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Friday, December 23, 2011
Circus Vargas returns with aerialists, stunt mototcyclists and more
Circus Vargas, an animal-free circus that features amazing human acts, opens at the Rio Dec. 25.
By Sonya Padgett
LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL
Posted: Dec. 22, 2011
At 17, Katya Arata Quiroga ran away to join the circus.
She left behind the stable home life her grandmother had provided since she was a baby in favor of the erratic life of a nomad.
She couldn't help it. Quiroga has seven generations of circus blood running through her veins. Not even a "normal" upbringing could filter that out.
"The circus is a very strong family tradition," says Quiroga's husband, Nelson. He is a fourth-generation performer. "It's very hard to stay away. For us, we just have it in our blood. Even now, we know we're staying in one place for a couple of weeks and then we're off again. It's all about the moving, the traveling, meeting different people and experiencing different cultures. Circus life gives you so much."
She left behind the stable home life her grandmother had provided since she was a baby in favor of the erratic life of a nomad.
She couldn't help it. Quiroga has seven generations of circus blood running through her veins. Not even a "normal" upbringing could filter that out.
"The circus is a very strong family tradition," says Quiroga's husband, Nelson. He is a fourth-generation performer. "It's very hard to stay away. For us, we just have it in our blood. Even now, we know we're staying in one place for a couple of weeks and then we're off again. It's all about the moving, the traveling, meeting different people and experiencing different cultures. Circus life gives you so much."
Among the performers featured in Circus Vargas are aerialists, clowns, hula hoop artists, stunt motorcyclists and other unusual talents. The Quirogas, who live in Las Vegas, will be in town for more than two weeks; the couple has to open their traveling circus troupe, Circus Vargas, at the Rio on Christmas Day. It runs through Jan. 1 and then shifts to the Galleria at Sunset mall in Henderson for a six-day run on Jan. 4.After that, who knows? They may take a short break before heading out again.
This is the second year Circus Vargas will appear in Las Vegas with its animal-free show. More than 20 acts will be featured under the big top, including aerialists, trapeze artists, clowns and stunt motorcyclists.
"It's a unique spin on a traditional circus," Katya Quiroga says.
A story is weaved throughout the show to keep audience members feeling connected. Children and adults from the audience will be brought into some acts, too. Those who arrive 30 minutes before the show will get to learn circus skills.
Nelson and Katya Quiroga bought Circus Vargas in 2006 under their trapeze act name, Tabares. He manages the show, but she still performs. Courtesy Photo"We really want people to feel part of it," she adds.
That idea, to keep the audience not only engaged but incorporate it into the show, was inspired by the couple's three daughters. Nelson Quiroga says he knows, from personal experience, that you have to give kids an enriched experience in order for them to enjoy something.
"The circus has changed a lot in the past 50 years. It's still changing," Nelson Quiroga says. "And we have to change with times, as well."
Nelson Quiroga, 44, and his wife bought Circus Vargas in 2006 under their trapeze act name, Tabares. Nelson retired from flying last year and now manages most of the show. Owning his own circus is like the American dream, he says.READ MORE ATlhttp://www.lvrj.com/neon/circus-vargas-returns-with-aerialists-stunt-mototcyclists-and-more-136055578.html?ref=578
Fla. foster kids get free trip to circus
The Associated Press
12.23.2011
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. -- Florida foster kids are going to see the greatest show on earth.The Florida Department of Children and Families has partnered with the owners of the Ringling Brothers and Barnum and Bailey Circus to allow 250 foster and adopted children across the state to see the show for free.Foster and adoptive parents will be able to take their children to see the show as it travels around the state in December and January. Child advocate Jack Levine was instrumental in negotiating the free tickets. He is the founder of 4Generations Institute. Read more here: http://www.miamiherald.com/2011/12/23/2558893/fla-foster-kids-get-free-trip.html#storylink=cpy
Bex Bros. Circus at Penobscot Marine Museum
Les Bex handcarved this well-observed acrobatic elephant for his Bex Bros. Circus, part of Penobscot Marine Museum's "The Circus Comes to Town" winter exhibition. The Big Top on a small scale
By Dagney C. Ernest Dec 23, 2011
Searsport — Capt. Les Bex is spending time with some old friends this winter, and he is sharing the experience with the Midcoast community. Penobscot Marine Museum in Searsport has mounted a multi-media exhibition called "The Circus Comes to Town" and the crown jewel of the exhibit is the Bex Bros. Circus, a display of miniatures Bex has been working on for decades.
