New York is a city that thrives on comebacks, and this fall, one of its most beloved traditions is sweeping back into Lincoln Center with more style, heart, humor, and high-flying thrills than ever. The Big Big Apple returns through Jan. 4, with its newest production, \u201cThe World\u2019s Best Under Our Big Top.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThis season is truly special,\u201d producer Joe Gold says. \u201cWe\u2019ve crafted a show that nods to the golden age of circus while pushing the art forward. We want audiences to feel connected, inspired, and fully immersed in what humans are capable of achieving.\u201d And that\u2019s exactly what unfolds beneath the iconic one-ring Big Top.<\/p>\n
From the moment the lights shift and the music swells, the audience is transported into a world alive with international talent. The energy skyrockets when the legendary Bingo Troupe from Kyiv hits the ring. They move with a cinematic intensity\u2014bold choreography, dramatic formations that feel like a live-action blockbuster, but with a soulful tenderness you don\u2019t expect in an acrobatic act. \u201cOur act is a synergy of strong choreography, dangerous tricks, wonderful music, and beautiful costumes,\u201d explains Daria Ruda, who performs with captivating precision.<\/p>\n
Fellow troupe member Katerina Sahaidak adds, \u201cWe train to feel each other\u2019s energy. Trust is everything.\u201d Their dream of performing in New York isn\u2019t lost on them. \u201cNew York has always been my childhood dream,\u201d Daria says. \u201cI am proud to bring our performance to Manhattan.\u201d<\/p>\n
From there, the Big Top becomes a playground of talent from every corner of the world. High above the ring, the seventh-generation Nicolodi Brothers, Dylan and James, soar with a level of trust only siblings could share. They move like mirrored reflections\u2014fast, fearless, and flawlessly synchronized.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen I fly, I feel such adrenaline that it becomes a feeling of freedom,\u201d James Nicolodi tells us. Their training, they say, is relentless. \u201cWe train two times a day and try not to skip,\u201d Dylan Nicolodi explains. \u201cOur lives depend on each other. I love my brother.\u201d<\/p>\n
Their pre-show rituals reveal just how deeply their bond runs. \u201cDylan does the cross sign three times to have a blessing from the heaven, while I recite all the tricks we\u2019re going to do onstage. Doing that, I feel calm,\u201d James shares. It\u2019s both breathtaking and unexpectedly emotional\u2014a family legacy lived out in real time.<\/p>\n
Then there\u2019s the warm, mischievous presence of Johnny Rico, a third-generation clown. But don\u2019t think old-school slapstick\u2014Johnny brings a modern, stylish spin to the ring.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy clown is a traditional yet modern character\u2014shy, but he unintentionally ends up performing magic, juggling, acrobatics, dancing, singing,\u201d he explains. His training is serious, even meditative. \u201cStaying physically and mentally fit is essential. And the time I put on my makeup is my ritual.\u201d He embraces whatever happens live: \u201cThe clown has the power to transform tragedy into a smile.\u201d If there were a Tony Award for grace under pressure, he\u2019d get it.<\/p>\n
And then the entire tent seems to collectively hold its breath as the Flying Maluendas take the stage\u2014or rather, the sky. This seventh-generation Chilean family treats altitude like a stage.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt is an act with a lot of synchronization, trust, and unique art when performing pirouettes at 12 meters high,\u201d says Gaston Maluenda. Their showstopper, the quadruple somersault, is the kind of risk you can feel in your spine. Yet they make it look effortless, as if flying were something they were simply born knowing how to do. \u201cWe want the audience to feel adrenaline and excitement,\u201d Gaston says. Mission accomplished.<\/p>\n
The global tapestry of performers also includes the astonishing Bone Breakers from Guinea, whose contortion seems almost superhuman; the daring Kung Fu Boys, whose martial arts sequences flash by like lightning and include balancing acts that seem impossible; the beloved Olate Family and their joy-powered performing pups; and many more who join forces to make this year\u2019s show as eclectic as New York itself.<\/p>\n
Founders and longtime stewards of the circus, like Paul Binder, say the show has something no algorithm can imitate. \u201cThe fans\u2019 reaction hasn\u2019t changed,\u201d he shares. \u201cThat\u2019s what makes it stand out as a special show.\u201d And indeed, there\u2019s something grounding, refreshing, almost cathartic about watching performers risk, trust, laugh, and shine without screens, edits, or do-overs.<\/p>\n
Everything about this year\u2019s Big Apple Circus feels intimate, emotional, and deeply human\u2014from the performers\u2019 personal rituals to the families who have passed their craft through generations, to the audiences who sit less than 50 feet from the action. The experience even starts before the show now, thanks to the VIP tent, where guests can savor holiday treats and curated extras that make the evening feel like a full-night escape rather than just a performance.<\/p>\n
Producer Joe Gold sums it up best: \u201cThis show is about human achievement\u2014not props or sets. It\u2019s about the talent, the trust, and the joy that unfolds in real time.\u201d For him, the circus still evokes everything magical from childhood: \u201cThe tent, the cotton candy smell, the music. . . . It all brings me back.\u201d<\/p>\n
And that\u2019s exactly what Big Apple Circus does so well\u2014it brings us back. Back to wonder. Back to awe. Back to feeling alive in a way only New York\u2019s most timeless spectacles can. This holiday season, the circus isn\u2019t just returning home. It\u2019s inviting you to rediscover the thrill of being there, eyes wide, heart open, swept up in the extraordinary.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"New York is a city that thrives on comebacks, and this fall, one of its most beloved traditions…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":49090,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[35],"tags":[27662,75,84,83,9,24,63],"class_list":{"0":"post-49089","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-manhattan","8":"tag-heather-stein","9":"tag-manhattan","10":"tag-manhattan-headlines","11":"tag-manhattan-news","12":"tag-new-york","13":"tag-new-york-city","14":"tag-nyc"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/49089","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=49089"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/49089\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/49090"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=49089"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=49089"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=49089"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}