Flying jesters, back-flipping dogs, stumbling clowns and parading horses were only some of the featured guests at The Big Apple Circus, which took center stage under the big top tent at Fullington Farm throughout the weekend.
Making its 18th appearance in Hanover, the circus attracted a mixed crowd of students and adults of every age. The high-flying acts and clumsy clowns elicited laughter from both elementary school children as well as from the somewhat more stoic college students who peppered the crowd.
The circus will continue to be in town until Tuesday night.
Star clown Bello Nock used his clumsiness and animation to appeal to the audience from the get-go. Initial stunts included kicking around a can in a vacant lot and acrobatics involving a trampoline and a diving board in an effort to turn Bello into "a bouncing diver at the beach."
Bello's elaborate gesticulations and extreme facial expressions helped him stay connected with the crowd no matter what his situation -- whether it be his helplessly riding backwards on an elephant or leading the band.
While Bello's buffoonery and nimbleness -- as seen in the teeterboard acrobatics -- captivated the crowd, other performers like Francesco volleyed an oversized beach ball with those in the grandstand and box seats, much to their delight.
Bello & Friends, as the show is titled, is an all new performance that celebrates the essence of the clown. Accompanying Bello, the descendant of a Swiss circus family, are a host of trapeze artists, jugglers, acrobats, musicians and an array of mammals.
In addition to the slapstick clowning around, acrobatics and physical contortion were another significant component to the circus' repertoire.
Four jokers ascended two separate ropes to the upper limits of the big top, whereupon three of them alternately swung on the trapeze to connect in the middle with the fourth joker. The flying jester routine was repeated several times, each instance marked by split-second precision that garnered applause and awe from the spectators.
The agility and strength of two performers who comprised "the well balanced couple" were also on display, as they transformed an elegant dinner outing into a showcase of endurance and graceful bodily control. Using dining room furnishings in ways you never thought imaginable, the couple performed a well-balanced routine.
The friendly and well-trained assortment of circus mammals instantly became crowd favorites in acts throughout the entire performance.
Black and white canines were the first featured circus animals. Five fluffy white dogs ran into the ring and hopped onto waiting stools. With applause and sighs mounting, the dogs proceeded to entertain viewers by jumping through hoops, repeatedly flipping over backward and standing upright in a line.
Some of the evening's most humorous events revolved around the dogs' acting in nontraditional ways. Their bipedal movements -- which at one point took the form of two dogs wearing red tutus and walking on their hind legs -- had the effect of looking at the species in a whole new light. And when a white feline was instructed to grip onto the back of a black canine as the latter walked on its hind legs, even more applause erupted.
Another mammal act, though not as outrageous as the first, involved white ponies meandering through the ring and through the long legs of two performers on stilts. Horses were used again when another member of the performing ring crew aerially mounted himself on the running horses.
Currently occupying the grounds of Fullington Farm on Route 10, The Big Apple Circus was founded in 1977 by Paul Binder '63. It is arguably the nation's best-known and most beloved one-ring circus. After attending the performance of Bello & Friends you'll understand why, whether you're in the third grade or your third year of college.
