Big Apple Circus 25th Anniversary Book

For anyone who has seen the Big Apple Circus live, this book belongs on your bookshelf. And for anyone who has not seen this circus live, this book will make you want to see it. Big Apple Circus is fashioned after the traditional European one-ring tent circus. The audience is more intimately involved because of its proximity to the ring, and its ability to focus on one ring instead of trying to follow the action in three rings. Unlike the Cirque Du Soleil, it depends less on high-tech sound and lighting. This delightful anniversary book is to be commended for its beautiful color photography and expertly written text by a circus scholar, Dominique Jando. The book provides "A Brief History of the Circus," "Putting on the Show," "Life On the Road," and 19 sets of wonderful color photographs documenting special theme shows from 1985 to 2002. The Big Apple Circus opened in 1977, on an empty lot near the World Trade Center, and was the creative genius of Paul Binder and Michael Christensen--two accomplished jugglers. The stunning photographs include many of the most famous performers from the last 25 years. For example, the famous Woodcock elephants are pictured in a variety of poses, from standing on hind legs, sitting upright, to joining their trunks to support a balancing performer. Of course, there are the beautiful Arabian stallions, performing dogs, and even an equestrian riding on an ostrich. Chinese imports include the dazzling Nanjing and Liaoning acrobatic troupes, including two lovely ladies balancing head-to-head while spinning plates. To the best of my knowledge, there are no videos or DVD's available of this remarkable circus. In the early 80's I was fortunate to videotape a shortened performance of the Big Apple Circus from a television special. It included several of its earliest performers, such as the beautiful solo aerialist, Dolly Jacobs, the wire and bar gymnast, Marie-Pierre Benac, and the humorous juggling act of the founders--Paul and Michael. When I was growing up near Hollywood, my brother and I always looked forward to the traveling one-ring big top that would set up its tent on a vacant lot--not unlike the beginning of the Big Apple Circus in New York. If we arrived early in the morning, we could volunteer for some menial task, such as feeding or watering down the elephants for a pair of free tickets. It was thrilling to see the elephants help upright the poles as the tent was raised. The Big Apple Circus captures the magic and spell of the traditional circus by continuing to perform under the Big Tent! While the pictures in the Big Apple Circus book will appeal to all ages, let me recommend two delightful books written for children on the one-ring circus theme: Randy's Dandy Lions and Chester the Worldly Pig. The books are written and illustrated by Bill Peet, who worked on some of the early Disney Classics. Like my brother and I, he also had a habit of running off to the circus when it came to town.