The Bex Bros. Circus was a regular feature at the dollhouse shows put on for many years by the Camden Lions Club and it also used to show up at local schools and in shop windows. But 25 years ago, Bex packed most of it away and put it into a storage unit … well, maybe not every piece.
"I've had bits and pieces out, but not the whole thing … even now, this is probably half of it," he said on a recent day at the Camden Snow Bowl, where he has served on the ski patrol for 17 years and is waiting for the ski season to begin.
The Bex Bros. Circus was a regular feature at the dollhouse shows put on for many years by the Camden Lions Club and it also used to show up at local schools and in shop windows. But 25 years ago, Bex packed most of it away and put it into a storage unit … well, maybe not every piece.
"I've had bits and pieces out, but not the whole thing … even now, this is probably half of it," he said on a recent day at the Camden Snow Bowl, where he has served on the ski patrol for 17 years and is waiting for the ski season to begin.
"Trust", a painting by Alan Fishman, is on loan for "The Circus is in town"But early last spring, Bex showed photos of his circus at the Owls Head Transportation Museum's Midcoast Model Festival. Ben Fuller, curator at Penobscot Marine, saw them and suggested the Bex Bros. Circus might make for a wonderful off-season display at the Searsport museum.
"I hesitated for a long time, but they talked me into it," said Bex, who for many years has run a seasonal day-trip business aboard the Betselma, a classic wooden scallop dragger that sails out of Camden Harbor.
When Bex, Fuller and museum volunteer John Eastman went to the storage facility, they found boxes and boxes of figurines and set pieces. Bex said the figurines are a combination of Britains Zoo people and animals, plastic toys and wooden carvings. He said he finds them at train shows, Goodwill, the Salvation Army store and yard sales. He often repaints them, and many end up playing other roles than those they were created for.
"I take 'em and make 'em do what I want. The guys who are tightening up the stake lines used to be Civil War soldiers. I broke up a marching band for the musicians, and the waiters in the dining tent used to be women," he said.
Bex has carved many a horse and elephant from wood during the winters, on the boat and as he sat on the Camden dock waiting for customers.
"People would come up and offer to buy them, but I said no, they're not for sale," said Bex.
Bex has a soft spot for elephants — he remembers the Robert Bros. pachyderm by name because "I knew her when she was just a punk" — and he is a proponent of the somewhat controversial Hope Elephant project that plans to bring a retired circus elephant to the Midcoast for physical therapy.
Capt. Les Bex (Photo by: Dagney C. Ernest)
"I hesitated for a long time, but they talked me into it," said Bex, who for many years has run a seasonal day-trip business aboard the Betselma, a classic wooden scallop dragger that sails out of Camden Harbor.
When Bex, Fuller and museum volunteer John Eastman went to the storage facility, they found boxes and boxes of figurines and set pieces. Bex said the figurines are a combination of Britains Zoo people and animals, plastic toys and wooden carvings. He said he finds them at train shows, Goodwill, the Salvation Army store and yard sales. He often repaints them, and many end up playing other roles than those they were created for.
"I take 'em and make 'em do what I want. The guys who are tightening up the stake lines used to be Civil War soldiers. I broke up a marching band for the musicians, and the waiters in the dining tent used to be women," he said.Bex has carved many a horse and elephant from wood during the winters, on the boat and as he sat on the Camden dock waiting for customers.
"People would come up and offer to buy them, but I said no, they're not for sale," said Bex.
Bex has a soft spot for elephants — he remembers the Robert Bros. pachyderm by name because "I knew her when she was just a punk" — and he is a proponent of the somewhat controversial Hope Elephant project that plans to bring a retired circus elephant to the Midcoast for physical therapy.
