Big Apple Circus

The Big Apple Circus is a circus that is located in New York City. Opened in 1977, it has become an touristic attraction as well.

History

The Beginning

Paul Binder and Michael Christensen were a pair of American street jugglers who, after meeting in San Francisco, decided to travel to Europe in the early 1970s. During 1974, while in Kent, England, they decided to tour around Europe with their act. Eventuall they would also participate in the prestigious Nouveau Cirque de Paris , in France. When they decided to return home in 1976, they had gained some celebrity in Europe.

The 1970s

Inspired by their experience in Europe, the pair had decided to open a circus in the United States, and, in 1977, they found an open grounds area where they could build the circus. This area was located at Battery park , in New York.

During 1978 the circus moved from Manhattan. By 1979, two performing acts schools had been opened with money raised from the circus shows.

The 1980s

The Big Apple Circus began the 1980s decade with a lot of media attention, having established a special holiday celebration in honor of the circus and its staff, and then appearing in a Hollywood film.

In 1982, the circus won a silver medal at a circus performing competition held in Paris.

1983 saw the circus begin to tour, as tours across New England began to be arranged. The circus also received an Obie award that year.

By 1984, the circus had opened a new school, this one on East Harlem. The new school's aim was to teach low income children how to become talented circus performers. That year also, the circus returned to the Paris circus competition, this time bringing home the gold medal.

In 1985, the famous Boston Pop's teamed up with Big Apple Circus.

One of the biggest steps in the institution's history was taken in 1986, when the circus opened the clown care unit, a group of professional clowns, trained extensively in hygiene, circus skills, and improvisation, make rounds as "clown doctors."

1987 marked the circus' tenth anniversary, and big time celebrations were held during the entire year. A new tent and seating system was bought. Topping the tenth anniversary celebrations was a prestigious silver crown, which the circus won in Monte Carlo, Monaco. Many students from the circus' schools also won awards at Monte Carlo that year.

During 1988, the Big Apple Circus once again made headlines, when the company participated in the first circus collaboration between China and the United States in history. Paul Binder received an honorary doctorate in fine arts from Darthmouth College that year.

In 1989, NYNEX started to sponsor metropolitan New York tours to residents of the area and tourists as well. The tour included a trip to the Big Apple Circus' grounds. Michael Christiensen received the Raoul Wallenberg humanitarian award that year for the creation, three years before, of the retired clown's pension program. The same year, the circus and some of its performers were showcased on a Woody Allen movie, "Alice". In 1989 also, the circus surpassed the amount of one million dollars in fund raising for the first time.

The 1990s

By 1990, interest in the circus and its performers had been taken by the public in cities outside the New England area. This was in part due to the circus' exposure in the Allen film, as well as a result of all the different achievements the circus already had gotten. So, that year, Chicago and Columbus were included in the circus' yearly tour, with those two cities becoming the first two cities outside New England where the circus performed at. Michael Christensen received two more awards, including one named after Red Skelton.

The Harlem Hospital Center , founded with funds that came from the Big Apple Circus, was opened that year, and the hospital's pedriatic area in particular became a headlining facility, as doctors there would dress up as clowns and perform tricks for patients. HBO aired a special documentary about the circus that year also.

In 1991, Big Apple Circus' performers participated in the first collaboration between American and Russian circus performers. That same year, Paul Binder was given a presidential medal of achievement by Dartmouth, as well as a doctorate in fine arts by the Pratt Institute.

In 1993, the circus set a new attendance record for its complex. A new tent was opened, and Michael Christensen was given a Parenting Achievement award by Parents magazine , to recognize his work with the Clown Care foundation.

Gary Dunning became the Big Circus' executive director in 1994. Meanwhile, Christensen received another award, this one the "Sullivan Trail Sertoma's Club Service to Mankind Award". A creative Center campaign was announced, the chocolate brand Chok'l Full O'Nuts began sponsoring the circus, and a new mark was set as far as most funds received during one year.

Peter T. Grauer became the circus' chairman in 1995, replacing Patricia Rosenwald .

In 1996, the circus' Art in Education program began to work in different grade schools. Clown Care continued to develop, opening chapters in Washington, D.C. and in Connecticut.

1997 saw new attendance records be set, as an estimated 170,000 people went to see the circus' "Medicine Show" act over a total of 114 performances. Clown Care completed 150,000 hospital visits in one year for the first time in the program's history, and Paul Binder received an honorary doctorate from Rhode Island College.

During 1998, the circus was able to break attendance records again, as it celebrated its twenty years of operation with engagements at New York's Lincoln Hall and in Boston. The Boston part was particularly extenuating to the circus' performers, as it was one of the longest stays in one city that they had ever experienced. TJ Maxx , a major American company, began to sponsor Big Apple Circus appearances in Chicago and in Atlanta by bringing the circus' "Circus of the Senses" performing act to those cities. Circus of the Senses is an act geared towards special children. In 1999, over 6,000 children attended this specialized act.

That same year (1999), Michael Christensen was inducted into Miami's Ambassador David A. Walters pediatric Hall of Fame, for his "contributions to pediatrics" by way of the circus and its different programs.

The 2000s

In 2000, Binder and Christensen continued garnering awards, being declared as "Living Landmarks" by the New York Landmarks Conservancy . Once again, "Circus of the Senses" attracted a large number of special children, with 9,000 kids enjoying that act.

2001 saw one of the circus' longest member, clown "Grandma" (Barry Lubin ), get inducted into the International Clown Hall of Fame . More seats were added to the circus, and, after the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, the circus opened its "Dreams of a City" show, which is dedicated to New York.

New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg proclaimed November 1, 2002, as the "Big Apple Circus day" in New York. A newsletter, "The Ringside Report", had begun to be produced and sent exclusively to circus members and donators earlier that year, and a Clown fashion show raised more than one million dollars, which were promptly transferred to the circus' various charity programs. The circus celebrated its 25th anniversary that year with a documentary film about how everything on the shows was run, among other things.

Carnivale! show actors and circus performers Pedro Carrillo and Aleysha Goulevich entered the Guinness Book of World Records when, in 2003, they set records, at the same moment, in their different specialties: Carrillo skipped a rope on the high wire 1,323 times in a row, and Goulevich twirled 99 hula hoops at the same time.

"Circus to Go" made the Big Apple Circus reach new communities that year. allowing the company to venture to the American Western states for the first time, among other places. Michael Christensen, meanwhile, picked another honorary certificate, when he was given the "Distinguished Alumni Award" by the University of Washington's arts department, and he was also given an award by Exceptional Parents magazine. The latter award was picked by him during a Baltimore Orioles baseball home game.

In 2004, the company picked up an Emmy award, in the "Outstanding Entertainment in Programming Single Program" category.

External Links

Big Apple Circus' website