Circus Ginnett brings new show to Fenland with five days of performances

Antonio the clown.

From: cambstimes.co.uk

Friday, February 14, 2014 

Circus Ginnett returns to Fenland next week with a new show and performers from across Europe who guarantee plenty of humour and excitement - as well as some clowning around.

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Vader the wonder dog with Patrick Austin.

Enthusiastic artists from Holland, Bulgaria, Hungary, Ireland and England make up the cast who will amaze crowds under a Big Top at the Priory Golf Centre in Wimblington.

Among the performers will be clown Antonio, who will bring smiles to the faces of the audience, Bulgarian acrobats Veselka and Nedyalko, making their debuts in the UK, and their daughter Yana, aged five, a hula hoop artist.

Anke, from Holland, will entertain from the roof of the big top with her daring aerial dancing and Vader the wonder dog, assisted by Patrick Austin, will show off their clever and funny antics.

The show’s climax features a spectacular motorcycle carousel, which sees breathtaking aerial work above fire and knife juggling, provided by the Easy Riders.

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Veselka and Nedyalko make their UK debut in the new show.

The circus is in Wimblington from February 19-23. Performances are at 7pm on February 19, 3pm and 6pm on February 20-21, 2pm and 5pm on February 22 and 2pm on February 23.

Tickets cost £5 each when you use the voucher on this page.

For more information or to book tickets call 07582 353634 visit www.circusginnett.com

Amazing! New Smyrna daredevil, 55, defies gravity for veterans

From:  news-journalonline.com

By Richard Conn

January 24, 2014

The Amazing Sladek is one of the oldest performing circus daredevils in the country. He’s been at his unique trade for 36 years, ever since the former New York state gymnastics champion left college in 1978 to perform with the Royal Hanneford Circus. He never looked back and has no plans to stop, following the path of one his idols, the ever-active fitness guru Jack LaLanne who died in 2011 at the age of 96.

“I’m 55 years old, and my goal in life is to be 65 years old and still doing this act,” he said. “Because that would make me a phenomenon.”

Sladek’s resumé of stunts carries names such as “The Wheel of Death” and “The Human Cannonball.” He also performs a breakaway sway pole act from more than 70 feet in the air.

He’s performed the “Tower of Chairs” at NBA halftime shows from Philadelphia to Sacramento. He increased the act over the years from four to six chairs. On Friday, he said he had to pause just before he performed his handstand when a sudden gust of wind blew through.

read more at:

http://www.news-journalonline.com/article/20140124/news/140129700?p=2&tc=pg

YANKEE DOODLE CIRCUS CANCELS DATE

Performances of Yankee Doodle Circus in Holbrook, Massachusetts scheduled for Saturday February 15 have been postponed due the severe winter weather.

Make-up day will be Sunday, March 9th, show times: 

12:45 pm; 3:15 pm; 5:30 pm. All tickets purchased for February 15 will be honored AT ANY performance on March 9, there is no need to get new tickets, your original tickets are all you need. For new purchases visit GetCircusTickets.com

Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey presents DRAGONS

Dunkin' Donuts Center Providence

2012

Uploaded on Feb 17, 2012

For the first time in circus history, myth and majesty will share the arena during this must-see family event that can only be witnessed at The Greatest Show On Earth® coming to the Dunkin' Donuts Center Providence! Experience circus spectacles so incredible that once again you will believe in the unbelievable! Dragon tribes from the far reaches of the earth are brought together in a single performance, displaying their breathtaking skills in a circus tournament of champions. Each tribe must prove that they have virtues of Courage, Strength, Wisdom and Heart to arouse dragons which appear right before your very eyes! Don't miss this once-in-a-lifetime family event when The Greatest Show On Earth brings the world together... to bring your family together!

The Shrine Circus Celebrates 250 Years of Zerbini Family Circus History Under Canada's Largest & Most Beautiful Big Top.

2013 is a monumental year for producer Tarzan Zerbini. Since the humble start of the Zerbini Family Circus in Paris, France in 1763, ten generations of Zerbinis have traveled the world sharing their talents with circus audiences on three continents.

