Circus Finelli (SF) Nov 7-16

San Francisco, Ca. - Circus Finelli returns to Stage Werx after a sold out run last May. They present a Slavic slapstick cabaret with daring comedy and dangerous cutlery. A one hour show of Circus Comedy fraught with mishap, sparkles, and sound effects. Come for sights to entice and delight: juggling, cows, contortion, dance and disaster. Circus Finelli is interactive, bright fun. The “Slapstick Slavic Cabaret” is adult humor with kid sound effects. The show is infused with live music and sounds of the Circus: accordion and ukulele, trombone, crash cymbals and slide whistles. Come early for face-painting and games. Your host at a Circus Finelli show is man-hungry ringmistress MadameVinaigrette (Verka Zaskodna). She is the Czech juggling bombshell with dangerous plans. She can joke with the audience in seven different languages. Her musical assistant and assailant is accordionista Luz (Luz Gaxiola). Carmelita (Molly Shannon) is the samba diva of a million costumes. And last is Pepito, exploding from all corners. "The Great Alecko; Strongest Man on Earth", will be appearing in the United States exclusively with Circus Finelli. known in Greece as “a demi-god”, Alecko will amaze audiences with his impossible feats of strength. Circus Finelli runs two weekends, Nov. 7, 8,9, and 14, 15,16. All shows start at 8pm, doors at 7:30. Stage Werx is located 533 Sutter Street between Powell and Mason. The theatre is close to the Powell Bart station, and is wheelchair accessible. WHEN: November 7th, 8th, 9th, 14th, 15th, 16th 2008 Friday, Saturday and Sunday @ 8pm WHERE: Stage Werx 533 Sutter Street, SF between Powell and Mason Handicap accessible TICKETS: $15 at the door or $15 at brownpapertickets.com/event/42383 $12 Students and Seniors INFO: mail@circusfinelli.com WEBSITE: http://www.circusfinelli.com http://www.stagewerx.org

Circus Amok Summer Schedule

Circus Amok, New York’s radical, community oriented, political free Summer in the Parks Circus is up and about again for summer 2008. This year's show is called "SUB-PRIME SUBLIME" and will feature the following: Acrobatic Economists, Fantastical Free-Falling Free Markets, Tenanacious Tenants, Querelous Quarks, Neurotic Neutrons, Vaulting Villains, Stupendous Stilters, Disco Dorothy, Lions and Tigers and Zebras Oh My! They will be performing throughout the five boroughs of New York, primarily in the parks from Sept 5-28. Here's the schedule: SAT, SEPT 6 – UPPER WEST SIDE – Riverside Park - 2pm & 5pm 79th Street & Riverside Drive SUN, SEPT 7– CONEY ISLAND, BROOKLYN – Coney Island - 2pm & 5pm West 10th Street & Surf Avenue MON, SEPT 8– EAST NEW YORK, BROOKLYN – MLK Park - 5pm Miller & Dumont Avenues WED, SEPT 10 – FT GREENE, BROOKLYN – Ft. Greene Park - 5:30pm Myrtle Avenue & St. Edward's Street FRI, SEPT 12 – SOUTH BRONX – St. Mary's Park - 5pm St. Ann’s Avenue & St. Mary’s Street SAT, SEPT 13 – LONG ISLAND CITY, QUEENS – Socrates Sculpture Park - 3pm Broadway & Vernon Boulevard SUN, SEPT 14 – PROSPECT PARK, BROOKLYN – Prospect Park - 2pm & 5pm Enter @ 9th Street & Prospect Park West Show is at the base of the grassy hill near the dog beach. WED, SEPT 17 – LOWER MANHATTAN – Columbus Park - 5:30pm Mulberry & Worth Streets FRI, SEPT 19 – SUNSET PARK, BROOKLYN – Sunset Park - 5:30pm 6th Avenue & 41st Street SAT, SEPT 20 – GREENWICH VILLAGE – Washington Square - 2pm & 5pm University Place & Washington Square South SUN, SEPT 21 – HARLEM – Marcus Garvey - 2pm & 5pm Madison Avenue & 122nd Street WED, SEPT 24 – WILLIAMSBURG, BROOKLYN – Bedford Playground - 5pm Bedford Avenue & South 9th Street FRI, SEPT 26 – LOWER MANHATTAN –Battery Park - 1pm & 5pm Castle Clinton Plaza SAT, SEPT 27 – LOWER EAST SIDE – Seward Park - 4pm Canal & Essex Streets SUN, SEPT 28 – EAST VILLAGE – Tompkins Square - 12pm & 3pm Avenue A & East 7th Street Visit WWW.CIRCUSAMOK.ORG for late-breaking news and weather updates They are also seeking volunteers for each and every show. You can run away and join the circus for the day. If you'd like to join them for the day, please send an email to circusamokinfo@gmail.com, or call 802-274-0502. SEE YOU AT THE SHOW!! ================================ CIRCUS AMOK is NYC's internationally-acclaimed one-ring FREE traveling circus. Since 1994 they've been bringing fabulous, political circus spectacle to more than 10,000 diverse audience members in the parks of NYC each season. From East New York to the East Village, Jamaica to Harlem, CIRCUS AMOK dazzles audiences with their mix of circus skills and variety arts, puppetry and music, glitter, grime and glamour as they tackle tough issues that touch New Yorkers: immigration, affordable housing, quality public education, police-community relations, healthcare for all. For more info, visit http://www.circusamok.org Here's a video from YouTube:

