The Big Apple Circus is a

circus A circus is a company of performers who put on diverse entertainment shows that may include clowns, acrobats, trained animals, trapeze acts, musicians, dancers, hoopers, tightrope walkers, jugglers, magicians, ventriloquists, and unicy ...

based in New York City. Opened in 1977, later becoming a

nonprofit organization A nonprofit organization (NPO), also known as a nonbusiness entity, nonprofit institution, not-for-profit organization, or simply a nonprofit, is a non-governmental (private) legal entity organized and operated for a collective, public, or so ...

, it became a tourist attraction. The circus has been known for its community outreach programs, including

Clown Care Clown Care, also known as hospital clowning, is a program in health care facilities involving visits from specially trained clowns. They are colloquially called "clown doctors" which is a trademarked name in several countries. These visits to hosp ...

, as well as its humane treatment of animals. Big Apple Circus filed for

Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection Chapter 11 of the United States Bankruptcy Code (Title 11 of the United States Code) permits reorganization under the bankruptcy laws of the United States. Such reorganization, known as Chapter 11 bankruptcy, is available to every business, wh ...

in November 2016 and exited bankruptcy in February 2017 after its assets were bought by Compass Partners. The Circus was renewed in October 2017 for its 40th anniversary season and returned to start a new season in October 2018 at Lincoln Center, receiving generally positive reviews.

History

1970s

Gregory Fedin and his then-wife Nina Krasavina, both born and trained in Russia, started a circus school to train future "first" generation circus performers. They started the small school in a lower Manhattan loft. The circus couple worked with Paul Binder and Michael Christensen to develop the Big Apple Circus following the European style "one ring" circus. In 1977, they located and secured an open ground area, in

Battery Park The Battery, formerly known as Battery Park, is a public park located at the southern tip of Manhattan#Manhattan Island, Manhattan Island in New York City facing New York Harbor. The park is bounded by Battery Place on the north, with Bowling ...

, courtesy of founding chairman Alan B. Slifka, where the Big Apple Circus debuted. Headlining the early shows was a single

trapeze A trapeze is a short horizontal bar hung by ropes, metal straps, or chains, from a ceiling support. It is an aerial apparatus commonly found in circus performances. Trapeze acts may be static, spinning (rigged from a single point), swinging or ...

, a dog act, tight rope walking,

jugglers Juggling is a physical skill, performed by a juggler, involving the object manipulation, manipulation of objects for recreation, entertainment, art or sport. The most recognizable form of juggling is toss juggling. Juggling can be the manipula ...

and clowns, double trapeze artists, and a host of other performers.

1980s

The Big Apple Circus began the 1980s with a special holiday celebration in honor of the circus and its staff. In 1981, the circus began performing at Damrosch Park of

Lincoln Center Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts (also simply known as Lincoln Center) is a complex of buildings in the Lincoln Square neighborhood on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. It has thirty indoor and outdoor facilities and is host to 5 ...

for the first time, continuing until 2015. In 1982, the circus won a silver medal at a circus performing competition held in

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

. The circus began to arrange tours across

New England New England is a region consisting of six states in the Northeastern United States: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont. It is bordered by the state of New York (state), New York to the west and by the ...

in 1983. They also received an

Obie award The Obie Awards or Off-Broadway Theater Awards are annual awards given since 1956 by ''The Village Voice'' newspaper to theater artists and groups involved in off-Broadway and off-off-Broadway productions in New York City. Starting just after th ...

that year. In 1985, the

Boston Pops The Boston Pops is an American orchestra based in Boston, Massachusetts, specializing in light classical and popular music. The orchestra's current music director is Keith Lockhart. Founded in 1885 as an offshoot of the Boston Symphony Orc ...

teamed up with Big Apple Circus for what was touted as an extraordinary collaboration and live performance. Also, in 1985 and for the next few years, BAC performers appeared as guest artists with the

Metropolitan Opera The Metropolitan Opera is an American opera company based in New York City, currently resident at the Metropolitan Opera House (Lincoln Center), Metropolitan Opera House at Lincoln Center, situated on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. Referred ...

