spotlight, but through the National Geographic Young Explorer’s Grant, Emily gives us a unique window into what she calls a world of “blood, sweat and sequins,” where most performers have “generations of circus blood pumping through their veins” and many artists “die in the ring, rather than of old age.
With the help of NG, Emily was able to work with seven different circuses around Mexico City—Circo Hermanos Vazquez, Circo Atayde, and American Circus to name a few.

With more than 200 circuses in Mexico, traveling with them gave Emily an opportunity to see Mexico from a different perspective, from the eyes of those growing up outside of mainstream society. Emily says that this project had particular significance for the performers. NG magazines are sold on every street corner in Mexico, so their lives being featured in association with NG gave them confidence that their culture was valued.

 

Photo: Emily Ainsworth
Life as a Performer
When Emily was performing with the circus, she lived in a trailer like everyone else. Though the days often passed in a sleepy haze, night brought the entire world to life. The close-knit, hierarchical culture Emily became a part of was just as riveting as the shows they put on every night.  Even the circus had its social order—performers associated with performers, riggers with riggers, the two rarely mixed. But all ran high on adrenaline during these performance nights.

“You really feel part of the community,” says Emily. “People truly look out for you. Many performers have seven generations of circus blood, and most who are born in the circus can’t imagine a life outside the ring. If you’re not born into the lifestyle, it’s a difficult community to infiltrate; I was very lucky to get that insight into this world.”

Being a circus performer, Emily says, is an exclusive birthright. Talents and tricks are passed down through generations. Parents often train and imagine futures for their children in the ring, even before they start to walk.
read more:
http://newswatch.nationalgeographic.com/2012/05/23/behind-the-mexican-circus-with-young-explorer-emily-ainsworth/

There’s no place like home for the holidays: Fun stuff for kids in Brooklyn during winter break

 

 

Just because it's cold out is no reason to be stuck inside all during winter break. There's fun special events for parents and kids all over Brooklyn between now and New Year's.

By Jacob Winters / NEW YORK DAILY NEWS

December 20, 2012,

BRIGHTON BEACH

See the Holiday Circus at the Millennium Theatre, 1029 Brighton Beach Ave., Friday through next Sunday. Performers include canine trainer Irina Markov, illusionist Brad Ross and clowns Alex Barney and Bill Murray. Tickets cost $35-$55. Call (718) 615-1500 or visit www.holidaycircus.com.

Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/entertainment/fun-stuff-brooklyn-kids-winter-break-article-1.1224259#ixzz2FwQk30uH

How To Wrap A Cat For Christmas

Uploaded on Dec 26, 2009

What's the most difficult thing you've wrapped?

Circus brings Topekan home for the holidaysTWHS alumna Enstrom plays violin in Cirque du Soleil's 'Quidam'


MATT BEARD/CIRQUE DU SOLEIL
In Cirque du Soleil's "Quidam," Yves Decoste and Valentyna Sidenko achieve seemingly impossible positions in their human statue act.
from:  cjonline.com
By Bill Blankenship, THE CAPITAL-JOURNAL
December 23, 2012
Not all the marvels of Cirque du Soleil happen under the spotlights. This year, a touring schedule miracle for Cirque's "Quidam" production means its troupe member from Topeka will be home for Christmas and New Year's Eve.

"I will definitely be at home for Christmas," said Alicia Enstrom, a 2002 graduate of Topeka West High School who grew up in Topeka. "I don't think I've been home for Christmas or Thanksgiving for a really long time, and I'll be home for both this year."

Enstrom, 29, who plays violin in the six-piece orchestra of "Quidam," spoke by cellphone recently while on a tour stop in Grand Forks, N.D.

Enstrom grew up in a musical family and began playing violin at age 3. She was concertmaster of the Topeka Symphony Youth Orchestra and soloed with it her senior year as first runner-up in the Capitol Federal Youth Talent Auditions.
 

Alicia Enstrom, a 2002 alumna of Topeka West High School, will play violin in the orchestra of Cirque du Soleil's "Quidam," which stops this week in Kansas City, Mo., and next week in Wichita.
While at Topeka West, she also was a an all-state and all-city soccer player, an all-city golfer and concert master of the high school's orchestra. She earned a scholarship to study at the prestigious Blair School of Music at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tenn., but in her junior year she took a break to go on tour with the group Barrage.

