Weekend calendar: June 13-19

“Wallenda — Beyond Belief Viewing and Street Party”: Mattison’s City Grille, Main Street, Sarasota

Mattison’s and Circus Sarasota will host the second annual “Wallenda — Beyond Belief Viewing and Street Party — from Sarasota to the Grand Canyon” 7-11 p.m. June 23. The public can view Nik Wallenda crossing the Grand Canyon live on the Jumbotron video screen. The street party is on Lemon Avenue between Main Street and First Avenue and will feature a variety of circus performances by international circus artists and youth performers from the Sailor Circus. Hands-on family-friendly circus activities including balloon making, face-painting, low wire walking, street vendors, prize drawings, live auction, live music and more. The event is free and open to the public. The fundraising event supports Circus Sarasota. VIP tickets are $100 and include a reserved seating area near the main stage and a special menu with wine. VIP tickets are limited, advanced purchase is required. Information: 941-355-9335 or www.mattisons.com or www.circussarasota.org.

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Circus Sarasota offers some tricks for Summer Spectacular showcase

Circus fans have a new way to mix history and thrills of live performance at the Ringling Museum of Art.

Master Trick Roper and bull-whip artist Texas Jack Fulbright performs in Circus Sarasota’s 2013 Summer Circus Spectacular at the Historic Asolo Theater. PHOTO PROVIDED BY CIRCUS SARASOTA

During the annual run of Circus Sarasota’s Summer Circus Spectacular in the Historic Asolo Theater (June 18-Aug. 3), the Ringling Museum is offering a $5 admission to audiences who also visit the Circus Museum and its large collection of memorabilia.

 

 

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Circus Sarasota Appoints Managing Director and Hires Be Creative Studios as Marketing Partner

June 3rd, 2013
Jennifer Mitchell has been promoted to Managing Director of Circus Sarasota, a newly created position to support the incredible growth of this local non-profit organization. Read more

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The Patterson Foundation Launches Legacy of Valor Campaign

Yearlong campaign honors veterans through community partnerships leading up to the spring 2014 dedication of Patriot Plaza

SARASOTA, Fla. (April 5, 2013) – The Patterson Foundation kicked off its Legacy of Valor campaign today, highlighting 17 community-driven partnerships that honor veterans and their families, inspire patriotism and embrace freedom.

The Legacy of Valor campaign is an extension of The Patterson Foundation’s first-of-its-kind partnership with the National Cemetery Administration to construct Patriot Plaza, a ceremonial amphitheater at Sarasota National Cemetery. The yearlong series of Legacy of Valor partnership events – which include a variety of experiences from luncheons and exhibits honoring veterans to themed street art and film festivals– begin this month and culminate during the spring 2014 dedication of Patriot Plaza.

“The Legacy of Valor campaign honors and salutes veterans and their families for the sacrifices they make in order to secure our freedom,” said Debra Jacobs, president and CEO of The Patterson Foundation. “The enthusiastic response we received from community partners was overwhelming, and we hope every person in our community can find opportunities to participate through their time, talent and treasure.”

Through Legacy of Valor partnerships, community entities are collaborating with each other to create and build upon existing activities and events to educate, build enthusiasm and focus the community to honor and support veterans and their families. The Legacy of Valor community partnerships touch many aspects of our community, including arts performances for veterans and their families, educational programs to teach community youth about our nation’s history and the contributions of veterans, and services such as providing needed home repairs for veterans.

To enhance these collaborations, The Patterson Foundation is investing up to $1 million in the Legacy of Valor campaign.

“It is so special to see such support and a spirit of collaboration in our community honoring those who have done so much for our country,” Jacobs said. “Our goal through the Legacy of Valor campaign is to encourage our community to use Patriot Plaza following its dedication to continue to honor veterans for generations to come.”

To learn more about the Legacy of Valor campaign and Patriot Plaza at Sarasota National Cemetery, please visit patriotplaza.thepattersonfoundation.org.

About The Patterson Foundation The Patterson Foundation believes that through communications, technology, and financial innovations, improvements may be achieved that transcend any single issue, entity, or geographic area. The Foundation provides resources to facilitate, expedite, and share methods, techniques, and tools, joining with others in creating new realities. For more information, please visit www.ThePattersonFoundation.org.