. In 1986, the organization opened the

unit. The circus celebrated its tenth anniversary in 1987 with a big celebration, as well as a new tent and seating system added. Topping the celebrations was a prestigious silver crown, which the circus won at the International Circus School competition in

Monte Carlo Monte Carlo ( ; ; or colloquially ; , ; ) is an official administrative area of Monaco, specifically the Ward (country subdivision), ward of Monte Carlo/Spélugues, where the Monte Carlo Casino is located. Informally, the name also refers to ...

Monaco Monaco, officially the Principality of Monaco, is a Sovereign state, sovereign city-state and European microstates, microstate on the French Riviera a few kilometres west of the Regions of Italy, Italian region of Liguria, in Western Europe, ...

, where six of the circus'

acrobats Acrobatics () is the performance of human feats of balance, agility, and motor coordination. Acrobatic skills are used in performing arts, sporting events, and martial arts. Extensive use of acrobatic skills are most often performed in acro d ...

and

showcased their talent. In 1989,

NYNEX NYNEX Corporation was an American telephone company that served five states of New England (Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island and Vermont) as well as most of the state of New York from January 1, 1984 to August 14, 1997. Histo ...

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. The circus and some of its performers were showcased in the

Woody Allen Heywood Allen (born Allan Stewart Konigsberg; November 30, 1935) is an American filmmaker, actor, and comedian whose career spans more than six decades. Allen has received many List of awards and nominations received by Woody Allen, accolade ...

movie ''

Alice Alice may refer to: * Alice (name), most often a feminine given name, but also used as a surname Literature * Alice (''Alice's Adventures in Wonderland''), a character in books by Lewis Carroll * ''Alice'' series, children's and teen books by ...

''.

1990s

In 1991, the circus appeared in a special from HBO, commemorating its 15th anniversary. By 1996, there was increased interest in Big Apple Circus and its performers in cities outside the New York/

area. This popularity was in part due to the circus' exposure in the Woody Allen film. In 1996, BAC traveled to both

Chicago Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...

and

Columbus, Ohio Columbus (, ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of cities in Ohio, most populous city of the U.S. state of Ohio. With a 2020 United States census, 2020 census population of 905,748, it is the List of United States ...

. Michael Christensen received two more awards, including one named after

Red Skelton Richard Bernard Skelton (July 18, 1913September 17, 1997) was an American entertainer best known for his national old-time radio, radio and television shows between 1937 and 1971, especially as host of the television program ''The Red Skelto ...

. In 1991, Big Apple Circus' performers participated in a collaboration between American and Russian circus performers. In 1993, the circus set a new attendance record. A new tent was purchased, and Michael Christensen was given a Parenting Achievement award by ''Parents'' magazine, to recognize his work with Clown Care. That same year, an incident occurred when one of the performing horses became entangled in another's

rein Reins are used to direct a horse (or other animal) when riding or driving. They are attached to a bridle's bit or noseband and are made of leather, nylon, or other materials. Reins are used to give subtle commands or cues—also known as r ...

s, and an audience member severed the reins with a Swiss Army knife. Gary Dunning became the Big Circus' executive director in 1994. Also, the coffee brand Chock full o'Nuts began sponsoring the circus. 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.

continued to develop, opening chapters in

Washington, D.C. Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from Virginia, and shares land borders with ...

, and in

Connecticut Connecticut ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, New York (state), New York to the west, and Long Island Sound to the south. ...

. 1997 saw new attendance records set, as an estimated 170,000 people went to see the circus' "Medicine Show" production over a total of 114 New York City performances. Furthermore, Clown Care completed 150,000 hospital visits in one year for the first time in the program's history. During 1998, the circus was able to break attendance records again, as it celebrated twenty years of operation with engagements at New York's

Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts (also simply known as Lincoln Center) is a complex of buildings in the Lincoln Square neighborhood on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. It has thirty indoor and outdoor facilities and is host to 5 ...

and in

Boston Boston is the capital and most populous city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. The city serves as the cultural and Financial centre, financial center of New England, a region of the Northeas ...

