ASSOCIATION CIRCUS MEMBERS
From The Center Ring Connecting & Protecting the Circus Industry!
Rodney Huey, RAH PR Strategies OABA Circus Media Consultant
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t’s June, and circus thrills are bustin’ out all over! First and foremost, Big Apple Circus, presently playing Philadelphia (PA) through June 16, will fold its
Big Top tent for the last time this season and launch its “first ever” multi-city arena tour July 3. Partnering with Spectra of Philadelphia (PA), BAC will kick off its arena tour in Albany (GA), followed by four-day engagements in Savannah (GA), Macon (GA), Augusta (GA), Charleston (SC) and Greenville (SC). According to BAC CEO Gregg Walker, the show plans to cur- tain off portions of arenas to “re-create the big-top enclosure within the larger venues.” BAC hopes to continue the arena tour for 20 weeks and “run at least two companies at once” next season.
UniverSoul Circus is in Baltimore (MD) through June 16, then moves to National Harbor outside Washington, DC June 20. Cirque du Soleil’s domestically touring show itinerar- ies this month include: Corteo in Boston (MA); Amaluna in Livingston (NJ); Volta in Chicago (IL); Crystal in Frisco (TX), Allentown (PA) and Philadelphia (PA); and Lucia in New York City (NY) before moving to Hartford (CT) June 19. Circo Hermanos Vazquez is in Houston for the entire month and Venardos Circus will open in Tacoma (WA) June 26th. On the West Coast, Circus Vargas is in Laguna Hills for most of June while Circo Hermanos Caballero meanders around central and southern California. Trapeze flyer Reuben Caballero recently completed his 100th quadruple somersault into the hands of his brother Marco. Reuben is one of only two flyers in the country who attempt the once-thought-to-be- impossible quad. The other is BAC’s Ahmed Tuniziani who completed more than 100 quads last season. In Northern California, Circus Bella kicks off its 11th Annual Circus in the Parks program June 14 in Oakland’s DeFremery Park, then heads to San Francisco for perfor- mances at the North Beach Festival June 15–16 and the Yerba Buena Gardens Festival June 21. Circus Center in San Francisco will present Circus Addition June 21–22, and will feature students and instructors “exploring the inner world of the circus performer.” Culpepper & Merriweather Circus is hitting its West Coast dates; Carson & Barnes Circus is playing Rocky Mountain states; Kelly Miller Circus is on the East Coast; and Cirque Italia’s Water Circus’ two units are touring Midwestern and Southern states. Circus Smirkus, the country’s only traveling youth circus, opens its 2019 season June 29 in its hometown of Greensboro (VT) with the debut of Carnival, then hits the road to present 67 shows in 15 cities in five states over the next two months.
22 OABA ShowTime Magazine | JUNE 2019
Florida State University’s Flying High Circus opens its annual summer performance schedule June 1 at Calloway Gardens in Pine Mt. (GA). The student artists also serve as rec- reation counselors in the resort’s Summer Family Adventure program.
Ringling Circus Museum in Sarasota (FL) will present its 12th Annual Summer Circus Spectacular June 11–July 27. Also in Sarasota, Circus Arts Conservatory (CAC) recently completed a $4.5 million renovation. According to CAC co- founder Pedro Reis, the refurbishing makes it ““the largest and most cutting-edge circus training facility in the nation.” At Circus World Museum in Baraboo (WI), tiger trainer Ryan Holder will present daily animal educational demonstrations as part of CWM’s Tiger Adventures.
Summer circus camps are in full bloom this month and several training centers are hosting hands-on workshops for more advanced students. An American Youth Circus Organization (AYCO) Regional Festival is slated for June 22 at Commonwealth Circus Center in Boston (MA). Circus Mecca in Mendocino (CA) is hosting an Advanced Youth Aerial Camp June 26–July 5. The Circus Arts Training Institute in Decatur (GA) is offering a Circus Arts Therapy workshop for aerial trainers June 28. The New England Center for Circus Arts (NECCA) in Brattleboro (VT) is host- ing a six-week “immersive training program with NECCA’s professional coaches” June 10–July 21. Disney Studio’s remake of its 1941 classic film Dumbo met with lackluster box office receipts and less-than-favor- able media reviews. Dea Birkett, writing for the London’s Spectator, dubbed Dumbo “a circus film with no circus” ex- plaining that “the flying elephant is the only act we ever see.” By the way, much to the chagrin of animal rights groups, the lovable pachyderm returns to his circus home at the end of the movie!
Former Cirque du Soleil juggler Thom Wall has published a new book on juggling entitled Juggling — From Antiquity to the Middle Ages: The Forgotten History of Throwing and Catching. The book “tracks juggling as a form of ritual and play as it sprung up in remote cultures all around the world” and has received rave reviews from knowledgeable critics. Erin Ball updated her Flying Footless as a “guide for creat- ing accessible and inclusive circus practices” and “focuses on lower limb amputees with an outline for making circus acces- sible for all people.” Responding to Europe’s changing cultural tastes, Germany’s Circus Krone’s newest production Mandana presents what is arguably a perfect blending of contemporary and traditional
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