Big Apple Circus to Welcome Guest Ringmaster NYC Council Member Barry S. Grodenchik, 5/21

Big Apple Circus welcomes Guest Ringmaster New York City Council Member Barry S. Grodenchik to the Big Top on May 21, 2016 at 4:30pm for the company's 38th season with the Queens Premiere of its all-new show, The GrandTour.

Council Member Barry S. Grodenchik is a lifelong Queens resident. He is the New York City Council Member representing Eastern Queens, District 23. Mr. Grodenchik grew up in Pomonok Houses and graduated from Jamaica High School in 1978. He would go on to attain a Bachelor's Degree in history and economics from Binghamton University. In 1987, Mr. Grodenchik got his start in public service, working on the staff of Assemblywoman Nettie Mayersohn, who represented portions of north-central Queens. He would work for her until leaving to become the Queens Regional Representative for then-New York Governor Mario Cuomo, where he worked for two years. Grodenchik would leave in 1991 to become the Chief Administrative Officer for Queens Borough President Claire Shulman, and later served as Deputy Borough President under Helen Marshall. Mr. Grodenchik was elected to serve in the New York State Assembly from 2002-2004, and was elected to City Council in November 2015.

"I am delighted to have been invited to participate in the Big Apple Circus, which has been bringing excitement and joy to Cunningham Park for decades. On top of that, the organization runs fantastic community programs throughout New York City to help empower students through the circus," said Council Member Barry S. Grodenchik. "It is truly a New York institution in the best possible way."

The Grand Tour transports audiences to the Roaring 1920s, the advent of the modern travel era, when the most adventuresome began to tour the world in ships, planes, trains, and automobiles. With every seat less than 50 feet from the stage, audiences will be awed by the world-class entertainers as they perform breathtaking acts from the four corners of the globe. Clowns, jugglers, acrobats, and aerialists from Africa, Asia, Australia, Europe, and North and South America appear with ponies, puppies and more; the troupe sets off on its own whirlwind adventure, accompanied by the live, seven-piece Big Apple Circus Band at each of more than 100 performances.

Four-time Big Apple Circus ringmaster John Kennedy Kane returns to introduce a variety of stunning performers: clowns Joel Jeske and Brent McBeth; third-generation circus animal trainer Jenny Vidbel with her pony and dog acts; aerialist Sergey Akimov; international juggling sensation AlexanderKoblikov; ninth-generation circus performer Chiara Anastasini with hula hoops; the Dominguez Brothers defying the law of gravity with their thrill-filled act featuring the Wheel of Wonder; Chinese hand balancers The Energy Trio; the African acrobatic troupe Zuma Zuma; and the Dosov Troupe soaring on the teeterboard.

The GrandTour, conceived and created by Joel Jeske, is directed by Mark Lonergan (artistic director of Parallel Exit, the three-time Drama Desk Award-nominated physical theater company) with associate director and choreographer Antoinette DiPietropolo. Musical direction by Rob Slowik with clown material created and directed by Joel Jeske. Set and lighting design by Maruti Evans, costume design by Oana Botez, and props design by Katie Fleming.

Big Apple Circus Embraces Autism will take place on Tuesday, May 31, 2016 at 11am. Big Apple Circus has joined with world-renowned Autism Spectrum Disorders experts to adapt The Grand Tour for families with members on the spectrum and create a joyful experience for all. The adapted show includes the same world-class artistry as the full performance with a shorter running time, adjusted lights and sound, a calming center, pictorial social narratives, and specially trained staff and volunteers to assure a memorable event for everyone! All tickets to this special performance, a 75-minute abbreviated show, are half price ($12.50-$37.50).

A special Big Apple Circus Member event, including dessert in the ring with the performers, will be held following the performance on Saturday, May 21, 2016 at 4:30pm. For more information on how to become a Big Apple Circus Member, please visit http://www.bigapplecircus.org/join-and-give.

As a nonprofit performing arts institution, the Big Apple Circus is committed not only to thrilling audiences in the ring, but also to bringing the joy and wonder of circus into the community. Big Apple Circus creates direct, shared connections inside its one-ring Big Top AND in hospitals, nursing homes, and schools, in its New York City home and in cities across America.