Nicole Feld in the NYT

Nicole Feld, daughter to Kenneth Feld, and heir apparent as Big Boss of the Ringling shows, has an article in the NY Times today, under the column: THE BOSS. When I was at Clown College, Nicole came to the final graduation-- she was probably around 9 or so, and it was a big deal, because she was grading you along with everybody else, and the word was that if she didn't think you were funny, that was it-- you were out! I didn't get selected to go on the show (which was fine with me-- I didn't actually go there to work for Ringling-- I wanted to learn new theatrical skills-- it was only afterwards that I realized that I really loved being a clown.) It's probably ACTUALLY true now, if Nicole doesn't think you are funny, you are OUT. Anyway, here's the beginning of the article: The Boss The Call of the Circus By NICOLE FELD; as told to AMY ZIPKIN Published: August 3, 2008 MY grandfather Irvin Feld was a promoter. He bought Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Circus in 1967. My father, Kenneth, joined the company, now Feld Entertainment, in 1970 and is C.E.O. Skip to next paragraph Heinz Kluetmeier NICOLE FELD Executive vice president of Feld Entertainment AGE 30 HOMETOWN Washington, D.C. FAVORITE QUOTATION “Genius is 1 percent inspiration and 99 percent perspiration.” — Thomas Edison When I was younger, my sisters and I would play with the clowns when school was out for the holiday, and they would have a project for us. We would make clothes for our stuffed animals and petticoats for our dolls. When I was 8 or 9, the clowns made clown costumes, complete with big shoes, for my two younger sisters and me. We wanted to wear them and perform in the show. Our father agreed to let us be in the show when the tour came through the Baltimore-Washington area. He told us that if we wanted to be in the show, we would have to perform on the work schedule of the other performers. Saturdays are always three-show days. The clowns put clown makeup on us, and we were in all three performances. We got paid $3 a show. We were exhausted by the end of the day and fell asleep during the car ride home. Being a clown is a lot harder than it looks. A year or two earlier, in a talent search, my father came across what looked like a one-horned goat. I don’t know where he found it. He created a show called “The Living Unicorn.” The “unicorn” became a torment to me during the entire two-year run of the show. I would come home from school crying, saying: “The kids called me a liar. There is no such thing.” READ THE REST OF THE ARTICLE

First Episode of The Bindlestiffs is up

Click the image to see the first episode. It's really great and looks to tell the hard-scrabble story of the Bindlestiffs http://thebindlestiffs.com/ep1.html

The Sprockets Circus

Great article on NPR's website about the Sprockets, a family circus of three that tours the world in a 1962 Bristol double decker bus with a top speed of 33 miles per hour. The show features Scott Harrison, his wife Issabelle Feraud, and their 11 year old son Theo, who have been touring continuously since 1997. They ship their bus between continents, and have performed in 48 countries, and 6 continents. They are currently in the states, and are starting the process of writing a book about their journey. Their shows are full of magic, juggling, acrobatics, daredevil unicycling and lots of slapstick humor. Scott was a juggling entrepreneur for a while in England, and then became a performer. Find out more about the Sprockets on the websites listed below: SPROCKETS WEBSITE: http://www.thesprockets.com NPR Article/story: Circus Family Is Ready for a Safety Net SPROCKETS FLICKR site: http://www.flickr.com/photos/thesprockets/

Circus Flora presents Sherwood Forest June 5-22

Circus Flora is a one ring tent circus founded in 1985 by Ivor David Balding, Sheila and Sam Jewell and Alexandre Sacha Pavlata with the dual mission of entertainment and education. In 1986, the first Circus Flora production premiered at the internationally acclaimed Spoleto Festival, an annual celebration of the performing and visual arts in Charleston, S.C. Circus Flora was established as a theater company, specializing in an ensemble, one-ring circus - performed in a big top tent - that would be accessible and affordable for all. This performing arts organization set out to acquaint audiences with the joy and power of the classic, European-style circus. It was named after Flora, the orphaned baby African elephant Balding had rescued two years earlier when ivory poachers in Africa killed her mother. Circus Flora made St. Louis its home in 1987 with the help of Vince Schoemehl, the mayor of St. Louis at that time, and Richard Gaddes, then president of Grand Center, St. Louis’ creative and cultural district. Since then, the Circus Arts Foundation of Missouri (CAFM) has been the parent non-profit organization under which Circus Flora operates. This year, Flora will present its 22nd anniversary production “Sherwood Forest," based on the legend of Robin Hood. Replete with jousts, mad adventures, and comedy, Robin Hood fights to bring justice to Sherwood Forest. The Circus Flora company becomes his merry band of outlaws, utilizing their skills to conduct daring raids against the tyrannies of the villain, the wicked Sheriff of Nottingham! They take from the rich and give to the poor, winning the hearts of the people, especially the lovely Maid Marian and her ladies-in-waiting.It is presented under the air-conditioned red and white big-top tent in St. Louis, where no audience member is further than 42 feet from the performance ring. To find out more about Circus Flora's activities, including their educational programs, please visit their website listed below: http://www.circusflora.org