TJ Maxx TJ Maxx (stylized as T•J•maxx) is an American discount department store chain. It has more than 1,000 stores in the United States, making it one of the largest clothing retailers in the country. TJ Maxx is the flagship chain of the TJX Comp ...

began to sponsor Big Apple Circus appearances in

and in

Atlanta Atlanta ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Georgia (U.S. state), most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. It is the county seat, seat of Fulton County, Georg ...

by bringing the "Circus of the Senses" to those cities. In 1999, Christensen was inducted into

Miami Miami is a East Coast of the United States, coastal city in the U.S. state of Florida and the county seat of Miami-Dade County, Florida, Miami-Dade County in South Florida. It is the core of the Miami metropolitan area, which, with a populat ...

's Ambassador David A. Walters pediatric Hall of Fame, for his "contributions to pediatrics" by way of the circus and its different programs. "Circus of the Senses" attracted a large number of special needs children, with 9,000 participating. The circus dropped plans for a second unit that was to play in theaters after less than successful financial results during a trial run. The 1990s also marked the beginning of a private school for the children who lived and traveled with the circus, titled "The One Ring School House," or "ORSH." The name is a play on " one room schools" and "one ring circus" (the Big Apple Circus branding itself via its traditional single performing ring in contrast to multiple-ring circuses such as Ringling Brothers and Barnum and Bailey). It was officially chartered by

New York State New York, also called New York State, is a state in the northeastern United States. Bordered by New England to the east, Canada to the north, and Pennsylvania and New Jersey to the south, its territory extends into both the Atlantic Ocean and ...

, with teachers supplied by On-location Education, a charter program specializing in bringing standard

primary Primary or primaries may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Music Groups and labels * Primary (band), from Australia * Primary (musician), hip hop musician and record producer from South Korea * Primary Music, Israeli record label Work ...

and

secondary education Secondary education is the education level following primary education and preceding tertiary education. Level 2 or ''lower secondary education'' (less commonly ''junior secondary education'') is considered the second and final phase of basic e ...

to children of performing artists, as well as child performers. Teachers were paid the New York substitute minimum, or negotiated contracts.

2000s

In 2001, the circus' best-known performer, "Grandma" the clown (played by Barry Lubin), inducted into the International Clown Hall of Fame. A new seating system was installed in the circus big top, and, after the

September 11, 2001 attacks The September 11 attacks, also known as 9/11, were four coordinated Islamist terrorist suicide attacks by al-Qaeda against the United States in 2001. Nineteen terrorists hijacked four commercial airliners, crashing the first two into ...

, the circus opened its "Dreams of a City" show, which was dedicated to the City of New York.

New York City Mayor The mayor of New York City, officially mayor of the City of New York, is head of the executive branch of the government of New York City and the chief executive of New York City. The mayor's office administers all city services, public property, ...

Michael Bloomberg Michael Rubens Bloomberg (born February 14, 1942) is an American businessman and politician. He is the majority owner and co-founder of Bloomberg L.P., and was its CEO from 1981 to 2001 and again from 2014 to 2023. He served as the 108th mayo ...

proclaimed November 1, 2002, as "Big Apple Circus Day". The circus celebrated its 25th anniversary with a documentary film about the creation and production of that year's show. In "Carnevale!", actors and circus performers Pedro Carrillo and Alesya Gulevich entered the

Guinness Book of World Records ''Guinness World Records'', known from its inception in 1955 until 1999 as ''The Guinness Book of Records'' and in previous United States editions as ''The Guinness Book of World Records'', is a British reference book published annually, listi ...

when, in 2003, they set records, at the same moment, in their different specialties: Carrillo skipped a rope on the

high wire Tightrope walking, also called funambulism, is the skill of walking along a thin wire or rope. It has a long tradition in various countries and is commonly associated with the circus. Other skills similar to tightrope walking include slack rope ...

