For Paul Binder '63, creator of the Big Apple Circus, bigger isn't necessarily better. Instead, "bigger is bigger," he said in an interview with The Dartmouth.
Binder believes that the appeal of the circus is the audience's contact with the performers, an element of performance that is lost during three-ring circuses that Binder said are "uniquely American." This philosophy is what led him to create his famous one-ring circus in 1977, harkening back to the American circus of the late 19th century before success pushed greedy circus owners to expand their shows.
"The performers weren't superheroes," Binder said of the original American circuses. "They were human beings like you and I but they were doing extraordinary things." The performers, too, benefit from the intimate setting by experiencing the gasping, laughing and bellowing pouring from the stands.
For these reasons, Binder believes the circus to be "the theater of aspirations," a place where people can indulge in their primal desires.
"We all have the urge to fly and there it is right in front of us," he said.
Because everyone has these urges, Binder believes that the circus is not just for children.
"The clowns represent every man who inevitably falls but stands up, brushes off his pants and moves on," Binder said.
He said that while the circus is a great family attraction, students who attend are "astounded and delighted by what they see."
"It touches deep cords in people if it's done right," Binder said.
He added that the circus has the bonus of allowing us to indulge in our primal desires without being "intellectually pretentious."
This year, the 28th season of the Big Apple Circus will end here in Hanover. Performers in this year's tour hail from all over the world including Italy, Russia, China, Chile, England, Bulgaria, France and of course the United States.
The circus' signature clown, Grandma, finds herself in an L.A. adventure titled "Grandma Goes to Hollywood" -- a theme that Binder admitted is not trying to convey any deep messages.
"It's an excuse to have some fun," he said.
Grandma suddenly finds herself in different movies, including Mary Poppins and Star Wars. Binder said that this year's theme starts with the notion that everyone growing up in America already has an idea of what Hollywood is like, and runs with it.
"Hollywood is a mythical place," he said.
For the last several years, the Big Apple Circus has ended in Hanover, drawing community members from all over the Upper Valley. Each year, 17 to 19 thousand people come to see the performance in Hanover. "It's a nice place to finish," Binder said via telephone. "It's so beautiful there."
Binder was working with a mime troupe in San Francisco in the 1970s when he met future Big Apple co-founder Michael Christensen. Together they formed a comedic juggling act and took their show on a tour through Europe down through Greece and finally to Istanbul. The duo made their living by performing on street corners, at a time before street performances were common or considered acceptable.
In Paris, the duo was hired from off the street and toured with the Nouveau Cirque de Paris for a year. It was this experience that convinced Binder to bring the tradition of small, intimate circus acts back to America, a tradition that had fallen out of style by the 1920s.
It may seem that Binder, who majored in history while at Dartmouth, stumbled upon the circus world by accident. But Binder believes that although he did not have aspirations to found a circus, he was always on the path to performance.
"It may have been opportunistic but I wouldn't say I fell into it," he said. Binder always had the desire to perform and continually followed his passion. While at Dartmouth, he acted with the Dartmouth Players and a repertory company during the summer.
Binder is scheduled to teach a master class this coming school year to one of professor Peter Hackett's theater classes. The class will focus on the circus' connection to the origins of theater.
Binder said that the circus is the form of theater that is closest to original theater because it retains the theater-in-the-round performance space and because it "touches people in deep ways without being talky."
"It's not about thinking. It's about feeling and connecting to emotions," he said.
The Hanover performances of the Big Apple Circus kicked off last night at 7 p.m. For the schedule of remaining performances and ticket information, please contact the Hopkins Center box office.
