Stepping Out

Going to extremes under the Big Top

Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus offers plenty of surprises

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Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey’s latest circus extravaganza is ready to wow audiences when it arrives at Nassau Coliseum next week. The newest edition of the supersized spectacle takes the action to an extreme, with “Circus Xtreme,” which opens next Wednesday and continues through March 8.
This time around, the circus’s creative team — with producers Alana and Nicole Feld at the helm — has devised a production that pushes the limits with performers who redefine the word “extreme” in everything they do.
The action explodes off the arena floor as traditional circus elements are magnified and combined with over-the-top daredevilry, superhuman stunts and never-before-seen acts, which are a staple of the Ringling Bros. tradition.
Featuring an international cast with an array of animal acts, including 16 Bengal tigers, audiences can expect to see elaborate complex stunts — including powerful strongmen, high wire acts, BMX trick riders, trampoline daredevils, a bungee aerial skydiving act, a high-flying human cannonball — and all sorts of outlandish daredevil routines.
“We pulled from the realm of extreme sports and competitive acrobatics and brought them into the world of the circus, making this the most contemporary show we have ever created,” says Alana Feld.
Ringmaster David Shipman guides audiences on a quest around the world with the help of the adventure seeking comic duo of Alex and Irina Emelin. Along the way, circus-goers can let their imaginations run wild in this exploration of extreme beauty, flexibility, strength and dexterity, according to the Ringling Bros. team.
“Circus Xtreme is unlike anything ever done before in Ringling Bros. history,” Shipman declares. “It fuses traditional circus elements with modern techniques and the result is amazing. The animals, the highwire acts, everything is taken to the next level.”

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