1,323 times in a row, and Gulevich twirled 99

hula hoop A hula hoop is a toy hoop (rhythmic gymnastics), hoop that is twirled around the waist, limbs or neck. It can also be wheeled along the ground like a wheel with careful execution and practice. They have been used by children and adults since ...

s at the same time. Another show, "Circus to Go," allowed Big Apple Circus to reach new communities, specifically in Western states. In 2005, Barry Lubin helped produce a show entitled "Grandma Goes To Hollywood." On December 2, 2008,

Britney Spears Britney Jean Spears (born December 2, 1981) is an American singer. Often referred to as the "Princess of Pop", she has sold over 150 million records worldwide, making her one of the world's best-selling music artists. Cultural impact of Brit ...

performed her hits

Circus A circus is a company of performers who put on diverse entertainment shows that may include clowns, acrobats, trained animals, trapeze acts, musicians, dancers, hoopers, tightrope walkers, jugglers, magicians, ventriloquists, and unicy ...

and Womanizer in a televised promotion concert on

Good Morning America ''Good Morning America'', often abbreviated as ''GMA'', is an American breakfast television, morning television program that is broadcast on American Broadcasting Company, ABC. It debuted on November 3, 1975, and first expanded to weekends wit ...

at the Big Apple Circus. The Big Apple Circus went on to become the opening act on her phenomenally successful

The Circus Starring Britney Spears The Circus Starring Britney Spears, commonly referred to as the Circus Tour, was the seventh concert tour by American entertainer Britney Spears. It was launched in support of her sixth studio album, ''Circus'' (2008). Rumors of a tour arose as ...

world tour. In the 2008–2009 season,

PBS The Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) is an American public broadcaster and non-commercial, free-to-air television network based in Arlington, Virginia. PBS is a publicly funded nonprofit organization and the most prominent provider of educat ...

filmed a documentary about the Big Apple Circus. The documentary, titled "Circus", portrays the lives of not only the performers but the crew as well. The six-part event aired starting November 2, 2010, in chronological order.

2010s

The 2010–2011 season show was titled "Dance On", while the 2011–2012 season show was themed "Dream Big" and was the farewell tour for the clown character ''Grandma'', played by Barry Lubin. In 2014, the ''Big Apple Circus Metamorphosis'' was released to video.

Bankruptcy

In July 2016, it was announced that for the first time since 1981, the circus would not run for the 2016 holiday season. The Circus set a fundraising goal for $2 million in 2016 in an effort to maintain operations, but only half of the funds needed were raised. The circus filed for

on November 11, 2016. An auction of the assets of Big Apple Circus was announced on January 13, 2017. On February 14, 2017, Big Apple Circus announced that the U.S. Bankruptcy Court had approved the sale of their assets to Big Top Works, an affiliate of Compass Partners, for $1.3 million. As part of the sale, the circus was renewed for its 40th anniversary season.

2017 relaunch – present

On March 21, 2017, Big Apple Circus announced on

Today Today (archaically to-day) may refer to: * The current day and calendar date ** Today is between and , subject to the local time zone * Now, the time that is perceived directly, present * The current, present era Arts, entertainment and m ...

that acrobat

Nik Wallenda Nikolas Wallenda (born January 24, 1979) is an American acrobat, aerialist, daredevil, high wire artist, and author. He is known for his high-wire performances without a safety net. He holds 11 Guinness World Records for various acrobatic feat ...

of the Wallenda Family of circus performers would be the headline act in the 40th anniversary comeback season at Lincoln Center's Damrosch Park in

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

from October 26, 2017, to January 7, 2018. Additionally, the circus announced that following the New York performances, a national tour would take place. In September 2018, Big Apple Circus announced Bindlestiff Family Cirkus owner Stephanie Monseu as the new ringmaster for the 41st season. The "high flying" season included a group of female-led acts that would be joining Monseu at the Big Apple Circus. These included Duo Fusion, Spicy Circus, and The Flying Tunizianis. It also introduced a VIP experience called the Mirror Room, which allowed ticket-holders to gain access to a wooden

