41st anniversary STUDY GUIDE Welcome to the 41st anniversary tour of the Big Apple Circus! The thrill and excitement of the circus dates back hundreds of years. Today, at the Big Apple Circus 41st anniversary tour, audiences can behold a quadruple somersault on the flying trapeze, horses and dogs, horizontal juggling, a trampoline wall, and impossible feats of balance all led by our ringmaster, Stephanie Monseu. How do seemingly ordinary people perform such extraordinary feats? The amazement of the circus provides a perfect platform for the study of STEM, literature, history, social studies, and physical education adaptable to all grades and ages. This study guide takes students on a delightful educational journey through the Big Apple Circus. Each entry will highlight applicable core curriculum standards along with suggested activities, conversation starters, and a bibliography. Please use this guide as a starting point for your own creative adventure into the world of circus education. The more you know… the more amazing the circus becomes. The ringmaster is your guide to the circus as she introduces each of the acts. Stephanie is a New York City native. In 1994, she began performing with Keith Nelson as a fire eater. They co- founded New York’s Bindlestiff Family Cirkus, beginning a lifelong partnership and a commitment to circus and variety arts. In addition to performing production and management duties for Bindlestiff, Stephanie has also worked with youth and adults in Bindlestiff’s Social Circus programs. Being a part of the community of international circus artists is the greatest reward of Stephanie’s career. Copyright © 2018 Big Apple Circus All rights reserved. This book or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of BigTopWorks, LLC 2 CIRCUS HISTORY Circus performers have been entertaining The circus became so popular that Astley soon audiences for thousands of years. There were opened another one in Paris. Other showmen, jugglers in the courts of kings and acrobats in the business men, theater producers, and former Greek amphitheaters. The circus as we know it students took the idea of a circus, created their today started in England in 1768 with Philip Astley. own, and made it the most popular form of Philip Astley was a horseman in the British cavalry entertainment all over Europe and Russia. and served in the French and Indian War. After his service, he wanted to share his knowledge and The first American circus appeared in love of horses with others, so he opened a school. Philadelphia in 1785. President George Washington In order to promote his school, he put on “displays” was in the audience to see it! Soon, circuses popped in an indoor, circular space so that everyone could up all over the United States. Since the U.S. was a see. This led Astley to discover the wonder of new country, there were very few large cities, so in centrifugal force. He “discovered that if he trained order to reach a significant number of people, the his horse to canter in a circle at a constant speed, circus had to travel. At first, circuses constructed a while both he and his horse were leaning slightly building to house the ring in every town they went inward, centrifugal force would help him keep his to. This took a long time and got very expensive. balance. He also discovered that a horse cantering In the mid-nineteenth century, circus owners in a circle of a certain size would provide just replaced the buildings with tents, which they could the right amount of force for achieving the most pack up and travel with in trucks or trains. This graceful balance” (John Culhane, The American made travelling much easier and allowed them Circus). He determined that the perfect diameter to go farther for less money. The circus became was 42 feet – the same size as the ring at the Big so efficient that both the United States military Apple Circus! and Kaiser Wilhelm’s German army studied their methods in an attempt to improve their own The idea was a hit, so he added more acts. logistical operations. There were hundreds of The first was a trick rider who jumped on and off, different shows touring the country at the same changed his clothes, and flipped over and under time. Now, there aren’t many authentic touring the horse all while it was cantering! As more acts circuses left. The Big Apple Circus is a unique and were added, the display became known as a circus, historical experience. based on the Latin word for ring. Discussion Questions: How did the circus get it’s name? When was the first circus in America? Why does the circus perform in the ring? Which elements of our society at that time When was the first circus created? made it easier or more difficult for circuses? What else was happening in Europe at this Which part of the travelling circus inspired time? military minds around the world? 3 BIG APPLE CIRCUS HISTORY 1976 Two street jugglers named Paul Binder and Michael Christiansen decided to start their own circus in New York City. They based the style of their circus on Annie Fratellini’s Nouveau Cirque de Paris, where they performed their comedy juggling act in 1975. The first tent was pitched in Battery Park City. 1977 The tent was pitched on 34th Street in an empty lot which would 1978 later become Madison Square Garden. Big Apple Circus received an Obie Award for excellence. 1983 The first Circus of the Senses show was performed for blind 1987 audiences. 1991 HBO aired a special on the circus called “Ballerinas, Horses and Clowns” which continues to air every year. 1998 Big Apple Circus has its twenty-year anniversary. 2013 Big Apple Circus puts on the first Embracing Autism show. 2017 Neil Kahanovitz, former circus performer, became chairman of Big Apple Circus. 2018 The 41st anniversary tour began, and Big Apple Circus continues to amaze and amuse audiences from all over the world. 4 FUN FACTS There are more than 8 countries represented in the cast of the 41st anniversary show. • Estefani, one of the members of our fIying trapeze act, is a 7th-generation circus performer. She is also a mom of two. Her husband, Ammed, is also a fIyer and performs the famed quadruple somersault. • The founder of Spicy Circus, the trampoline wall act, is Andréanne Quintal. She is the first generation in her family to join the circus. • Ekaterina Stepanova is the daughter of another great Big Apple Circus aerialist, Malvina Abakarova. • There are 14 children traveling with their parents on this year’s tour. Fun with Numbers The tent we use today was made in Italy. It seats 1,600 people, and no seat is farther than 50 feet from the ring. It takes about 35 people and 8 hours to set up the tent. There are 98 side poles measuring 16 feet high that support the periphery (outside) of the tent. Where the performers and staff live is called the “village.” There are 58 trailers including homes for the cast and crew, the box office and concessions. The Big Apple Circus uses over 2000 feet of electrical cable to run power to every place that needs it. 5 FUN FACTS Elements of the Circus Circus gets its name from the ring, but it is also defined by the artistry within the ring. Circus is distinct (different) from theater, dance and other performing arts although it incorporates aspects of many of them. Circus presents a usually non-narrative sequence of variety acts showing the agility, grace and strength of both human and animal performers. The types of acts fall into distinct categories, though individual acts often include more than one category. Circus Vocabulary Acrobat: person who uses both gymnastics and dance in their act Act: a display of skill and dexterity by a person or group of people Aerial: an act performed in the air above the ring Aerial Strap: long straps suspended from the ceiling that the artist uses strength and momentum to climb and descend Applaud: what the audience does to show appreciation for the show Audience: the people watching Charivari: an opening act including many people, usually most of the company to perform a series of short acrobatic skills in rapid succession, “chari-vari” means noisy celebration Cigar Box: a box used for juggling, the shape of which is based on a box historically used to hold cigars Company: all of the performers together Costume: what the performer wears during the show Free-standing Ladder: a straight ladder with no support Hand to Hand: acrobatic act with two or more people using each other to balance and perform feats of great strength Juggling: manipulation of objects Ring Master: the person who guides us through the performance Ring Curb: the small edge around the ring Trapeze: a horizontal bar hanging by two ropes (usually high in the air) and free to swing Trampoline: a fabric sheet attached to springs which is used as a springboard in acrobatics 6 WOMEN IN CIRCUS Circus women are a unique, strong, talented and accomplished group of people. The same can be said for many circus people, but women often have to overcome greater societal barriers to be a part of the circus. Historically, performing has been a male-dominated industry. But the circus has no place for sexism or racism, so the Big Apple Circus promotes inclusivity and diversity. Big Apple Circus is proud to celebrate the accomplishments of circus women past and present! Annie Fratellini (1932-1997) Like many circus children, Annie was trained in acrobatics and other circus skills, and since her mother was a good musician, she was also given a musical education.