Capt. Les Bex (Photo by: Dagney C. Ernest)"I think Jim Laurita's got a great idea and it's good for the elephants. The opposition's arguments are 70 years old and unfounded," he said.read more at: http://waldo.villagesoup.com/ae/story/the-big-top-on-a-small-scale/473997#
“Zippos Christmas Circus, for all the family, takes you on a global adventure as we celebrate an international "Merry Christmas" with performers from all over the globe.From Mongolia (where a white Christmas is guaranteed!) to a sunshine Christmas in Kenya, from a German "Frôliche Weinachten" to an Argentinian "Feliz Navidad" our contortionists, trapeze artistes, acrobats, jugglers and clowns bring you a fun-filled taste of a Circus Christmas From Around The World!Roll up! Roll up! Family-favourite, Zippos Circus, will appear at Hyde Park Winter Wonderland with a special all human festive circus show.
Join Father Christmas in this ‘bite size’ 50 minute show as he opens up a magical Christmas toy box to reveal a line-up of thrilling and colourful circus stars.
Performances last 50 minsShowtimes 11am, 12.30. 2pm, 3.30 and 5pm most days”
Thursday, December 22, 2011
Book's photos tip hat to the Roberts Stadium's final circus performances
Final Shrine show at Roberts documented
Photo by Bob Gwaltney, Joseph Bauer loses contact with the "Bauer Space Wheel" during the 77th Annual Hadi Shrine Circus in 2010. This is one of the photographs in the book by Bob Gwaltney. Bauer also was the ringmaster and equestrian director for the 77th Annual Hadi Shrine Circus.By Roger McBain
Evansville Courier & Press
December 22, 2011
Before he ever thought of creating a book, personal reasons led Bob Gwaltney to photograph the final Hadi Shrine Circus performances in Roberts Stadium.
The veteran Evansville photographer's color, 80-page book, "Hadi Shrine Circus: The Last Shows at Roberts Stadium 2010" almost sounds like an afterthought, the way Gwaltney tells the story.
"I remember going to the circus at the Coliseum (in 1956), the year before it moved to the stadium," he said. "Growing up in Evansville, the circus was a family tradition. My father, Bob Sr., and my grandfather, Earl Lacer, were both Shriners. My grandfather also was on the circus committee in the early '60s."
He didn't know what he'd do with the images. "I just took those pictures because I wanted to document the circus at Roberts Stadium," he said, the last year before it moved to the new Ford Center.
The veteran Evansville photographer's color, 80-page book, "Hadi Shrine Circus: The Last Shows at Roberts Stadium 2010" almost sounds like an afterthought, the way Gwaltney tells the story.
"I remember going to the circus at the Coliseum (in 1956), the year before it moved to the stadium," he said. "Growing up in Evansville, the circus was a family tradition. My father, Bob Sr., and my grandfather, Earl Lacer, were both Shriners. My grandfather also was on the circus committee in the early '60s."
He didn't know what he'd do with the images. "I just took those pictures because I wanted to document the circus at Roberts Stadium," he said, the last year before it moved to the new Ford Center.
photograph by Bob Gwaltney The three sisters of "The Flying Redpaths" climb to the top of the circus in the dark during the 77th Annual Hadi Shrine Circus in 2010. This is one of the circus photographs in a book by Bob Gwaltney documenting the last time the show was held at the stadium. The idea for a book came after a photography workshop about online "publish on demand" publications that allow authors, artists and photographers to create and offer for sale everything from poetry books to picture books to wedding albums.
"They talked about how easy and how good these books were," Gwaltney said. And unlike the old "vanity press" publications, the publish-on-demand system meant he wouldn't have to order a minimum number of copies, collect sales tax or run the risk of winding up with "a garage full of books," he said.
Gwaltney chose www.blurb.com to publish "Hadi Shrine Circus, The Last Shows in Roberts Stadium 2010," which is now available online.
The 80-page color book documents the final productions in Roberts, from setup to the closing acts and everything in between.
photos by Bob Gwaltney Hadi Shrine Funster Rex "Pokey" Goodman is on the cover of Bob Gwaltney's book documenting the last performances of the circus at Roberts Stadium.
Since 1957, the stadium had been home to the circus and the 77th Annual Hadi Shrine Circus in 2010 was its last show at the stadium. From the roustabouts and vendors to the human and animal acts to the children waving glow-sticks high up in the stadium, the details are captured by Gwaltney's photographs along with the action and the essence of the three-ring circus that played 54 years in Roberts Stadium.