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Circus Sarasota & Jersey Mike’s Subs Team Up for Month of Giving in March

“Day of Giving” March 27

TAMPA, Fla., Feb. 21, 2013 – Circus Sarasota, & the Sailor Circus Program are joining forces with local Jersey Mike’s Subs restaurants throughout Sarasota for the 3rd Annual March “Month of Giving” fundraising campaign. The campaign will culminate in the nationwide event, Jersey Mike’s “Day of Giving” on Wednesday, March 27.

During the month of March, customers can make a donation to Circus Sarasota, & the Sailor Circus Program at any area Jersey Mike’s restaurant. Then on Wed March 27, a special nationwide celebration, “Day of Giving,” will take place at all Sarasota Jersey Mike’s locations to benefit 86 different charities including hospitals, youth organizations, food banks and more.

On that day, area residents are invited to come in to a local Jersey Mike’s restaurant and enjoy a delicious sub meal. All area Jersey Mike’s restaurants will donate 100 percent of the day’s sales to Circus Sarasota’s youth training program, The Sailor Circus. For more information on our charity partners, please visit www.jerseymikes.com/mog.

Circus Sarasota’s youth training program: The Sailor Circus

“The Sailor Circus of Sarasota, Florida is thrilled to be chosen by Jersey Mike’s Subs for the Month of Giving,” said Joan Leonard, Administrative Director, of the Sailor Circus Program. With this partnership we are able to continue serving the youth of Sarasota by providing a safe environment to learn life skills through the exciting tradition of the circus arts. The Month of Giving allows us to provide our program to students whose parents cannot afford after school specialty programs. Together with Jersey Mike’s we are able to teach our students the importance of community and giving back to the community that one lives in.”

Participating Sarasota Jersey Mike’s Restaurants:

  • 3820 S. Tuttle Ave, Sarasota
  • 8210 Tourist Center Drive, University Park

Last year’s Month of Giving campaign raised nearly $858,000 for 74 different charities nationwide. Since 2010, Jersey
Mike’s locations throughout the country have raised more than $5 million for worthy local charities and distributed
more than 500,000 free sub sandwiches to help numerous causes.

“I would like to extend a personal invitation to come in and enjoy a Jersey Mike’s sub during our Month of Giving in
support of one of your local charities,” said Peter Cancro, Jersey Mike’s founder and CEO, who started the company
when he was only 17 years old. “The opportunities to give are all around us so we hope this March you will join us to
make a difference in someone’s life.”

For more information about Jersey Mike’s Subs Month of Giving please visit: http://www.jerseymikes.com.

About Jersey Mike’s
Jersey Mike’s, a fast-casual sub sandwich franchise with more than 750 locations open and under development
nationwide, has a long history of community involvement and support. Started at the Jersey Shore in 1956, Jersey
Mike’s serves authentic East Coast-style subs on fresh baked bread – the same recipe it started with over 50 years ago.
The company’s mission is to bring its customers the highest quality, freshest made sub in the industry and give back
to the communities in which it operates. A store locator and franchise information for Jersey Mike’s can be found at
www.jerseymikes.com.

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Let’s Run Away to the Circus!

When asked if I wanted to take a trapeze class while on a girls getaway to Sarasota Florida, without hesitation or really even much thought, I exclaimed “Yes!” What could be more fun than flying through the air, ideally with grace and strength? I recruited my friends Dawn and Robin (my adventurous partners in crime: see What Happens in Vegas…). Circus Sarasota offers a few different circus-type classes, and we were quick to sign up.

First, we took the Aerial Gym class. The description read that hoops are used, suspended about two or three feet off the ground. We thought the class sounded fun – we just didn’t realize how hard it would be! The five us in the class used the steel hoops as support in various Pilates- and yoga-type moves – plank, bridge, even downward facing dog. The most fun, though, was when we balanced our chests on the hoops, used our arms for leverage and swung, swan-like (maybe?!), through the air. My favorite move of the class, though, was (Wo)Man in the Moon – we balanced on our thin steel hoops, bending and shaping our bodies until we conformed to the hoop’s curve. In the pose, I felt graceful and limber – all I needed was a sparkly outfit and I would’ve been set!