Combustibles Sustainable Circus Benefit -- NY May 29

A Benefit and Birthday Party for The Combustibles Food, Drinks, Performances, Music, Dancing! What * All the beer and wine you can handle * Local snacks * Fabulous auction items - Check our website * Exceptionally strange performances * Live music! Set in a sparkling trash heap of a circus ring, jugglers toss water bottles in the air, trash bag balloons fly high, crooners sing songs made from "recycled" lyrics, and hobo clowns appear from the rubble to create treasure from yesterday's trash. The Combustibles is a sponsored project of Fractured Atlas, a non-profit arts service organization. Proceeds of the night will go to help The Combustibles produce more exciting work! If you cannot attend, please consider a tax-deductible donation to The Combustibles. Performers will include: Hilary Chaplain, Eli Bolin and more! When Thursday, May 29, 2008 6:30 - 8pm | Performances 8 - 9pm | Dancing Where Gallery MC 549 W. 52nd Street, 8th Floor (at 11th Avenue) Tickets are $15 Call: 1-800-838-3006 or visit: http://cts.vresp.com/c/?TheCombustibles/3e589c3bc2/0b836a53a4/f5e8cae385 to purchase tickets For More Info please visit http://www.TheCombustibles.com

Clowning Around Benefit-- May 11 in NY

Clowning Around! An all Clown Variety Show for the Whole Family! Clowning Around! is an all clown variety show with acts of skill and silliness- a fun, fast paced, interactive show for the whole family! Suggested for ages 5 and up. Performing Clowns will include: New York Downtown Clown of 2007, Joel Jeske Clown Olympics Gold Medalist, John Leo Clown Olympics Gold Medalist, Jeff Seal nytheatre.com's person of 2006 Christopher Lueck Golden Nose Award Nominee Nina Levine Off-Broadway Sensation BAMBOUK! ONE PERFORMANCE ONLY! Saturday, May 10th at 11:00am Running time is 1hr. at The Marjorie S. Deane Little Theater At the West Side YMCA 5 West 63rd Street (Bway & CPW), NYC GET TICKETS HERE or Call 866-811-4111 for tickets for info call (212) 875-4100 This performance is a YMCA Strong Kids Benefit.

Australia: The Deadly Serious Training Project

Subject: Teachers Training/NICA/ The Deadly Serious Training Project Greetings all, We would like to get the word out to as many people as Greetings all, We would like to get the word out to as many peoplepossible, so apologies if you have already received this email. If there is a group, community or person you think might be interested in our upcoming project, please forward this email on. NICA is currently Seeking Expressions of Interest from potential participants for: The Deadly Serious Training Project: Advance - Enhance. After many wonderful discussions (and feedback) with the indigenous youth participants at the recent ACAPTA conference (and a number of years being partners in projects in various places around Australia), NICA is responding with a 2008 training project, 'Deadly Serious'. This one week project will train young leaders within the indigenous youth circus community, (16 yrs +) and will take place over a week in the National Institute of Circus Arts training space (in Melbourne), towards the latter part of the year. Participants will need to fund their accommodation, airfares and meals. Objectives: To provide an opportunity for leaders within the indigenous youth circus community to advance their circus and teaching skills To raise the profile of Indigenous Youth Circus companies and projects To enable indigenous youth leaders to make connections with an educational institute and in particular with professional circus trainers and tertiary circus students To provide participants with the opportunity to create networks, collaborations and lasting partnerships Deadly Serious: Advance- Enhance, will offer young, aspiring, indigenous circus performers the opportunity to: Follow their passion Dive headlong into a week of 'deadly serious' training Enhance and advance current skills Confirm previous achievements and extend them through new challenges Create productive networks Work with the dedicated and experienced multinational community of trainers at NICA Please contact Andrea Ousley (aousley@swin.edu.au) or Matt Wilson (mawilson@swin.edu.au) by 23/05/08 to express your interest in this project. Regards NICA Social Circus Team --------------------

Cirque Photos from Chile

I used to belong to fotolog which was one of the original "Download your own photo" sites. Then Flickrcame along, and fotolog was having so many technical problems, and I jumped ship. I forgot all about fotolog, until I got an email telling me I had a comment on one of my old pages there. I checked out my old site at fotolog (which is still up) and noticed that there were a lot of comments on the site, and I started surfing, and ended up finding a very interesting photo site It's a guy from Chile who works a lot of technical stuff for Cirque du Soleil when they are in Chile. He's got lots of great photos of clowns and Cirque du Soleil artists and him. The text is all in Spanish, so I can only guess what it says, but basically it's photos of Cirque artists. It's a great behind the scenes look at some of the performers/makeup/etc. (I've cobbled together four of the photos below) To see more of these photos, visit the website listed below: You can also catch my OLD fotolog site (which is mostly NOT clown related) at the link listed below: CATCH-SOLEIL: http://www.fotolog.com/catch_soleil MY OLD SITE: http://www.fotolog.com/kafclown

Clowns Without Borders South Africa- New website!

