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    1. 05 Apr 2011
    1. Big Apples' Back
    2. On Stage Boston

    3. After a winter that just wouldn't go away, the Spring arrival of The Big Apple Circus on Boston's City Hall Plaza is always good news. 

      Once again populated by international artists, this year's edition -- Big Apple's 33rd -- is entitled "Dance On." And there's no mistaking the theme when Mark Gindick (at left) races out at the top of the show and begins dancing up a storm. 

      The multitalented Gindick is becoming a Big Apple favorite having previously supplied comic relief as an endearing clown in big glasses, tuxedo shirt, big bow tie and suspenders.  Here, he returns again and again throughout the show to bop around, often diverting your attention while the next act sets up in the dark.

      High points of this year's show, hosted by Ringmaster Kevin Venardos and under the direction of Guillaume Dufresnoy, include the X Bud Roses Troupe (below, left) from Mongolia.  In a world where the word "amazing" is becoming increasingly overused, here it is more than appropriate.  These five young women bend and twist and contort themselves into positions that seem impossible if not downright painful.  Truth be told, when two of the ladies held onto a performance platform with nothing more than their teeth, I just couldn't look.

      From Ethiopia, Girma Tshehai presents a clever demonstration of juggling while bouncing tennis balls off the various angles of a multi-surfaced  w-shaped acrylic frame.

      The Wuqiao Acrobatic Troupe first hit the ring on monocycles, only to return later with a rousing jump rope lasso act.

      Another long time member of the Big Apple Circus troupe is Andrey Mantchev.  This time around, the young Bulgarian native does a solo balancing act on a circular platform that appears to float above the circus floor.

      And speaking of floating, Regina Dobrovitskaya soars over the playing area on her cloud swing. 

      Handling the comedy are Rob Torres, who juggles tin cups when he's not sending his boomerang of a hat out into the crowd…

    1. 23 Feb 2011
    1. BAC Announces Appointmet of Interim Executive Director
    2. Ringside Report


    3. BIG APPLE CIRCUS ANNOUNCES

      APPOINTMENT OF GAVIN BERGER

      AS

      INTERIM EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

               The Big Apple Circus, America's finest classical one-ring circus, is pleased to announce the appointment of Gavin Berger as its Interim Executive Director, beginning April 15th…

    1. 28 Oct 2010
    1. Strong Arms, Fast Hands, Supple Spines and, of Course, Clowns
    2. The New York Times

    3. Fast, funny, filled with feats and fancy footwork, “Dance On!,” the colorful 33rd edition of the Big Apple Circus, is winning applause that pays tribute to the rich array of talent in its familiar single ring and behind the scenes under its little big top.

      Creatively the guard has changed, and this year’s show in Damrosch Park at Lincoln Center fully bears the imprint of Guillaume Dufresnoy, who in 2009 succeeded Paul Binder, the Big Apple’s founding artistic director…

    1. 15 Oct 2010
    1. Circus Fans Association Renames Tent in Honor of Paul Binder
    2. Ringside Report

    3. The Circus Fans Association of America has announced that their local New York–New Jersey chapter, formerly known as the Felix Adler Tent CFA, has been renamed the Felix Adler-Paul Binder Tent CFA.  The formal induction will take place at a luncheon at Biagio's Restaurant at 299 Paramus Road, Paramus, New Jersey 07652, on Saturday October 23rd at Noon.  Paul Binder, Founder of the Big Apple Circus and its Artistic Director and Ringmaster for 31 years, will be the guest speaker, along with Circus Fans Association President, Maxine House, Immediate Past President Pat Pagel, members of CFA, and other luminaries from the circus world.

       

      Paul Binder was inducted into the Circus Hall of Fame in Peru, Indiana, in July 2008…

    1. 05 Apr 2010
    1. Clown’s return heightens appeal of Big Apple Circus
    2. Boston Globe

    3. The one-two punch of clowns Grandma and Bello make this year’s installment of the Big Apple Circus an entertaining knockout.

