THE BALLOON MAN

Circus Of Superheroes Takes Over Boro Park

Barry "Grandma" Lubin interacts with an audience member.
By Barbara Arnstein
from the queenstribune.com
Special effects are only tricks, but the Big Apple Circus is for real.
The superheroes of this circus demonstrate the dexterity of Daredevil, twirl lassos like Wonder Woman and command creatures like Aquaman. With mighty muscles like Superman, Big Apple athletes jump, juggle, balance, bend and soar high in the air. Now is the time to catch the show at Cunningham Park in Fresh Meadows, where it will remain through June 5.
Walking on stilts is a challenging feat, and Andrey Mantchev maages to do it using his hands. The Bulgaria-born gymnast began his career at the age of 6 and succeeded in becoming a member of the Junior National Team before 14. At that time, he was chosen to join a team that traveled to America, where he joined the Big Apple Circus in 1999. Russian gymnast Regina Dobrovitskaya, a permanent member of the cast, toured with a Moscow circus.
The act of the amazing Hebei Wuqiao acrobats includes a breathtaking demonstration of lassoing techniques and teamwork that won them the Golden Lion award at the 11th China Wuqiao International Acrobatic Circus festival in 2007. The Kenyan Boys jump and juggle, demonstrating terrific teamwork.
The circus's clowns of renown, Rob Torres and Barry Lubin (who plays the character "Grandma"), have won many international awards and honors, but their greatest achievement is winning every viewer's interest with super sight gags and perfect pantomime.
You can see the imaginary X-Men on the silver screen, but why not watch the incredibly flexible, real-life "X Bud Roses Troupe" of Chinese contortionists? The lovely young ladies literally bend over backward to entertain their audiences.
Jennifer Vidbel's act includes a dozen white ponies, a majestic Arabian stallion, several very talented dogs, and goats who ride ponies. The ponies prance in a traditional "liberty act," which means they freely pace around the ring without any riders, displaying the classic beauty of rhythmic pacing. Queens native Paul Simon metaphorically celebrated such an act in the song, "One Trick Pony," which includes the admiring lyric, "When he steps into the spotlight,/you can feel the heat of his heart come shining through."
One of the best parts of the Big Apple Circus experience is something that's hilariously different every time: audience interaction. Lucky members of the audience are chosen to work together with the clowns in various ways (a clue: the title of this year's presentation is "Dance On."). Best of all: every visitor has an excellent view, thanks to the considerate close-up seating and the one-ring intimacy of this exciting extravaganza.Cunningham Park is at 196-22 Union Turnpike. For more information, go to bigapplecircus.org, or call (800) 922-3772, Monday through Friday, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.