Gibsonton, a community roughly 11 miles southeast of Tampa, became a winter haven for circus performers in the 1930s. Many of those Gibsonton snowbirds became full-time residents when they retired from the road. In 2021, another group of circus retirees began settling into their own community a couple hundred miles north of “Gibtown.” There they... Continue Reading →
After ripping open holiday presents on Wednesday, don’t pack away those red and green decorations just yet -- The Straz Center has more holiday fun in its stocking. Cirque Dreams Holidaze, the longest-running cirque holiday spectacular, will dazzle in Morsani Hall Thursday and Friday, Dec. 26-27. The Broadway-style production is an infusion of contemporary circus... Continue Reading →
One Patel Conservatory theater instructor’s journey to the big time in the big top and how realizing his dream helps students reach theirs. Just a few years back, Patel Conservatory theater faculty member Matthew Belopavlovich stood stranded atop a 25-foot tower while a handful of clowns, dressed as knights, circled beneath, trying to figure out... Continue Reading →
First, let’s dispel the double-jointed myth. Joints don’t come in multiples; however, they do come with what science dubbed hypermobility or joint laxity, both terms for people who can stretch and bend naturally farther than anyone else at the cocktail party. In certain cultures, or in certain eras – such as the heyday of the... Continue Reading →
Quick Circus History, What that has to do with Florida, and We Know Someone Who Lived on the Circus Train Most people in the Tampa Bay area know about our long and intriguing history with the Ringling family of Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus fame, but we wager to guess that our connection... Continue Reading →