The globe-trekking act, which is described as a cross between "Stomp" and "Riverdance," kept Enstrom busy for 3½ years before she decided to take a leave of absence to return to Vanderbilt to finish a final semester needed to earn her bachelor's degree.

"That same time I saw my first Cirque show in Chicago with my family, and I didn't realize until then that they had live bands," she said.

She was thinking about returning to Barrage, but said she also sent an audition tape to Cirque du Soleil to keep open her options.

 

MATT BEARD/CIRQUE DU SOLEIL
A sprite named Target (Ardee Dionisio) uses sparklers in one of his scenes in Cirque du Soleil's "Quidam," which will bring Topeka violinist Alicia Enstrom close to home when it is staged Wednesday through Dec. 30 at the Sprint Center in Kansas City, Mo., and Jan. 2-6 at the Intrust Bank Arena in Wichita.
"About the same time I was getting ready to tell Barrage I was coming back, I got a call about Cirque du Soleil's holiday show up in New York at Madison Square Garden," Enstrom said. "So I decided why not try something new."

After rehearsing in Montreal, the show, "Wintuk," a tale about a little boy's journey to find snow, moved to New York City, where Enstrom found herself not only playing in the band but also in makeup and costume on stage as one of the People of the North.
read more:
http://cjonline.com/news/2012-12-23/circus-brings-topekan-home-holidays

For Andrew Adamson, it was a real balancing act
For 'Cirque du Soleil: Worlds Away,' he sought to combine the awe of the acrobatic feats with the beauty of a love story.

 

Erica Linz plays Mia and Benedikt Negro plays Le Vieux in "Cirque du Soleil Worlds Away."
(Paramount Pictures, Mark Fellman / November 16, 2010)
from:  latimes.com
By Oliver Gettell
December 19, 2012
Andrew Adamson is no stranger to fantasy worlds. In his previous films, the New Zealand-born writer-director brought an ill-tempered green ogre to life ("Shrek" and "Shrek 2") and ventured into C.S. Lewis' parallel universe of Narnia, a land occupied by talking animals, magical creatures and an evil witch (the first two "The Chronicles of Narnia" movies).

Adamson returns to the realm of the fantastic with "Cirque du Soleil: Worlds Away," opening Friday, a film that captures eye-popping acts from seven of the troupe's Las Vegas live shows in vivid 3-D and weaves them together with a simple, fairy-tale-like romance.

For Adamson, the appeal of the circus is simple and elemental. "It's a combination of beauty and danger," he said on the phone from Auckland. "It's kind of like combining ballet and motor racing: You get adrenaline, and you're watching something beautiful at the same time."
read more here:
http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/movies/moviesnow/la-et-mn-1220-cirque-20121220,0,6314296.story

Ringling Bros Presents BUILT TO AMAZE! --

An Inside Look at Clown Alley!

Published on Dec 20, 2012

An Inside Look at Clown Alley from Built To Amaze! The 143rd Edition of Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey. For show information and tickets go to www.Ringling.com.

Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey® presents the 143rd exhilarating edition of the Greatest Show On Earth. Surprise and wonder build such incredible anticipation it could only be Built To Amaze!℠

Timeless toys
An exhibit at the Reading Railroad Heritage Museum in Hamburg features playthings that will spark some cherished childhood memories.


Reading Eagle: Ron Devlin
A daring lion tamer stars in the circus at an antique toy exhibit, which is on display weekends throughout the Christmas season.
By Ron Devlin
From: Reading Eagle
12/23/2012
Hamburg, PA- Barbie and Ken skate across a pond, frozen in time, in an embrace that began more than 50 years ago.
 The Mattel dolls, an instant hit with American children when they made their debut under the Christmas tree in 1959, are part of an antique toy exhibit at the Reading Railroad Heritage Museum in Hamburg.

Reading Eagle: Ron Devlin
Cast iron Roman chariot leads the circus parade in the antique toy exhibit at the Reading Railroad Heritage Museum in Hamburg. The exhibit, which has toys from the 1800s to 1976, is open weekends.
 One of the first toys that mirrored the migration of American families to suburbia, Barbie and Ken are the youngsters in an exhibit that includes toys that were popular when Calvin Coolidge was president.
 Paul E. Troutman, museum curator, said the exhibit includes rare toys from the collections of a half-dozen major antique toy enthusiasts.
 "We had so many toys," he said, "it was a matter of choosing what not to display."