Gwaltney's camera takes viewers into the shadows to watch crew members getting ready for the next act.
It moves up into the stadium's rafters to freeze members of a family trapeze act high above the floor below.
It tails the elephants into the stadium, the tiger trainer into the cage, the dog and pony acts into the ring.READ MORE AT:http://www.courierpress.com/news/2011/dec/22/books-photos-tip-hat-to-the-big-top/
Circus Monoxide has new creative force
Circus Monoxide artistic director Tamara Campbell has big plans to get the Wollongong-based circus touring again. Picture: ADAM McLEANANGELA THOMPSON
FROM: illawarramercury.com.au
22 Dec, 2011
A new artistic director plans to put Wollongong's dormant professional circus company back in business and introduce a HECS-approved "clown college" to the region.Nineteen-year-old Circus Monoxide was once a touring company but wound back its professional work in recent years to focus on teaching children and fledgling performers.
Recently installed artistic director Tamara Campbell, a freelance physical theatre specialist who has performed internationally for the past 15 years, plans to relaunch the company's professional arm, beginning with a performance in Sydney in April.
"In the professional world I think a lot of people stopped thinking about Monoxide as a company," Campbell said.
"What I'd really like to see happen is for us to create world-class, innovative circus - to push circus in a new direction."
Chief among Campbell's ambitions is setting up a HECS-approved professional training program in 2013.
The year-long course would be modelled on California's Dell'Arte International, which offers a Masters of Fine Arts in ensemble-based physical theatre and is a magnet for ambitious circus and physical theatre performers from across the globe.
In 2006, one-third of the clowns touring with Cirque du Soleil were graduates.
Campbell, also a graduate, believes large numbers of Australian and international performers would attend a similar school in the Illawarra.
"NSW is not one of the states known for its circus, [like] Victoria with Circus Oz or Queensland's Circa," she said.
"[A professional training program] would bring in people from out of state and even overseas to train. With it we would become the NSW centre for circus arts, maybe even for performing arts."
Circus Monoxide was created almost 20 years ago by theatre-media graduates from Bathurst's Charles Sturt University.
Its former artistic director Jane Davis remains with the company and will continue working on its Half High Circus School.
Campbell is best known in the Illawarra as alter ego Shirlee Sunflower, who MC'd last year's Viva la Gong arts festival.
Ringling Bros Revealed: The Greatest Show On Earth
(2009)
Uploaded by kantercompany on Jan 27, 2009
The circus is coming to town: magic words to anyone who has ever dreamed of running away to a life of adventure. Now, The Kanter Company runs away with the circus for real, for a one hour special on the Travel Channel. For the first time, Ringling Bros. ® and Barnum & Bailey invite us inside The Greatest Show On Earth® to experience circus life as we've never seen it before. It's been called the great get-away of the imagination, and it's the longest running hit in show business history. Come with us to Houston, Texas, behind the scenes for the secrets of the world's most famous circus artists, trainers, and managers on RINGLING BROS. REVEALED: THE GREATEST SHOW ON EARTH®
Uploaded by kantercompany on Jan 27, 2009
The circus is coming to town: magic words to anyone who has ever dreamed of running away to a life of adventure. Now, The Kanter Company runs away with the circus for real, for a one hour special on the Travel Channel. For the first time, Ringling Bros. ® and Barnum & Bailey invite us inside The Greatest Show On Earth® to experience circus life as we've never seen it before. It's been called the great get-away of the imagination, and it's the longest running hit in show business history. Come with us to Houston, Texas, behind the scenes for the secrets of the world's most famous circus artists, trainers, and managers on RINGLING BROS. REVEALED: THE GREATEST SHOW ON EARTH®
Cuban Duet to Circus Festival in Rome
Havana, Dec 21 (Prensa Latina) The female duet Dailis and Daramis, of the National Circus of Cuba (NCC), will perform one of the most spectacular acrobatic shows in the history of circus at the 18th "Gold Circus" International Fest in Rome.The Golden Circus Festival, more than two decades old, is regarded as the most outstanding not only because of its constant power of renewal but also for its yearly attraction of the most dazzling circus stars.