We invite you to be a part of the Zerbini Family Circus' 250th Anniversary Celebration at the Shrine Circus featuring a fresh mix of amazing entertainment in a traditional circus setting, all under the European style Big Top. Read More...http://www.Shrine-Circus.com

Big Top Talk with Circus Oz

from: Boston Guide

By PETRA RAPOSO 

February 14,2014

If The Three Stooges decided to multiply and create a circus company, it would probably end up being a lot like Circus Oz. The Australian company was founded in 1977, and its most recent show, “Cranked Up,” was inspired by the iconic "Lunch Atop a Skyscraper" photo. The Celebrity Series present Circus Oz at Boston’s Shubert Theatre February 19–23. We spoke to Ed Boyle, one of the Artistic Directors, about the challenges of taking the show on tour and what sets Circus Oz apart from other circus companies. Get your tickets at celebrityseries.org.

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What compelled you to join Circus Oz? Personally, I was a performer as an acrobat, and I have the utmost respect and fascination with people who can story-tell using their bodies. That’s why I joined. It’s a very collaborative process. People use their skills or sets of ideas to try to help people. 

One of the calling cards of the show is its “Australian humor.” What exactly is Australian humor? (Laughs) I’m not sure, I think because I live it. We had a comment last night about the performance... One of the comments was, “There’s no cynicism!” It’s so much fun and it’s not at anyone’s expense. There’s a sense of joy when a performer achieves something fantastic. 

read more:

http://bostonguide.com/article-77847-big-top-talk-with-circus-oz.html

Retired circus performer died after tripping over kerb in Tulse Hill, coroners court hears.

from: london24.com

Freddy Mayhew, Reporter

February 14, 2014 

A retired circus performer died after she tripped and fell over a kerb, a coroner’s court found yesterday.

Miriam Ginnett was with husband Frank, also a former circus performer, when she fell and hit her head on the pavement in Norwood Road, Tulse Hill, and was taken to King’s College Hospital.

There her condition deteriorated and she died a month later, on September 11, 2012, aged 86, with 93-year-old Frank at her side.

Coroner Henrietta Hill recorded a verdict of natural causes at Southwark Coroner’s Court, listing her head injury alongside lung cancer and heart failure as the causes of her death.

Paramedic James Stark, who was first to treat Mrs Ginnett, told the coroner: “She was walking along the pavement, tripped over the kerb and hit her head on the concrete floor.

“I found [her] lying on her back, her legs in the road. There was blood around her head.”

The fall fractured Mrs Ginnet’s temple and she was admitted to hospital the same day.

Mrs Ginnett, of Crown Lane Gardens, Streatham, suffered from severe osteo-arthritis and was due to have her entire left knee replaced in an operation. As a result she walked with a stick.

She was also waiting to have a pace-maker fitted to repair a heart abnormality and suffered from aortic stenosis — a narrowing of the heart’s aortic valve.

Medical reports showed Mrs Ginnett had fainted around the time of the fall as a result of her heart problems.

Ms Hill said it was unclear if this was the cause of her fall or whether she stumbled because of her impaired movement.

While in hospital her condition worsened and she gradually lost mobility and cognitive skills, needing full nursing care.

Ms Hill accepted the accounts of doctors in the hospital that Mrs Ginnett’s heart problems presented difficulties in operating on her with a view to improving her condition.

It was only in a post mortem examination that her lung cancer was discovered.

Ms Hill said: “The evidence that I have heard shows that Mrs Ginnett did have a complicated medical history with a range of conditions that have proved relevant to her cause of death.

“I accept the evidence of the post mortem that although Mrs Ginnett did suffer a fall, and that caused a moderate degree of head injury, that alone did not lead to her death.”

Shanghai Circus event canceled

From  staff reports

Gainesville Times

February 14, 2014

The Shanghai Circus performance that was postponed Thursday by the winter storm and rescheduled for Sunday now has been canceled.

The Arts Council reported Friday that the New Shanghai’s National Tour was canceled “due to diplomatic circumstances” and the group would not perform as scheduled.

The Arts Council officials are working to replace the event with another performance in the future and will provide information for those who purchased circus tickets. For more information, call 770-534-2787 or visit www.TheArtsCouncil.net for updates.

CIRCA 1936

      Florida State Fair 2014 armband tickets

Published on Feb 13, 2014

For the first time, the Florida State Fair sold tickets that consisted of an armband with a barcode on it. 

The ride attendants were scanning the armbands with a problem except for Sunday, February 9, 2014. On that particular day, the scanners were having trouble connecting to the wi-fi network so they implement the old tried-and-true hardcopy tickets they have been using since 1904. 