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A Circus That You See — and Hear

SARASOTA, Fla. — Long live the beautiful lady on the flying trapeze in the big arena and the magic of a Sunday afternoon in a world upside down — a circus performed with a 150-voice chorale and a symphony orchestra.

There is no sawdust on the floor and no pink lemonade for Cirque des Voix. Missing is a circus band blaring “Barnum & Bailey’s Favorite.” Instead, a semi-circle of violins and cellos and French horns plays the music of “1492: Conquest of Paradise” for a hand-balancing act.

This is taking the circus to a new level. A packed crowd of 1,000 cheers and gives the performance a standing ovation. Some paid as much as $45 for their seats.

HERE IS AN EXCITING, enchanting show. It is bringing the soul of “The Greatest Show on Earth” to a remarkable level of class. Performers like this can only be assembled in a circus city like Sarasota; nowhere else is there such a gathering of talent.

It would be difficult to assemble the circus-minded Sarasota Key Chorale at the i wireless Center in Moline to sing John Williams’ “Themes From ‘The Lost World’” while four members of the Flying Wallendas are walking a thin cable and risking their necks high above the audience heads.

There are moments when you are so thrilled by a lovely aerialist’s cloud swing that you cannot pay attention to the combined symphony and chorale music, “Dark Night of the Soul.”

All through this performance I keep thinking how — in its circusy way — it reminds me of the Holiday Pops at the i wireless — the choir, the symphony, the performers, the color, the adoring crowd. Steve Jobman, the Quad-City “Pops” director, should fly down to Sarasota next holiday season when Cirque des Voix is to be performed with a Christmas theme.

THIS EARLY SPRING performance has been rehearsed and fine-tuned so choir and symphony are in synch with the performers. What a challenge it was for symphony and voices to be in tune-time as the Wallendas do their four-high bicycle pyramid 50 feet in the air.

“It is a circus that is quite different and it is thrilling — with such musical accompaniment to the acts,” says Pedro Reis, a former aerialist who now runs the widely hailed Circus Sarasota, which is performed in a Camelot-like tent. He is in a tuxedo to introduce the Cirque des Voix, and gives us a little wave when it is time for the appearance of Dolly Jacobs, his wife and the co-owner of Circus Sarasota.

I cannot take my eyes off Dolly, in her bird-like swirls, sometimes with her flying partner. She is the first lady of the circus, and honored by Circus Monaco (Pulitzer of the circus world) as the world’s great aerialist of all time. I pay no attention to the music, which is so appropriate. She soars to “Across the Vast, Eternal Sky” and “Walking in the Air.”

The Sarasota Herald’s reviewer said of Dolly: “No matter how many times you see her, Jacobs manages to create magical and ethereal beauty in her performances.”

We ARE sitting in the front row, so close to the thick riggings that I can touch them and feel their tense strains as young women and Spider-Man slide from the top of the arena and twist and turn on long strands of colored silk. It is one of the scariest and most dangerous acts in the the circus world of performing.

At intermission, Tom and Jane Rudbeck of Davenport walk by, suggesting that I dig into their box of popcorn. “We expected to see you here,” he says.

In my long life, I have likely seen a hundred or so circuses. Never have I seen, or heard, one as entrancing as Cirque des Voix.

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Circus Sarasota takes the show to assisted living facilities

SARASOTA – Circus Sarasota is now nearing the end of their winter program, with their final show this Friday night. But even after the tent goes dark, the show goes on, because those performances are only the tip of the iceberg.

Circus Sarasota continues its service to the community all year long, and that includes their outreach program “Laughter Unlimited.” Five days a week, specially trained clowns and other Circus Sarasota performers go into nursing homes, assisted living homes, and facilities that serve people with disabilities.

There, they not only make the residents laugh, but they inspire them to use their abilities and their talents to the maximum.

The Laughter Unlimited team got a royal welcome at the United Cerebral Palsy Center in Bradenton this week. “We don’t just come in and put on a show and present a performance, our clients are vested in the program because we trust them and they trust us,” says performer Chuck Sidlow.