I wrote about Clowns Without Borders South Africa back in September 2007. I'm happy to report that they now have their own website. http://www.cwbsa.org/ You can now click on the link above to make sure you keep up with the great work they are doing of bringing the gift of laughter to the impoverished in South Africa and surrounding areas. Not only are they bringing kids laughter, they are leaving behind the seeds-- one of their important works is teaching workshops so that after they leave, kids have the tools to start making their own shows. If there is a surge of South African circus in 10 years, you will know why.

Circus Juventas

Circus Juventas is a performing arts youth circus school located in St. Paul, Minnesota and serving the Twin Cities metro area. They offer youth circus arts training and performance opportunities for children and youth ages 3 to 21 in a safe and noncompetitive environment. Circus Juventas was founded in 1994 by former circus performers Dan and Betty Butler. Originally known as Circus of the Star, it began as an after-school program in a neighborhood recreation center. The initial offerings were limited and could accommodate only 30 students. From the start, classes were filled to capacity. Realizing that the need for this kind of education was great, Dan and Betty founded a non-profit, got a board of directors, and started raising money. By the time they opened their doors in 2001 in a long term lease from the city of St. Paul, they had raised over 2.1 million dollars and created a 21,000 square foot Big Top to work in Since that time, their enrollment has doubled, then doubled again. Juventas was the Roman goddess of youth who had the mythical power of rejuvenation, and because of Circus Jeventas, hundreds of thousands of delighted spectators have experienced the mystique and rejuvenating powers of the circus arts. To find out more about Circus Juventas, visit their website listed below: http://www.circusjuventas.org/

Johnny Peers Muttville Comix

One of the top working clown and dog acts is Johnny Peers' Muttville Comix. Johnny has been performing his act for over 25 years, and has performed it on four continents and with some of the best circuses in the business, including Ringling, Big Apple Circus, and Carson & Barnes, among many others. Johnny's dad was a concessionaire on the Ringling circus. While helping his dad, Johnny ended up sneaking away to watch the clowns, and eventually decided to become one. He graduated from Ringling's Clown College in 1970 and a few years later, began creating the character and act that he's been doing ever since. Johnny currently uses about 15 dogs in his show, but owns and cares for 25 dogs. The dogs do everything, including jumping rope, climbing ladders, walking a tightrope, and most importantly, knocking Johnny down several times a minute and then walking all over him. It takes from 6 months to a year for each dog to learn its act, and the act is a collaboration between the dogs natural talents and Johnny's masterful ability to place the dogs in a circus context. In 2003, Johnny and his group won the Animal Planet Pet Star award. To find out more about Johnny and his Muttville Comix, please visit his website listed below: http://www.johnnypeersmuttvillecomix.com/

Who Put the B in Ballyhoo?

Carlyn Beccia is an illustrator and artist who is inspired by the world of the circus and clowns. She has been painting and performing various acts of circus baboonery since she was a wee young girl. She first tested her own creativity in the human cannonball act by projecting her sister across the room. Her sister had to have stitches, but Carlyn knew she was destined for circus stardom. Carlyn attended the University of Massachusetts on a 4-year art scholarship and graduated in 1995. She has been awarded a number of awards from the Society of Children's Writers & Illustrators. She lives in Lynnfield, MA with two ferocious cats and her famous Strongman husband. Last year she wrote a fantastically illustrated book called "Who Put the B in Ballyhoo", which is an ABC book that features the circus and the sideshow. Each of the illustrations is beautifully well done, and is clever and witty. They run the gamut from tigers to acrobats to , yes, a flea circus! This is definitely a book worth having. Carlyn has a website for the book http://www.whoballyhoo.com which features interactive games, a make your own circus poster game, and info about author visits. She has a couple of other sites that are also circus oriented (listed below) In addition to being an illustrator, she is a crack web designer. If you'd like to purchase the book, get it at Amazon.com To find out about more about Carlyn's work, visit the websites listed below: http://www.carlynbeccia.com http://www.circusballyhoo.blogspot.com/ http://www.circusco.com