This connection was fixed promptly and was back online the very next day without further problems. 

Armband tickets allowed you unlimited rides that were on sale for only $25 at Walgreens, AAA or on the fair's OFFICIAL website at www.floridastatefair.com. Armband tickets at the gate were $30.

Video and song created by Craig Currie at YouTube.com/PhotoNews247

Song, 'Hillbilly Pickin' 

written by Craig Currie

FROM: HEARTLAND SMITH---

It was 4 below zero yesterday morning and 11 above this morning.  At least there was sunshine and so our back porch was warmed by the solar heat coming through the windows.  While we were sitting out there enjoying the pleasant  70 degree warmth we were surprised to see this robin hopping around the area.  Our backyard has snow more than a foot deep, Snow piles by the driveway are at least 4 feet high.  As you can see by the bird pix, right beside the back wall of the house for a foot or so, there is no snow and the robin was pecking away in that area apparently looking for bugs or something else that a bird might find tasty.  Whether this is a very early spring visitor or a robin that has spent a cold winter in Michigan, we really don’t know.  At any rate we were pleased to see this colorful visitor.

Yes, the white stuff on the right is snow!

This is the view from our living room window showing that there is still plenty

of snow in Birmingham. 

Hart

Peñitas White Wing Festival hosts Kelly Miller Circus performances

From: progresstimes.net

Friday, 14 February 2014

PENITAS – The Kelly Miller Circus is coming to town and setting up their tents at the corner of Expressway 83 and Liberty Blvd., across from Walmart, on Feb. 24 and 25. Sponsored by the Peñitas White Wing Festival, the Big Top will house two performances each day at 6 and 8:30 p.m.

Kelly Miller Circus is the complete package. From Ringmaster John Moss who keeps the show moving, to the musicians who add the musical punch line at the right moment, they have everything between.

The performers not only bring a wide variety of skills and acts to the circus ring, they offer a panorama of multinational backgrounds.

Firdman Torales grew up with parents’ circus in Peru and is constantly expanding his balancing act repertoire to defy gravity and the odds.

The Rosales Family hails from Veracruz and Sonora, Mexico and add another dimension to the balancing acts with parents, Jorgé and Carmen, and their twins, Jonathon and Jonary. Girard Portugal, son of Jorg­é and Carmen, is not quite so grounded as the rest of his family. He performs his act on the trapeze.

Rebecca Ostroff, featured trapeze artist, can be seen in the movie, “Water for Elephants,” began as a dancer and follows the multi-talented tradition of most circus performers wearing more than one hat over the courses of her career in the true spirit of “the show must go on.”

The North Starlets, a group of accomplished dancers and aerialists, take their act 40 feet off the ground in a dazzling, synchronized ballet.

No circus is complete without a big cat tamer and animal trainers. Ryan Holder fills the bill with the large cats—tigers—and Armando Loyal works his magic with the giants of the show, the elephants. Mike and Carolyn Rice work with all the animals between: zebras, lamas, goats, dogs and more.

Holder has spent his time around elephants his entire life, but found his passion—and respect—for the big cats when he began with the Kelly Miller Circus.

Loyal is a ninth-generation circus performer. He’s now training the tenth generation—his children. His family’s circus roots date back to the late 1700s in Italy and France. Although his family started with equestrian acts, his love has always been the giants of the jungle.

They are all joined by The Fusco Family dancers; Raul Olivares, juggler; Laumont, fire eater and fire dancer; Steve Copeland and Ryan Combs, clowns; and others.

Pre-sale general admission is $12. General admission on the circus days are $16. Purchase advance tickets at Peñitas City Hall, 581-3345; Ace’s Audio Alarm & Tint, 585-5504; World Finance Corporation, 585-9475; and Alejandro’s Restaurant, 580-8155.

Animal Myths You Probably Thought Were True

Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus devise elephant warmers due to recent storm

Caretaker Joey Frisco feeds his charges. / Photo provided

From: courierpostonline.com

Feb. 14, 2014 

FASCINATING FACTS ABOUT THE ELEPHANTS — Even elephants need warmth on a snowy winter’s day.

Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus devised a plan to keep the pachyderms comfortable in Philadelphia for Thursday’s storm.