      After a nine-year absence, in which he spent time with the Ringling Bros…

    1. 01 Feb 2010
    1. Sky's the limit: Crews raise Big Apple Circus tent
    2. Gwinnett Daily Post
    3. Click here to view the Big Top raising in Stone Mountain Park, Atlanta, GA, article and slide show  
    1. 19 Jan 2010
    1. Whom You Know.com Highly Recommends the Big Apple Circus
    2. Whom You Know.com

    3.  click here for the review 

    1. 15 Jan 2010
    1. How Do You Get to the Big Apple Circus, Practice, Practice
    2. The New York Times

    3. To read the article click here.

    1. 29 Oct 2009
    1. Big Top Arrives with Thrills but No (Unplanned) Spills
    2. The New York Times

    3. Someone needs to create new adjectives.

      The Big Apple Circus has presented so many first-class productions over its 32 seasons that all the usual praise — thrilling, brilliant, joyful — starts to sound repetitious…

    1. 22 Oct 2009
    1. Big Apple Takes Me Inside Greatest Show
    2. New York Post

    3. Big Apple takes me inside greatest show

      By CINDY ADAMS

      Last Updated: 4:37 AM, October 22, 2009

      Posted: 1:20 AM, October 22, 2009

      THE Big Apple Circus opens tonight…

    1. 09 Apr 2009
    1. Artists in the Big Apple Circus show 'Play On!' delight with feats of musical grace and virtuosity
    2. Patriot Ledger

    3. Even before the opening act, the audience at the Big Apple Circus was clapping and singing along with the clowns to a medley of pump-up songs.

      Their excitement was rewarded when a Russian trapeze artist swung and twirled with the artistry and virtuosity that defines this circus.
      In its 31st season, the circus still feels fresh, with this year’s theme “Play On!” highlighting the musicality and playfulness of the performers.

      Not that they sing or play instruments, but they, like the effervescent eight-piece band on ringside risers, demonstrate rhythmic precision, tight harmony and impressive composition.

      Unlikely combinations strike an interesting note…

    1. 09 Apr 2009
    1. Crowd-pleasing Big Apple Circus delivers big fun at City Hall Plaza
    2. Dorchester Reporter

    3. Music and dance thematically link routines from around the world in “Play On,” the largely new 31st annual edition of the Big Apple Circus, currently at City Hall Plaza.

      A few performances during the first half still need tuning up, like the singing of British ringmistress Carrie Harvey and the low-wire boogy-ing of Sarah Schwarz…

    1. 09 Apr 2009
    1. Under this big top, Lowell disabled find a spectacle they can share
    2. Lowell Sun

    3. BOSTON -- Ben Nguyen grinned from ear to ear, clapping and laughing at Grandma the Clown's silly antics.

      Joel Tabea and Nicole Letellier bounced in time to the peppy music, taking in the bright sights, smells and sounds under the big top at the Big Apple Circus.

      And Dorothy Donovan, enjoying her first circus ever at age 57, marveled that she could "see" the show -- thanks to an infrared listening device and vivid act-by-act description -- despite being legally blind.

      Nguyen, 15, Tabea and Letellier, both 10, and Donovan joined a contingent of developmentally and visually disabled Lowell residents yesterday at the "Circus of the Senses."

      The Big Apple offers its complimentary show for special-needs people each year

      Tracey Baptiste uses sign language for the hearing-impaired…
    1. 07 Apr 2009
    1. Big Apple Circus Gets Up Close and Personal
    2. The Boston Globe

    3. With its compact tent on City Hall Plaza, the Big Apple Circus isn't going to be the loudest, looniest, or most death-defying show in town…

    1. 06 Apr 2009
    1. Big Apple Circus: Silly & Thrilling
    2. Cape Code Times

    3. BOSTON — A tightrope walker plucks her rope in time to some cool guitar riffs before climbing aboard.

      Two clowns have more fun "Singing in the Rain" than Gene Kelly.

      An unsuspecting audience member gets pulled into the ring for a dance contest with Grandma Clown and proves he can boogie.

      That can mean only one thing — the Big Apple Circus is back in Boston…

    1. 05 Nov 2008
    1. Jazzed by Little Big Top
    2. New York Post

    3. 'PLAY On!" is the Big Apple Circus' most ambitious show to date, offering all the dazzling big-top staples - gorgeous galloping horses, heart-stopping aerialists and more clowns than you'll meet in Midtown Manhattan.

      But this year it's all about the music, from Buddy Holly to jazz to a Jonas Brothers look-alike band."If music be the food of love," ringmaster Paul Binder announces at the start, quoting Shakespeare, "Play on!" Seconds later, the kids with me were clapping as acrobat Regina Dobrovitskaya of Russia twirled upside-down from a rope to the strains of a harpsichord - only to seemingly slip to the floor.