Laughter Unlimited visits there twice a month. This is one of their many stops. Every week, they hit two facilities a day, spreading joy and teaching life skills, like better communication. “Most of the Laughter Unlimited programs are dealing in the senior community with Alzheimer dementia independent living, as well as assisted living for our aging folks. First the hearing goes, then the speech, so communication is very, very important.”

Clients don’t just sit back and watch, they’re a part of the show. They sing, they make music, they perform circus tricks. They’ve been to see Circus Sarasota, and they pretend to be Nik Wallenda.

You can see the applause they get means a lot to them. “Our wonderful friends here at UCP get a wonderful sense of accomplishment and a sense of empowerment,” says performer Billy Bob.

The staff at UCP says Laughter Unlimited makes a major difference in the lives they touch there. “Their main focus is to help the individual find their talent and their desires and use that to develop a sense of humor and just have a great time,” says Gail Lesko.

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CIRCUS REVIEW: Nik Wallenda keeps Circus Sarasota flying high

By Jay Handelman, Herald-Tribune
/ Sunday, January 27, 2013

Having watched daredevil Nik Wallenda’s thrilling high-wire walk over Niagara Falls last year, you might wonder how he can match that excitement level under the more limited big top of Circus Sarasota.

Nik Wallenda, on left, with Erendira Vazquez Wallenda and Blake Wallenda perform during Circus Sarasota's opening night. (Herald-Tribune Staff Photo by Thomas Bender)Nik Wallenda, on left, with Erendira Vazquez Wallenda and Blake Wallenda perform during Circus Sarasota’s opening night. (Herald-Tribune Staff Photo by Thomas Bender)

But the Wallenda family knows how to put thrills into a performance, no matter the venue.

To cap off Circus Sarasota’s action-packed 16th show, Nik Wallenda is joined by his wife, Erendira Vazquez Wallenda, his sister Lijana Wallenda Hernandez and his cousin Blake Wallenda on the wire in the intimate confines of the circus tent.

See a gallery of images from the 16th Circus Sarasota opening night

They walk, jump and ride bicycles across the thin wire, and stage a mini-version of the Wallenda family’s famous pyramid, with Blake and Nik riding bicycles and supporting Lijana on a chair resting on a bar across their shoulders. The slightest wobble she makes trying to sit or stand reminds you of the dangers in the act, even for a routine they have performed countless times.

Nik Wallenda, who is set for a high-wire walk across U.S. 41 on Tuesday, is the star attraction at this year’s show, but he’s hardly the only stand-out performer.

The incredible Encho Keryazov strongman and hand-balancer during Circus Sarasota's opening night. (Herald-Tribune Staff Photo by Thomas Bender)The incredible Encho Keryazov strongman and hand-balancer during Circus Sarasota’s opening night. (Herald-Tribune Staff Photo by Thomas Bender)

That list begins with strongman and hand-balancer Encho Keryazov, who supports himself on two poles (and sometimes just one), maneuvering his body into seemingly impossible positions for minutes on end without releasing the tension in his muscles. Sweat covers his body by the time he supports his on two stacks of eight bricks atop the poles.

Stefan and Aline of Duo Platchkov do a high-speed juggling act, where, in a rare switch, the man is more of an assistant, as she dextrously bounces balls off two drums and a platform. Aline finishes the act by playing familiar melodies on a special keyboard by juggling the balls at an increasingly rapid rate.

Aline of the Duo Platchkov juggling act plays music by bouncing balls on a special keyboard in Circus Sarasota. (Herald-Tribune Staff Photo by Thomas Bender)Aline of the Duo Platchkov juggling act plays music by bouncing balls on a special keyboard in Circus Sarasota. (Herald-Tribune Staff Photo by Thomas Bender)

The Jioke Riders open the show standing atop horses running around the ring, while leaping through hoops over bars at ever-increasing speeds.

Natalya and Jorge Pompeyo present a cute array of acrobatic dogs who jump ropes or through rings and over metal stands. Ventriloquist Willer Nicolodi is a skilled artist, but his best material comes when he uses some audience members as his impromptu dummies.