Peter Pitofsky

Peter Pitofsky is a Clown College graduate who is currently plying his brand of amazing physical and facial comedy to the college and comedy circuits. He lives in the Los Angeles area, and he's been in a few movies and television shows, as well as a number of live shows, including Teatro Zinzanni, Penn & Teller's Sin City Spectacular, and the movie The Aristocrats. After seeing the video below, you'll be wondering why he's not in just about everything you see. Among Ringling graduates and road clowns, Peter is legendary for his 108's, for his always being on, and for being one of the funniest guys on or off the show. Here's a YouTube video that shows him at some of his funniest: (a special tip of the hat to Pat Cashin's ClownAlley.net for alerting me to this video) To find out more about Peter's work, visit his myspace page listed below: http://www.myspace.com/peterpitofsky

Circus Action International

Inspired by the success of Cirque du Soleil’s “Cirque du Monde”, Ethiopia’s “Circus of Hope” and Cambodia’s Phare Ponleu Selpak, Canadian director Jerry Snell has founded another institution for Youth at Risk using Circus and Performing Arts as a tool for helping migrant and street children, working children, freed bonded labor children, trafficked and victims of slave labor in Asia and Africa. In collaboration with co founder James Tanabe, they have begun to set up CIRCUS ACTION INTERNATIONAL which is currently a network of teachers, programs, companies using performing arts and circus as an educational tool or simply a way to build confidence and resolve feelings of isolation and abandon in youth cornered by complex problems such as human trafficking, war, AIDS/HIV, poverty and political corruption. The first conference of Circus Action International will be hosted by Cambodian Arts & Circus Company Phare Ponleu Selpak in Cambodia at their Circus Festival 3 to 6 of April, 2008 in Battambang. If you are interested in helping to organize communications (they currently need an english to french translator) or interested in becoming a teacher in the projects in Thailand, Laos, Cambodia and India, please contact Jerry Snell. The teaching projects are set to begin in July 2008. Send him your background and availability for the future, especially if you already have plans to come to Asia. For more information about Jerry Snell or Circus Action International, visit his website http://www.jerrysnell.com or email info@jerrysnell.com For more information about Phare Ponleu Selpak, visit their website http://www.phareps.org It's in French, but there's an English translation.

Bellobration at the United Center

I was in Chicago for the weekend for a family function, and thought I'd check out the Bello-bration. It's the Red Show-- and I hadn't seen it when it was on the East Coast, so I was glad I got the opportunity. I saw it today (last day of the stand in Chicago-- we went to the 1 pm performance. The pre-show "All-Access Pre-Show" was hosted by clown Leo Acton. Leo is a graduate of Clown College from 1996. I was mostly astonished, because this is the first time that I've seen a Ringling Clown with his own facial hair. Granted the show had a 1970's feel, but I was pretty amazed. This would not have been allowed when I was at Clown College. Looking around, a lot of the clowns had their own hair--less wigs than I remember. I wondered if maybe it's because a lot of the clowns are no longer Clown College grads. (But it turns out Leo Acton is-- I guess there's been a change of policy) A couple of the costumes wouldn't have passed muster back in the day. In general the pre-show was pretty good-- the clowns did a variation on Dead and Alive with a lot of knockabout, there was a painting elephant, some hula-hooping, a great trampolining bit by a Russian clown named Alex, and a lot of clowns doing Meet and Greet. The Meet and Greet was a little lame-- standing in back of someone and making fun of them behind their back. I know that 13 shows a week gets a little hard to be original, but I thought it could have gone better. (I did get made fun of, but didn't introduce myself-- I played with the guy, and once he saw I was alive, he seemed to lose interest.) The pre-show clown bit (with a nice little clown car used by Leo Acton again) was a Campfire Marshmallows advertisement basically-- and not very funny. Something else that didn't quite fly from a clown perspective was the group piece "Dancing with the Clowns." It started off okay, but didn't go anywhere relatively slowly. The ending blowoff (an acrobatic dancer who is much better than the bad dancers) wasn't particularly strong. Good bendover routine with one clown playing a couple as a bendover. Once the show started, Bello is really the star. He falls in love with the aerialist, and spends the show going from act to act trying to get her to notice him. It's a good idea, and it's done well. The highlight was when Bello and the aerialist are up on twin sway poles, and he gets a kiss from her-- the whole spec turns into a Bello-bration, along with everybody including elephants, dogs, and the circus band, sporting Bello's blonde hair. It was Being John Malkovich for Bello, and very funny. The second act was less strong, and the pretense of his love for the aerialist went away. Bello did a great act with the Wheel of Danger (it split into two side-by-side at one point-- I had never seen that!) And the show ended with the Human Cannonball-- very impressive, but oh so fleeting. There were a bunch of good video gags in the beginning of the show-- Bello stuck in the humoungous television monitor and trying to get out. It was so clearly not live, and done a little too fast-- as if they were saying-- I know you are used to speeded up cartoons-- here you go! I enjoyed them, nevertheless Overall it was a lot of entertainment, although once we added the "Convenience Charge" It was $30 a ticket.) It was a great night out though. Find out more about the Ringling Red Show and the clowns mentioned by visiting their websites listed below. RINGLING RED SHOW: http://ringling.com/ BELLO NOCK: http://www.bellonock.com LEO ACTON: Leo Acton's Myspace Page