 

Reading Eagle: Ron Devlin
Paul E. Troutman, curator of the Reading Railroad Heritage Museum in Hamburg, is watched over by an antique dirigible and airplane made from Erector sets in the 1930s. The toys are part of an antique toy exhibit on display at the museum.
Entitled "Toys of the Reading Railroad Era," the antique toy exhibit harkens to Christmases past when Lionel model trains, ice skates and Lightning Flyer sleighs thrilled wide-eyed children Christmas morning.
read more at:
http://readingeagle.com/article.aspx?id=438713

Holiday Trains in Chandler

Large garden railroads on display in the South East Valley. All part of the Arizona Big Train Operators Christmas Open House.

The Arizona Republic | azcentral.com

Dec 11, 2012

read more at:

http://www.azcentral.com/community/chandler/articles/20121204chandller-holiday-model-train-town-display.html

 Family circus: Zoppés keep tradition going

by Kellie Hwang - Dec. 21, 2012 12:37 PM
The Republic | azcentral.com
Families traditionally gather around the table during the holiday season. Tradition for the Zoppé family, however, means gathering around the circus ring.

The Zoppé Family Circus, founded in Italy in 1842 by Napoleone and Ermengilda Zoppé, has been passed down through the generations and still is going strong. It starts an 11-day run Wednesday, Dec. 26, at the Chandler Center for the Arts.

Giovanni Zoppé, Napoleone's great-great-grandson, leads the troupe as Nino the clown. He's joined by his wife, son, daughter, mother, sisters and several other relatives each night. Giovanni has never wanted to do anything else since his father, Alberto, taught him the craft when he was a young boy.

"I've never not had a memory when I was young than being in the circus," Giovanni said. "It has always been a part of my life, and my son was in his first show when he was only 6 days old. I brought him onstage for the finale, and he's 3 now and does routines with me, copying me to a T."
The show is not your average circus with goofy clown cars and elephants balancing balls on their trunks. Nor does it feature the over-the-top theatrical experience of such companies as Cirque du Soleil.

Instead, the Zoppé Family Circus takes place in an intimate tent that holds 500 people, traveling back to its roots as a one-ring circus with Old World traditions. The Zoppés, their relatives and other performing families gather for a lighthearted show filled with acrobatic, equestrian, canine, balancing and clowning acts.

Giovanni discusses running a business that goes back 170 years and what it's like to perform and tour with his family.---
Read more: http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/ae/articles/2012/12/25/20121225zopp-family-circus-chandler-center-arts.html#ixzz2FqHJEJIo

 

Review: Cirque du Soliel Dralion
from:  newsok.com
by Kevan Goff-Parker
December 22, 2012
Thousands of excited families and other enthusiastic Cirque du Soleil fans were well entertained by the skillful and stunning feats of acrobatics, aerial and other performances by the cast of “Dralion” Wednesday night at the Chesapeake Energy Arena in Oklahoma City.

The evening began with the somewhat eccentric and silly antics of three clowns, who seemingly dragged a somewhat embarrassed young man from the audience onto the stage to participate in their own brand of comical fun. During pauses in the show, the clowns would repeatedly return and encourage the man to participate in their acts. Eventually, it became clear the young man was also a skilled circus clown and that all four were simply having great sport with the crowd.

The evening was filled with unique entertainers wearing brilliant costumes and performing to up-tempo music and soaring songs, as each act displayed a variety of ancient Chinese acrobatic forms. These included individuals or troupes working flawlessly with aerial hoops, bamboo poles, trampolines, jump ropes, hoop diving, and aerial dancing — each routine highlighting remarkable feats of balance, skill and agility.
read more at:
http://newsok.com/article/3739579

Cirque du Soleil brings elegant talent, skill to Oklahoma City

Watch performers rehearse for Cirque du Soleil's "Dralion". The breath-taking performance runs December 19-23 at the Chesapeake Energy Arena.

Grinch on the Loose at Universal Orlando

Published on Dec 17, 2012

Grinchmas at Universal Orlando Resort Dec 1 - Jan 1.

Bring the whole family and celebrate the holiday festivities!