Rome brings together from Dec. 23rd to Jan. 8, 2012 artists from Italy, Mongolia, North Korea, Ukraina and Cuba, which is participating for the third time.
The Cuban duet is a solid part of the younger generation that has rescued for posterity an act in which Eluvina Chang starred a few decades earlier; it now resurfaces in the form of a duet, says the NCC release.
At the same time, four Cuban youth performing the Russian Bar (which won 1st prize in Circuba and the Popular Award in Grenoble, France, both in 2011) are the main attraction of the Christmas show of Circo Teatro Price in Madrid. The media described their act as an amazing combination of skill with humor and the contagious Cuban music, and praised Cuba's circus traditions.hr/as/emw/ Modificado el ( miércoles, 21 de diciembre de 2011 )
Free circus preview at the waterfront on Thursday
From: www.palmbeachcoast.com
by Andrew Abramson
The Ringling Brothers’ Barnum and Bailey Circus, which will be performing at the convention center Dec. 27 – Jan. 1, is giving a free preview at the waterfront Thursday at 7 p.m.
This will be the premiere of the circus’ new show, the Barnum Bash, which features Dimitri the Strongman, the dynamic duo fusion hand balancers, a comedian and DJ.
The most popular, and controversial part of the circus — the performing elephants — will “enjoy a holiday feast on the great lawn” during the waterfront performance.
This will be the premiere of the circus’ new show, the Barnum Bash, which features Dimitri the Strongman, the dynamic duo fusion hand balancers, a comedian and DJ.
The most popular, and controversial part of the circus — the performing elephants — will “enjoy a holiday feast on the great lawn” during the waterfront performance.
Wednesday, December 21, 2011
Black Widow pendulum swing debuting at Kennywood in 2012
By Brady MacDonald
Los Angeles Times staff writer
December 18, 2011
The new Black Widow pendulum swing coming to Kennywood in 2012 will fling riders through the air like pint-size passengers on an enormous spinning Frisbee.
The 90-foot-tall thrill ride is set to debut May 17 with opening of the West Mifflin, Pa., theme park for the summer season.
Riders will sit in 40 outward facing coaster-style seats as a counterclockwise-spinning circular gondola swings back and forth in a pendulum motion. At the ride's peak, the pendulum arm will reach 146 feet in the air at a 120-degree angle.
With their feet dangling, riders secured by over-the-shoulder restraints will experience upside-down inversions and moments of weightlessness as the rotating gondola whips toward the ground at nearly 70 mph.
Black Widow replaces Pitt Fall in the Lost Kennywood section of the park. Crews began dismantling the 1997 drop tower in early December.
I visited the Pennsylvania park during my road trip across America's Coaster Belt this summer and fell in love with Lost Kennywood, which features modern versions of classic amusement rides such as shoot-the-chutes and the wave swing as well as the park's 1918 Whip.read more at:http://www.latimes.com/travel/deals/themeparks/la-trb-kennywood-black-widow-12201119,0,5837320.story
The 90-foot-tall thrill ride is set to debut May 17 with opening of the West Mifflin, Pa., theme park for the summer season.
Riders will sit in 40 outward facing coaster-style seats as a counterclockwise-spinning circular gondola swings back and forth in a pendulum motion. At the ride's peak, the pendulum arm will reach 146 feet in the air at a 120-degree angle.
With their feet dangling, riders secured by over-the-shoulder restraints will experience upside-down inversions and moments of weightlessness as the rotating gondola whips toward the ground at nearly 70 mph.
Black Widow replaces Pitt Fall in the Lost Kennywood section of the park. Crews began dismantling the 1997 drop tower in early December.