Cirque du Soleil's Wintuk

Cirque du Soleil has created a new "christmas" winter show called WINTUK, about a city boy who craves snow, and who goes to a magical winter wonderland called Wintuk. It's playing at Madison Square Garden, which is a HUGE venue, and very unlike the expensive and beautiful tents that Cirque is used to playing. I've read the previews which make the show sound like a typical Cirque du Soleil show, which means that I want to see it. And the reviews have come out, and at least two of them are not very pretty: NY Daily News Cirque du Soleil offers a 'Wintuk' of discontent The Cirque du Soleil brand has become synonymous with highly imaginative, infinitely energetic shows. But after umpteen productions, even the best franchise runs out of juice. Witness Cirque's seasonal family offering, "Wintuk," at the WaMu Theater at Madison Square Garden. Clocking in at 110 minutes, including a 20-minute intermission, the show feels rushed together and as padded as a fake Santa's belly. The music is taped. As with all Cirque shows, there's a slender narrative. Here, a city boy craves snow. His search for it takes him to Wintuk, a glacial land, which you can read about at cirquedusoleil.com. The program costs $15. Along the way, the kid runs into unusual people, performers and oversize puppets. Youngsters might get a kick out of the crayon-colored singing street lamps and huge, shaggy white dog puppets. But they might be confused about what to make of the pink shadow of a ballerina who appears now and again. I was. READ THE REST and NJ Star Ledger Cirque surprise: it's a dud NEW YORK -- The holiday season begins with a yawn as "Wintuk," a surprisingly duddy event from Cirque du Soleil, bowed last night at Madison Square Garden. Failing to electrify the holiday slot left by MSG's popular "A Christmas Carol" musical, this numbing new attraction aimed for family audiences is two-hours-plus of nothing spectacular. Aside from being a waste of visitors' time and money, the show's really not much of anything else, period. READ THE REST Now, granted, these papers are not the NY Times, but they are usually on the money when it comes to what will appeal to their audiences. What about you-- are you planning on seeing Wintuk? Have you seen it? Let me know what you think about the show in the comments below:

Jim Moore Photo Exhibition of the Twin Towers Tightrope Walk

In 1974, mime and photographer Jim Moore became the right-hand-man for aerialist Philippe Petit during the secret preparations and daring guerilla tightrope walk between the two World Trade Center Towers. Thirty three years later, Jim is presenting his photographs of the event in oversized 50" x 35" Iris prints, including shots titled On the edge of the abyss, A Helicopter's View, 110 floors, and more. The shots reveal the inner workings of the audacious preparations, including climbing and rigging of the World Trade Towers, all done in complete secrecy. The exhibit will run October 16- November 4 at the Jalopy Theatre and School of Music, 315 Columbia St, Red Hook, Brooklyn. An opening reception is planned for Wednesday October 17 from 6-9 pm. There is no word yet if there will be a commemorative tightrope walk at the reception. For more information about the tightrope walk, visit the wikipedia article on the subject: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philippe_Petit

The Midnight Circus

The Midnight Circus started as a collaboration between circus clown Jeffrey Jenkins and actress Julie Greenberg. They combined their talents to create a 5 minute eccentric acrobatic act to be featured with Vermont's Circus Smirkus. While on tour with the show, they apprenticed themselves to two former stars of The Moscow Circus. In between shows and practice, they would all sit over a cup of tea (or a more than occasional vodka!) and share aspirations and ideas for the future of performance. It was in that backlot that the seeds were planted for The Midnight Circus. In 1997, having returned to Chicago, they created a show called The Midnight Circus: When Circus and Theatre Collide, which was what happened when a Shakespearean troupe and a Circus troupe end up sharing the same performance stage, and what happens when they mix. That show got great reviews and ending up running in various incarnations for the next year. Later that show was licensed by the Big Apple Circus, which took it on tour to large theatres across the United States. Since that time Jeff and Julie have served as artistic directors for Circus Smirkus, have created many other shows in the Chicago area, including a tented show called The Big Bang and Other Amazing Adventures! which played in a tent on Chicago's Museum campus for three months, and an annual Haunted Hijinx show in Daley Plaza, which combines the theme of haunted house and circus arts. They also work with many of the other Chicago Theatres, performing and directing. In addition to this work they tour the cruise ship circuit, create shows for corporations, and have collaborated on another front: they have a child together. The Midnight Circus also has had at one time or another training opportunities and performance opportunities for most of Chicago's clowns at one time or another. Next up for the Midnight Circus is a weekend of performances in Chicago's Welles' Park Four shows Sept 29-30. Shows are at 3:30 and 6:30 pm. Tickets are $10 each (children under 2 are free) To find out more about the Midnight Circus, please visit their website listed below: http://www.midnightcircus.net