Ringling’s Legends circus is at the city’s Wells Fargo Center for seven more performances through Sunday.

Extra precautions are being taken to make sure all of the animals are warm between performances.

The elephants stay cozy with the help of large heaters blowing warm air into their tents, keeping the temperature at 75 degrees, said Nathanael Harris, senior marketingmanager, Wells Fargo Center/Comcast Spectacor.

“All nine elephants are watched around the clock by a team of 15 caretakers in their 140-foot-long by 40-foot-wide by 30-foot-high tent,” he said in an email.

Elephants are highly intelligent and , able to respond to as many as 60 verbal commands. They can recognize human and animal friends after years of separation.

A Ringling Bros. calf weighs an average of 300 pounds at birth, and 22 calves have been born at the circus’ Center for Elephant Conservation in Florida.

read more:

http://www.courierpostonline.com/article/20140214/NEWS01/302140022/Ringling-Bros-Barnum-Bailey-Circus-devise-elephant-warmers-due-recent-storm

Cirque du Soleil may be struggling, but the cluster around it is thriving

No lions, no bearded ladies

Feb 15th 2014 | QUEBEC CITY | From the print edition The Economist

IN THE deconsecrated church of Saint-Esprit, jugglers toss fluorescent orange clubs in front of the former altar, trapeze artists soar under the gaze of stone saints and wobbly unicyclists use two lines of repurposed pews as handrails. Declared surplus to requirements after Quebeckers deserted Catholicism in droves, the church is now the École de Cirque de Québec, through which 20,000 aspiring entertainers pass each year. The school’s director, Yves Neveu, says only half-jokingly, “Someone said the archbishop should be jealous because I’m filling my church.” Nearby Montreal boasts an even bigger school for circus performers.

Although only a handful of students go on to a career in the circus, the popularity of the programmes offered to would-be acrobats, local children and even tourists off cruise ships is the visible manifestation of the circus craze that has gripped Quebec. At its heart is the privately owned Cirque du Soleil, started in 1984 by a troupe of stilt-walkers from nearby Baie-Saint-Paul. It is now one of Canada’s most important cultural exports, employing 5,000 people at eight permanent shows in Las Vegas and at 12 others that tour the world. In 2012 its turnover was about C$1 billion ($900m)—it does not reveal its profits.

In 2005 this newspaper asked whether Guy Laliberté, majority owner of the circus, could keep it flying. That question was raised again early last year when the company laid off 400 employees, mainly at its head office in Montreal. The company has blamed the strong Canadian dollar (which has since weakened) and the after-effects of the global recession, which hit sponsorship income. It has launched a cost-cutting drive but insists it is not in crisis

read more:

http://www.economist.com/news/business/21596583-cirque-du-soleil-may-be-struggling-cluster-around-it-thriving-sunstroke

Cities in Taiwan host early lantern fairs

From: english.cntv.cn

02-12-2014

Special Report:2014 Spring Festival

The Lantern Festival is fast approaching, with Friday marking the end of the Lunar New Year festivities. But even though there're still a few days to go, lantern fairs are already being held in various cities in Taiwan.

In the city of Taizhong, the annual lantern fair gets a huge head start. As it's the Year of the Horse, the equine animal features prominently here. A 10-meter high horse lantern rises up to the night sky, as over 10,000 onlookers show up for the opening ceremony.

A 10-meter high horse lantern rises up in Taizhong, celebrating the upcoming Lantern Festival.

Circus's opening act was for charity 

From: liverpoolchampion.com.au

Feb. 11, 2014,

MICHAEL Edgley's Great Moscow Circus has made an impact on the local area in more ways than one.

The Russian circus raised $23,000 for the Ingham Institute for Applied Medical Research during last week's charity show.

It was the opening performance in their stint in Liverpool which includes the traditional acts of acrobatics, fire-breathers, clowns, animal stunts and the extraordinary five-cage motorcycle climax.

Ingham Institute chairman Terry Goldacre encouraged the community members and their families to attend the circus to help support the health and wellbeing of cancer patients.

"The funds raised will help to support vital medical research to improve the incidence and survival rates of cancer patients," he said.

The Great Moscow Circus is on at Woodward Park, Liverpool, until February 16. Details: moscowcircus.com.au

read more at:

http://www.liverpoolchampion.com.au/story/2080525/circuss-opening-act-was-for-charity/?cs=1465