      "I don't think she meant to do that!" shrieked my daughter, Eliza, 9, sensing a "gotcha!" moment…

    1. 31 Oct 2008
    1. Apple's Familiar Ring Delights Its Core Fans
    2. New York Daily News

    3. BIG APPLE CIRCUS. Through Jan…

    1. 31 Oct 2008
    1. One-Ring Show Sings Many Different Tunes
    2. The New York Times

    3. Diverse daredevils…

    1. 01 Oct 2008
    1. Big Apple's Clowning Achievement
    2. Washington Post

    3. There's nothing new under the sun -- or under the big top for that matter.

      That's not a knock on the Big Apple Circus, which has set up its tent in the parking lot at Dulles Town Center…

    1. 09 Apr 2008
    1. JUGGLERS AND TUMBLERS AND CLOWNS, OH MY!
    2. OnStage Boston

    3.  The Big Apple Circus, the original One Ring Wonder, is back in town with another sparkling show, this time celebrating its 30th anniversary…

    1. 01 Apr 2008
    1. BIG APPLE CIRCUS MAGIC TO THE CORE
    2. Cape Cod Times

    3.  The Big Apple Circus chose the theme "Celebrate!" for its 30th anniversary tour, and that's just what they did for more than two hours on their opening day at City Hall Plaza…

    1. 27 Mar 2008
    1. BIG APPLE CIRCUS "CELEBRATE" 30TH SEASON
    2. The Patriot Ledger

    3.  When Big Apple Circus host Carrie Harvey introduces juggler Kris Kremo, she recalls the excitement she felt as a young girl watching him on English television…

    1. 25 Mar 2008
    1. BIG APPLE STILL FRESH AFTER THREE DECADES
    2. Boston Herald

    3. Grandma the Clown shows no signs of wrinkles, but her livelihood, the Big Apple Circus, is performing quite an age-defying feat this year…

    1. 24 Mar 2008
    1. CARRIE HARVEY REALIZES HER DREAM
    2. Worcester Telegram And Gazette

    3.  It may seem like quite a long leap from sleepy Guildford, the historic county town of Surrey, England, to locations such as Washington, D.C., New York City, Stone Mountain Park, Ga., Bridgewater, N.J., and, starting Saturday, City Hall Plaza, Boston…

    1. 20 Mar 2008
    1. TO GRANDMAS' HOUSE WE GO
    2. Asbury Park Press

    3. Big Apple Circus and its "leading lady" are back in funny business.

      Just because a guy wears a dress doesn't mean he's funny…

    1. 12 Nov 2007
    1. CLOWNING AROUND AT THE BIG APPLE CIRCUS
    2. The New York Sun

    3.  If he could join the Big Apple Circus, 27-year-old financial analyst John Paduano would be the wildly popular clown Grandma…

    1. 31 Oct 2007
    1. CAN YOU TOP THIS? LITTLE SHOW RETURNS WITH MORE DERRING-DO!
    2. The New York Times

    3. It’s autumn…

    1. 26 Oct 2007
    1. BIG APPLE CIRCUS: CELEBRATE!
    2. Variety

    3. The Big Apple Circus returns to Gotham for its 30th anniversary season with another smile-inducing, family-friendly entry…

    1. 26 Oct 2007
    1. OLD-FASHIONED FUN AT THE BIG APPLE CIRCUS
    2. Associated Press

    3.  Its muggy under the great tent of the "Big Apple Circus," now celebrating its 30th year, and your view may depend on the height of the person sitting in front of you, or even two rows in front…

    1. 23 Oct 2007
    1. BIG APPLE CIRCUS TO CELEBRATE! 30TH
    2. New York Post

    3. THE kids squirmed in their seats as four Russian acrobats flew through the air, twisting and turning and looking as if they might plunk down on our heads…

    1. 12 Oct 2007
    1. GETTING THE BEST MEDICINE, PLUS LAUGHTER
    2. The Washington Post

    3. "I don't do well with vomit," admits Dr…

    1. 29 Sep 2007
    1. BIG APPLE CIRCUS GIVES TONS OF FUN
    2. The Washington Times "Rainbow Page"

    3. Have you ever wanted to witness acrobats on tall stilts being catapulted to the top of a 63-foot-high tent? Would you like to see people jumping rope — with other people standing on their shoulders?

      If you answered "yes" to these questions, hurry and get your tickets because the Big Apple Circus has landed its new show, "Celebrate!" in honor of its 30th anniversary…

    1. 26 Sep 2007
    1. THE BIG APPLE CIRCUS: BOBBLE-FREE BABEL
    2. The Washington Post

    3. Acrobat Cong Tian probably reads his e-mail and polishes his shoes while perched atop the slack wire…

    1. 26 Sep 2007
    1. ANY RABBITS IN THE HAT?
    2. The Washington Post

    3. WALDEN, N.Y…

    1. 24 Sep 2007
    1. ACROBATS, STUNTS DRAW WEEKEND CROWD TO CIRCUS
    2. The Washington Post

    3. Poodles pranced, hula-hoops swirled and acrobats flew through the air Sunday afternoon at Dulles Town Center in Sterling during a performance of Big Apple Circus's 30th annual show…

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