Spiegeltent A spiegeltent (Dutch language, Dutch for "mirror tent", from ''wikt:spiegel#Dutch, spiegel''+''wikt:tent#Dutch, tent'') is a large travelling tent, constructed from wood and canvas and decorated with mirrors and stained glass, intended as an ent ...

with food, beverages, photo opportunities, and one-on-one interactions with performers. In 2021, the circus was sold again, with Nik Wallenda as a minority owner.

Other programs

Following the circus' emergence from bankruptcy in 2017, community programs "for low-income children and those with special needs as well as other programs geared toward helping the community" continued.

Circus of the Senses

Started in 1987, Circus of the Senses is a circus performance specifically geared towards children and adults with vision or hearing impairments, as well as special needs. Sign language interpreters and sound augmentation for deaf patrons allow the audience to experience the circus as never before. In 1999, over 6,000 children took advantage of these performances. The program is run by the Big Apple Circus.

Embracing Autism Performances

Started in 2017, upon the circus entering new ownership after bankruptcy, Embracing Autism performances have a reduced running time, as well as sensory adaptations.

Former Programs

Several community programs were originally started and run by the Big Apple Circus, and were not included in Big Apple Circus' bankruptcy sale, and have since been taken over by various local organizations.

Clown Care

Founded in 1986, the Big Apple Circus

program is composed of over 80 professional clowns, trained extensively in hospital procedures, circus skills, and improvisation, who make rounds as 'clown doctors' at various pediatric hospitals around the U.S. It is estimated that the clowns make more than 225,000 visits to children every year "in both inpatient and outpatient units, including

intensive care Intensive care medicine, usually called critical care medicine, is a medical specialty that deals with seriously or critically ill patients who have, are at risk of, or are recovering from conditions that may be life-threatening. It includes p ...

, emergency room,

physical therapy Physical therapy (PT), also known as physiotherapy, is a healthcare profession, as well as the care provided by physical therapists who promote, maintain, or restore health through patient education, physical intervention, disease preventio ...

bone marrow transplant Hematopoietic stem-cell transplantation (HSCT) is the transplantation of multipotent hematopoietic stem cells, usually derived from bone marrow, peripheral blood, or umbilical cord blood, in order to replicate inside a patient and produce a ...

pediatric Pediatrics (American English) also spelled paediatrics (British English), is the branch of medicine that involves the medical care of infants, children, adolescents, and young adults. In the United Kingdom, pediatrics covers many of their youth ...

AIDS The HIV, human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) is a retrovirus that attacks the immune system. Without treatment, it can lead to a spectrum of conditions including acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS). It is a Preventive healthcare, pr ...

, and

hematology Hematology (American and British English spelling differences#ae and oe, spelled haematology in British English) is the branch of medicine concerned with the study of the cause, prognosis, treatment, and prevention of diseases related to bloo ...

oncology Oncology is a branch of medicine that deals with the study, treatment, diagnosis, and prevention of cancer. A medical professional who practices oncology is an ''oncologist''. The name's Etymology, etymological origin is the Greek word ὄγ ...

Circus After School

Big Apple Circus' Circus After School program gives opportunities for "at-risk youth to develop life-enhancing skills such as teamwork, commitment, and responsible risk-taking through a structured program of learning and performing the circus arts."

Vaudeville Caravan

Founded in 2001 as a spin-off of the Clown Care program, the Vaudeville Caravan brings clowns to nursing homes.

Circus for All

The Circus for All program provides Big Apple Circus tickets to low-income and disadvantaged children, families, and the elderly.

Circopedia

Started in October 2008, Circopedia is an online circus encyclopedia.

References

{{Reflist, 30em

External links

Big Apple Circus website

Circopedia
American circuses Culture of New York City 1977 establishments in New York City Clowning