I visited the Pennsylvania park during my road trip across America's Coaster Belt this summer and fell in love with Lost Kennywood, which features modern versions of classic amusement rides such as shoot-the-chutes and the wave swing as well as the park's 1918 Whip.read more at:http://www.latimes.com/travel/deals/themeparks/la-trb-kennywood-black-widow-12201119,0,5837320.story
Austin at Work: John Hanschen runs The Mighty Thomas Carnival
John Hanschen got into the carnival business in 1976. He owns the Mighty Thomas Carnival that spends winters in Cedar Creek.By Ricardo Gándara AMERICAN-STATESMAN STAFF
from: The Austin American-Statesman
Friday, Dec. 16, 2011
CEDAR CREEK,TEXAS — John Hanschen, owner of the Mighty Thomas Carnival, is hunkered down for the winter. In a warm office trailer, he's pondering early February, when he will hit the road again. Laredo's Presidents Day celebration will be his first stop. In all, he'll visit 40 cities in 10 states, setting up his carnival to the delight of families looking to get on the Super Shot free-fall ride or perhaps eat a corn dog that just seems to taste better because it's cooked at the midway.
"I miss the lights, the noise, the smells of the midway," he said.
But for now, on several acres on Texas 21, his 40 carnival rides are secured to the beds of tractor trailers. This doesn't mean he stops working. On the contrary, the three-month lull until carnival season gears up again is a strategic time. He's already attended the Rocky Mountain Association for Fairs in Billings, Mont.; safety training in Orlando, Fla.; and the North and South Dakota Association of Fairs convention in Rapid City, S.D.
"We go for training and see new rides and equipment and meet with clients. These shows are about maintaining relationships and sitting down with customers to talk about things we can do better," said Hanschen, who is in his 36th year in the carnival business.
The Mighty Thomas Carnival is a family affair. Hanschen, 60, is co-owner and full-time operator. Son Mike, 26, who has a business degree from Southwestern University, is a truck driver and handles a lot of the administrative work, such as payroll. Daughter Katherine and son-in-law Brandon Petree run the food operation of the carnival.
Hanschen is thinking about next year and how he can improve the business. "There is artistry in the operation of a carnival. You take a beautifully lit ride with thousands of lights, and you have to position it just right. There is nothing better than sitting in my office and looking out to the midway and seeing families smiling," he said.
The thrill rides that cost between $200,000 to $700,000 are only part of it. It is hard work to load, transport and unload machinery that can weigh several hundred tons. At any event, his caravan of big trucks hauling rides and travel trailers that provide housing for workers arrives a day or two in advance.
"It takes us a day to set up," said Hanschen.
The carnival is self-contained. One big truck carries the generators that provide power to operate the carnival. His annual budget for fuel — trucks and generators — is more than $400,000. read more at:http://www.statesman.com/life/austin-at-work-john-hanschen-runs-the-mighty-2036749.html
"I miss the lights, the noise, the smells of the midway," he said.
But for now, on several acres on Texas 21, his 40 carnival rides are secured to the beds of tractor trailers. This doesn't mean he stops working. On the contrary, the three-month lull until carnival season gears up again is a strategic time. He's already attended the Rocky Mountain Association for Fairs in Billings, Mont.; safety training in Orlando, Fla.; and the North and South Dakota Association of Fairs convention in Rapid City, S.D.
"We go for training and see new rides and equipment and meet with clients. These shows are about maintaining relationships and sitting down with customers to talk about things we can do better," said Hanschen, who is in his 36th year in the carnival business.
The Mighty Thomas Carnival is a family affair. Hanschen, 60, is co-owner and full-time operator. Son Mike, 26, who has a business degree from Southwestern University, is a truck driver and handles a lot of the administrative work, such as payroll. Daughter Katherine and son-in-law Brandon Petree run the food operation of the carnival.
Hanschen is thinking about next year and how he can improve the business. "There is artistry in the operation of a carnival. You take a beautifully lit ride with thousands of lights, and you have to position it just right. There is nothing better than sitting in my office and looking out to the midway and seeing families smiling," he said.
The thrill rides that cost between $200,000 to $700,000 are only part of it. It is hard work to load, transport and unload machinery that can weigh several hundred tons. At any event, his caravan of big trucks hauling rides and travel trailers that provide housing for workers arrives a day or two in advance.
"It takes us a day to set up," said Hanschen.
The carnival is self-contained. One big truck carries the generators that provide power to operate the carnival. His annual budget for fuel — trucks and generators — is more than $400,000. read more at:http://www.statesman.com/life/austin-at-work-john-hanschen-runs-the-mighty-2036749.html
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