Bindlestiff Family Cirkus

Since 1995 the Bindlestiff Family Cirkus has traveled the world, bringing its unique hybrid of vaudeville, circus, burlesque, and sideshow to theaters, clubs, colleges, and festivals. The company has produced innumerable cabaret shows, custom performances for special audiences, all-ages and family productions, and sophisticated adult shows. Over the last five years the company has begun developing more theatrical productions, including 2001's Buckaroo Bindlestiff's Wild West Gender Bender Jamboree, 2003's High Heels & Red Noses, and 2005's From the Gutter to the Glitter: A Night Out with the Bindlestiffs. In 2004 Bindlestiff instituted its annual children's performance program, the Cavalcade of Youth, in which young performers and technical staff (ages 8-20) have the opportunity to hone their skills with variety arts professionals. The Bindlestiff Family co-founders are Stephanie Monseu and Keith Nelson, who over the last decade have hosted a variety of outrageous talent under the Bindlestiff banner. Individually both Keith and Stephanie provide a vast array of talents, from public relations to booking to performing. Their personal dedication to the variety arts, circus, vaudeville, sideshow, and burlesque has made the Bindlestiff Family Cirkus famous both among audiences and within the variety performance community. From 2002 to 2004 the Bindlestiff Family Cirkus operated the "last vaudeville house in Times Square." In conjunction with chashama, Bindlestiff opened Bindlestiff's Palace of Variety and the Free Museum of Times Square. The Palace presented up to five performances a day, presenting continuous vaudeville shows on 42nd Street and hosting nearly thirty other productions. [NOTE: During this time, I performed with the Bindlestiff's performing my flea circus on weekends, and working as the Outside Talker during night shows] The size of the Cirkus can range from two to sixteen performers, depending on the show. Over 200 performers from a multitude of disciplines have entertained Bindlestiff audiences across the country and around the world. Bindlestiff has brought its grand spectacle to hundreds of thousands from a live stage, and over a million through television. Dedicated fans come back again and again expecting the very best and most original acts working today. In 2006 the Bindlestiff Family Cirkus and Magic Hat Summer Variety Show made its debut tour. Co-sponsored by Magic Hat Brewing Company, this production sought to bring circus to festivals and music stages up and down the East Coast. For the next two weeks, the Bindlestiffs will finish their 2007 Magic Hat Tour. The show currently features some of the Bindlestiff's best and brightest, including juggler and clown Adam Kuchler, funambulist Ariele Ebacher, cowboy extraordinaire A.J. Silver, organist Frederik Iversen, and of course Philomena Bindlestiff and Mr. Pennygaff (the founders of the show) To find out more about the Bindlestiffs, visit their website listed below, or call their Hotline. WEBSITE: http://www.bindlestiff.org HOTLINE: 1-877-BINDLES TOUR SCHEDULE: September 5 Tink's 519 Linden St Scranton, PA 18503 (570) 346-8465 http://www.clubtinks.com/index.php Showtime 9 September 6 The Chameleon 223 N. Water St. Lancaster, PA 17603 http://www.chameleonclub.net/ HOTLINE: 717.393.7133 Showtime: 9 Friday Sept 7th Zipper Factory 336 W. 37th Street NYC 10018 212-563-0480 http://www.thezipperfactory.com showtime 9pm September 8 - 9 Boston Tattoo Convention Boston Center for The Arts 539 Tremont Street Boston, MA 02116 http://www.bcaonline.org Doors at noon Saturday & Sunday Shows throughout the day September 10 The Lucky Dog Music Hall 89 Green St Worcester, MA 01604 508-363-1888 Start Time: 8:00 PM Sept 12 The Red Square 388 Broadway Albany, NY 12210 (518) 465-0444 www.redsquarealbany.com show 9pm September 13 Hops in the Square 100 East Genesee St Downtown Syracuse event begins at 5pm show 6pm-7pm September 14 The Rex Theater 1602 East Carson St Pittsburgh, PA venue phone 412-381-6811 http://www.elkoconcerts.com/rextheater.htm Show 8pm September 15 World Cafe Live 3025 Walnut Street Philadelphia PA http://www.worldcafelive.com/ tix and info 215 222-1400 Show 8:00 pm