Vladimir and Olga Smirnov return with some new twists in their still mind-boggling quick-change costume routine, in which gets wrapped or briefly covered by fabric or tinsel and emerges in seconds in a new outfit. Even repeated viewings doesn’t diminish the astonishment they create.

You can also be impressed by the Duo Manducas, the comical hand-balancing act performed by Antonio “Toni” Ferreira and Victor August Freitas-Doresis, who generate laughs while demonstrating strength and skill.

Acrobatic antics of Antonio Toni Ferreira and his circus counterpart, Victor Augusto Freitas-Doresis of Duo Manducas, (Herald-Tribune staff photo by Thomas Bender.)Acrobatic antics of Antonio Toni Ferreira and his circus counterpart, Victor Augusto Freitas-Doresis of Duo Manducas, (Herald-Tribune staff photo by Thomas Bender.)

And a performance of Circus Sarasota would not be complete without co-founder Dolly Jacobs gracefully floating through the air while supported by straps. This year she’s joined by a new partner, longtime trapeze artist Rafael Palacios, who looks as thrilled as the audience to be in on the act.

Paul Binder, founder of the Big Apple Circus, serves as friendly Ringmaster, providing a bit of history with each introduction. Over the last 16 years, founders Pedro Reis and Dolly Jacobs have ensured that Circus Sarasota adds to that history in its own stylish way.

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REVIEW: The Uniquely Sarasotan Cirque des Voix

By Gayle Williams, Herald-Tribune / Saturday, February 26, 2011

On many occasions I am grateful for the astonishing good fortune to live in Sarasota, but none more so than when I was brought to tears of joy witnessing the  “Queen of the Air” and international circus legend Dolly Jacobs flying near the peak of the big top to the luscious music of Ennio Morricone performed by live orchestra and chorus.  What could be more uniquely Sarasotan than a celebration of the musical arts and circus arts together?

Aerialist Dolly Jacobs performing at Circus Sarasota

A roar of applause and cheers is due to impresarios Joe Caulkins of Key Chorale and Pedro Reis of Circus Sarasota for creating this wonderful experience to share with us.  This was not simply a concert taking place in a tent with some circus acts in front of the orchestra and chorus.  Rather, we saw the Maestro transformed to Ringmaster and programmed music which perfectly meshed with the nature of each circus act.

Caulkins, delivering his lines with classic circus inflection, either had good coaching or is a natural who seemed to relish this new role.  From the first set up featuring clowns Chuck Sidlow and Karen Bell fishing for “O For-TUNA” segueing into Carl Orff’s memorable opening to “Carmina Burana,” to the driving force of Karl Jenkins’ “Dies Irae,” perfectly portraying the Moroccan Connection’s acrobatic muscle in the music, this was a neatly blended new art form.

To be sure, there were times when the act truly did distract from the music, as with the Rolla Bolla act by Axel Perez where bursts of applause and the rapt attention required to enjoy this balancing act, allowed us to largely ignore the musical challenges the chorus was hurdling in Eric Whitacre’s engaging “Little Man in a Hurry.”

The program included several works where the chorus and orchestra did not have to share the spotlight and in these the Key Chorale acquitted itself well.  Perhaps it was the acoustics of the tent that made it difficult to follow the sung text in Charles Ives’ “Circus Band” and in most of the pieces, but the general sound, blend and pitch of the ensemble made for an enjoyable experience.  OF course, the musicians of the orchestra and accompanying pianists Judy Richey, Genevieve Beauchamp, and Nancy Yost Olson were superb as well.

The Sarasota Young Voices were featured in a number of the selections and they excelled in their own spotlight with the atmospheric music of Karl Jenkins’ “The Snow of Yesterday,” even outshining Allesandro Wallenda’s juggling act with their charming way in “La Lluvia” by Stephen Hatfield.

If the aerial beauty of Dolly Jacobs made us cry, then the jaw-dropping contortions of Ricardo Sosa paired with Karl Jenkins’ deeply moving “Pie Jesu” left us speechless.  If you had to miss one of these two performances this year, then buy your tickets well in advance for what we hope will be an annual event of this remarkable new partnership.

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