By Carol Cooper
If you attend Manhattan Center, you already know that Harlem can be a wonderfully diverse and exciting neighborhood. Although the Covid pandemic robbed New York City of many indoor attractions, several city agencies made sure that free and low cost entertainment came safely to our parks and outdoor spaces. For example, over the lovely weekend of September 18-19, the Bindlestiff Family Cirkus brought hours of fun to local residents around 116th Street on Saturday, and to those living near 142nd Street and Amsterdam Avenue on Sunday.
Copper Santiago, with her Diabolo
The Department of Transportation and the Mayor’s Office of Media and Entertainment gave this troupe of predominantly black and Latino performers colorful flatbed trucks on which to travel and perform throughout the five boroughs this summer and fall.
Susan Voyticky, the aerialist.
Their season is now ending, but locations for their remaining October performances include:
1. October 2nd. At 34th Ave. Open Street (Queens) and 5th Avenue Park Slope (Brooklyn)
2.October 16th. Del Valle Square Plaza (Bronx)
3. October 17th. Del Valle Square Plaza (Bronx)
4. October 23rd. Newkirk Avenue between Marlborough Rd. & East 16th St. (Brooklyn)
[MORE INFO AT:] www.bindlestiff.org OR http://bindlestiff.org/flatbedfollies/
King Charles Unicycle Troupe
Paris, the Hip Hop Juggler
Advertised as a “variety show” the range of acts Bindlestiff presented in Harlem included the “Kaisokah Moko Jumbies,” a polished drum and bugle corps, a live band, a selection of jazz singers and tap dancers, as well as jugglers, illusionists, unicyclists, and a daredevil aerialist. Children and adults gathered around the portable seating provided while watching and video recording the various attractions. Although many people may not expect to see black and Latinx performers mastering the circus arts, both Bindlestiff, and the much larger Big Apple Circus, demonstrate that a growing community of BIPOC practitioners exist.
Bindlestiff Cirkus (sic) in effect!
“Paris the Hip Hop Juggler” ( who got his name from weatherman Al Roker after a television performance) kept objects of various sizes spinning in the air to the uptempo sound of booming beats and rhymes. Resplendant in red, Susan Voyticky hung suspended in mid-air twisting herself into dangerously elegant poses. The King Charles Unicycle Troupe played full court street basketball on their bikes and then used them to jump rope. Copper Santiago combined gymnastic tumbling with throwing the Diabolo. The show’s colorful Ringmaster kept the crowd hyped with interactive magical illusions and informative introductions.
If you can, try to catch this unique urban circus before they go on winter break! If you think you’d like to help promote (or even join) the circus for next summer’s city tour, consult their website for details.
The Ringmaster