Jennifer Miller & Circus Amok

Circus Amok is a New York City based circus-theater company whose mission is to provide free public art addressing contemporary issues of social justice to the people of New York City. The group has been together since 1989 bringing its funny, queer, caustic and sexy, political one-ring spectacles to diverse neighborhoods from East New York to the East Village. The company is comprised of seven ring-performers, a 7 member live band, 3-roustabouts, and a trucker/technician extraordinaire. The performers in the ring are trained in traditional circus skills - tight rope walking, juggling, acrobatics, stilt walking, clowning - as well as experimental dance, theater, and gender-bending performance art and improvisational techniques. Over the years the traditional circus techniques have been combined with dance, lifesize puppetry, music old and new, and dramatic monologues creating new meanings for circus while continuing to entertain the crowds of all ages throughout the city streets, gardens, parks, and playgrounds. The troupe was founded by Jennifer Miller, a real-life bearded woman (although she prefers the sobriquet "woman with a beard") and a superb circus/sideshow artist. Jennifer has received an Obie and Bessie Award for her work. In addition to performing, Jennifer has taught performance and other subjects at several universities, including UCLA, Cal Arts, Scripps College and NYU. Along with a number of other artists, Jennifer and company each year create a new show that talks about one of the tough issues that New Yorkers face. This year, the show is called Bee-dazzled, and while I'm not sure of the content yet, I am pretty positive some mention of the curious lack of bees, and the environmental havoc being caused by industry, will feature heavily into the show. If you'd like more information about the company, please visit their website listed below. Also below is the 2007 schedule for Circus Amok. Please check their website for additional information. http://www.circusamok.org ============= BEE-DAZZLED SCHEDULE ============= *** FREE FREE FREE *** ALL REAL *** ALL ALIVE *** FREE FREE FREE Glamorous, Gritty, Dangerous, Glorious, Acrobatic Entomologists, Querelous Quandaries, Fantastical Fruits, Incredible Insects, Vaulting Villains, Stupendous Sideshow Spectacular. 2007 Tour Schedule: [but be sure to check http://www.circusamok.org for weather updates and late-breaking news!] SAT 9/1 -- RIVERSIDE PARK -- 2PM and 5PM -- Enter at 79th St. and Riverside Drive, NYC SUN 9/2 -- WASHINGTON SQUARE PARK -- 1PM, 3PM and 5PM -- University Ave. and Washington Square North, NYC MON 9/3 -- CONEY ISLAND -- 2PM and 5PM -- West 10th St. and Surf Ave., BROOKLYN THURS 9/6 -- UNION SQUARE PARK -- 12:30PM, 3PM, 5:30PM -- Union Square West and 17th St., NYC FRI 9/7 -- COLUMBUS PARK -- 12:30PM and 5:30PM -- Mulberry St. btwn Worth and Bayard, NYC SAT 9/8 -- ST MARY'S PARK -- 3PM -- St. Ann's Ave. and St. Mary's St., BRONX SUN 9/9 -- PROSPECT PARK -- 1PM, 3PM and 5PM -- behind the Tennis House, enter at 9th St. and Prospect Park West, BROOKLYN FRI 9/14 -- MARCUS GARVEY PARK -- 5:30PM -- Madison Ave and 124th St, NYC SAT 9/15 -- FT GREENE PARK 2PM and 5PM -- Dekalb and Washington Park.,BROOKLYN SUN 9/16 -- TOMPKINS SQUARE PARK -- 1PM, 3PM and 5PM -- 77th St. and Ave. A, NYC Visit http://www.circusamok.org for late-breaking news and weather updates!

Shameless Hype!: Flea Circus in DC August 26

Let me take a moment to shamelessly promote my own project! Trained Fleas To Perform In Our Nation's Capital ============================== SUMMARY: WHAT: Acme Miniature Flea Circus at the Palace of Wonders WHERE: Palace of Wonders, 1210 H Street NE Washington DC WHEN: Sunday August 26, 2007 at 4pm and 8 pm. (4 pm is an all ages show) COST: $8 MORE INFO: http://www.palaceofwonders.com MORE INFO: http://www.trainedfleas.com CALL: 202-398-7469 (SHOW) ELECTRONIC PRESS RELEASE: Press Release PDF (707K: must have Adobe Reader) PUBLICITY PHOTOS: Press Images of the show ============================ Washington, D.C., 8/1/07 This summer, our nation's flea circus will not be performed in the White House or the Capitol Building, and will not feature any elected officials. That's because this year, the flea circus will take place in Washington D.C's up and coming Atlas District, and will feature insects. Trained insects. Fleas, to be exact. The show, the Acme Miniature Flea Circus, is an authentic Victorian flea circus that features trained fleas Midge and Madge who perform spectacular circus stunts as seen before (and on top of) the crowned heads of Europe. Midge and Madge will perform their star turn at D.C.'s wildest and wackiest venue, the Palace of Wonders on Sunday August 26. Details magazine called the show "One of the top alternative circuses in the country." The New York Times said "The appeal is irresistible... Gertsacov is every bit the fantastical impresario, in his purple top hat and cash-register voice, introducing us to the wondrous insects itching (sorry) to perform" And the Los Angeles Times says that "Professor Gertsacov holds the audience (and the stars of the show) in the palm of his hand." According to Professor A.G. Gertsacov, ringmaster and proprietor of the Acme Miniature Circus, flea circuses were popular entertainments during Victorian times, but had nearly disappeared since the advent of television. The last popular American flea circus was Professor Heckler's of Time Square, which left New York in 1957. The rumor is that Heckler thought that the nude shows were giving his fleas a bad name. There are now only a handful of flea circuses still performing throughout the world. Gertsacov's is arguably the most famous. The Rhode Island nativ