The Bindlestiff Family Cirkus was founded in 1995 by Keith Nelson and Stephanie Monseu. Initially, the duo was named "Fireplay. They toured the world with a mix of
circus and
sideshow. In 1999, the company became a
non-profit organization incorporated as "Bindlestiff Family Variety Arts, Inc.
[ Smithsonian Institution]
"Profiles: Bindlestiff Family Cirkus"
Smithsonian Institution, Smithsonian Folklife Festival, Circus Arts, Washington, DC, United States, 2017, as referenced on 18 February 2020.[Albrecht, Ernest / Editor]
"Bindlestiff Family Cirkus Has Been Defying All Odds for Twenty Five Years"
'' Spectacle'' (an online journal of the circus arts), Vol. VIII, No. 5, East Brunswick, New Jersey, date of publication undetermined, as referenced on 18 February 2020.[''Juggle Magazine'', International Jugglers' Association, Kissimmee, Florida, May/June 2004.]
Shows
Beginning in 2001, the Cirkus produced full-length theatrical productions, including "Buckaroo Bindlestiff's Wild West Gender Bender Jamboree" (2001), "High Heels and Red Noses" (2003), and "From the Gutter to the Glitter: A Night Out with the Bindlestiffs" (2005), directed by Michael Preston.
They also produced several editions of the ''Cavalcade of Youth'', a showcase for performers 21 years of age and under.
The Palace of Variety
In 2002, the company converted a defunct shoe store just off
Times Square into a performance space called The Palace of Variety and a museum called The Free Museum of Times Square. During the following seasons, The Palace of Variety became the focal point of variety arts in New York City. As many as fifteen shows per week featured the Bindlestiff Family Cirkus and other performing artists. Acts included
plays, sideshow exhibitions,
burlesque
A burlesque is a literary, dramatic or musical work intended to cause laughter by caricaturing the manner or spirit of serious works, or by ludicrous treatment of their subjects. shows and a
flea circus. The Free Museum of Times Square showcased the area's history. They were forced to close in February 2004 due to the planned demolition of the building.
Company members
Mainstay performers include founders Keith Nelson and Stephanie Monseu, keyboardist Raja Azar, aerialist and
trapeze artist Tanya Gagné,
lasso artist and
rope-spinner Angelo Iodice,
clown
A clown is a person who performs comedy and arts in a state of open-mindedness using physical comedy, typically while wearing distinct makeup or costuming and reversing folkway-norms.
History
The most ancient clowns have been found in ...
Christine Duenas, musician Peter Bufano, clown Matthew Morgan,
juggler Adam Kuchler, drummer Tim Hoey, flea circus
impresario and clown Adam Gertsacov,
magician
Magician or The Magician may refer to:
Performers
* A practitioner of magic (supernatural)
* A practitioner of magic (illusion)
* Magician (fantasy), a character in a fictional fantasy context
Entertainment
Books
* ''The Magician'', an 18th-ce ...
Magic Brian,
daredevil
Daredevil may refer to:
* A stunt performer
Arts and media Comics
* Daredevil (Lev Gleason Publications), a fictional 1940s superhero popularized by writer-artist Charles Biro
* Daredevil (Marvel Comics character), a Marvel comic book superher ...
clown Jonah Logan,
insectivore
A robber fly eating a hoverfly
An insectivore is a carnivorous animal or plant that eats insects. An alternative term is entomophage, which can also refer to the human practice of eating insects.
The first vertebrate insectivores wer ...
and magician Tanya Solomon, and magician MC Scotty the Blue Bunny.
[Baldwin, Michelle]
"Burlesque and the New Bump-n-Grind"
Speck Press, Denver, Colorado, pgs. 107-108, as referenced in the Open Library. Other members have included
Sxip Shirey
Gene "Sxip" Shirey (pronounced "skip") is an American electric-acoustic composer, performer, and story-teller. Currently based in New York City, he is known for working with found objects, traditional and rare modified instruments, as well as ...
.
References
External links
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{{Authority control
Circuses