NEWSLETTER
“Imaginative…delightfully clever…the show exudes … warmth and affection…all but irresistible.” —Spectacle Magazine
Hudson, NY – Hudson Hall at the historic Hudson Opera House welcomes back Hudson’s own Bindlestiff Family Cirkus on Saturday, March 25, 2023 for two spectacular performances – a 3pm family matinee including a pre-show performance by youth from the Bindlestiff’s Cirkus After School program, and 7pm cabaret-style show for adults. Both feature aerial acts, acrobatics, balancing feats, sword swallowing, juggling, physical comedy, and more performed by internationally renowned street performers, acts from Cirque du Soleil, Ringling Brothers, and artists made known by America's Got Talent. The adult cabaret adds a splash of bawdy humor, saucy serenades, and cheeky burlesque. Family matinee tickets are $25/$10 for children 16 and under; evening adults-only cabaret tickets start at $25 and can be purchased at hudsonhall.org or by phone at (518) 822-1438.
The New York Times described Bindlestiff Family Cirkus as “old-fashioned variety entertainment of the sort Ed Sullivan so astutely scooped up, but with twists,” while TIME OUT NY exclaimed, “this troupe of circus artists will remind your family what the circus is really about.”
Both performances at Hudson Hall feature dancer and contortionist Andrea Murillo floating on air suspended only by her hair, Columbia County-born Logan Kerr dancing upon the tight wire, Kyle Driggs of NYC’s 3AM Theatre juggling canes and umbrellas in a glorious dance with gravity, vaudeville inspired plate spinning by Keith Nelson, and Ethiopian acrobat Ermiyas Muluken flipping on ladders. Live musical accompaniment is provided by multi-instrumentalist Sabrina Chap. As an extra treat, the family matinee features a pre-show performance by Bindlestiff’s Cirkus After School participants, all youth and teens from the Hudson City School District.
For the adults-only show, Sabrina Chap adds some bawdy NSFW (not-suitable-for-work) songs to her repertoire, while adults-only performers Monkey - an award-winning primate who has been flipping and stripping for audiences since 2002 – and the sexy-meets-funny Boo Boo Darlin’ (aka “the fun time Gal”) bring a good dose of pastie and prosecco-popping burlesque to the evening.
Since 1995, Bindlestiff Family Cirkus has traveled the world with its unique hybrid of vaudeville, circus, wild west shows, burlesque, and sideshow, adding a contemporary twist to the grand traditions of American Circus. Under the direction of co-founders Stephanie Monseau and Keith Nelson, the company has produced innumerable cabaret shows, custom performances for special audiences, all-ages and family productions, and sophisticated adult shows. The evening cabaret is a celebratory return for Bindlestiff, whose Cabin-Fever Cabarets were a monthly Hudson winter tradition for 5 years until the COVID shutdown of 2020.
About the Performers
Ermiyas Muluken, a native of Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, is an accomplished professional circus artist. He amazes audiences with his ladder, rolla bolla and juggling acts, displaying incredible balancing skills and showmanship. Ermiyas fell in love with circus as a youth after experimenting with rolla bolla using a whiskey bottle, glass, and some wood. His professional training includes African Roots Circus School in Addis Ababa, under the guidance of Zekarias Mekuria. Ermiyas has since performed in numerous acclaimed circus productions including Mother Africa, Funexpress in Turkey, Bindlestiff Family Cirkus and, more recently, Cirque du Fringe: D’illusion at the Rochester Fringe Festival. Ermiyas resides in Washington, D.C.
Keith Nelson learned to juggle and eat fire at Hampshire College in 1989. He moved to New York City and almost instantly devoted his life to circus. Keith swallows swords, spins tops, juggles plates, balances glasses, and manipulates just about anything. He is co-founder and executive director of Bindlestiff Family Cirkus, one of the longest running circus and variety arts companies in New York. Keith has been featured on Late Night with David Letterman, The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, The Late Late Show with James Corden, and OZ. He is a circus arts professor, and his newest focus is Flatbed Follies, a rolling free circus show playing to neighborhoods across New York.
Specializing in a unique fusion of juggling, movement, object manipulation, and theatrical persona, Kyle Driggs strives for the convergence of modern aesthetic and high technical skill. Upon graduating from one of the world’s premier circus schools (Ecole Nationale de Cirque de Montreal) Kyle rapidly began to receive international acclaim for his talent. His experience ranges from smaller, cross-genre, experimental productions to collaborations with larger, world-class circus companies including Cirque Du Soleil’s “Paramour” on Broadway in New York City.
Andrea Murillo is a classically trained performer whose style has been widely influenced by her work with modernist dance and contemporary theater heavyweights. Andrea’s career in dance began at Miami’s innovative New World School of the Arts. Shortly thereafter, she began touring with the Martha Graham Dance Company where she performed in solo roles in the acclaimed works of Lamentation (1930), Serenata Morsica (1916), Embattled Garden (1958), and Steps in the Street (1936). Her expressive, character-forward experiences with the company lent themselves organically to her subsequent work, highlights of which include Lady Macbeth in New York’s Sleep No More (2012) and productions of Le Baccanti and Prometeo with Sicily’s Istituto Nazionale Dramma Antico. These works have continued to impel her investigation of dramatic movement, immersive theater, and their vehicles of expression, notably film and circus. Andrea is a has been a Master Interdisciplinary Arts Teacher with the National Young Arts Foundation and is a certified Gyrotonic Expansion System Teacher. She is the co-founder of 3AM Theatre, a multidisciplinary company based out of New York City.
Logan Kerr is a tightwire walker based out of Chatham, NY. She began working with Bindlestiff Family Cirkus as a teenager and has been a part of their productions in NYC and across the United States since 2011. In 2015, Logan started training tightwire full-time in Chicago, where she also worked with Aloft Circus Arts and Midnight Circus in the Parks. It was also in Chicago where she formed a tightwire Duo “KerrPlunk” and her band “Logan & Book”. She has toured with Cirque Us, walked wire at the National Mall in Washington, DC, and plays unicycle hockey with the Hell on Wheel Gang.
Monkey is an award-winning primate who has been flipping and stripping for audiences since 2002. Based in New York City, Monkey has pioneered a niche in the international circus/cabaret scene. He has starred in a feature length documentary, Us Naked: Trixie and Monkey, which premiered at NYC DOC festival in 2014. He attended circus school, headlined festivals all over the world, staged 3 full-length theater shows including All or Nothing at Ars Nova, produced national tours, and won several awards including the Burlesque Hall of Fame King of Boylesque 2010, Most Comedic 2010, Best Duo 2006, and Most Innovative 2008. Additionally, Monkey is proud to say he was the first contestant “X’d” off America’s Got Talent Season 14.
Boo Boo Darlin' "the fun time Gal" has been popping pasties and prosecco since 2009. She got her start performing with Sugar Shack Burlesque and producing the monthly show Richmond Varietease before moving to New York City. Since then, she has received such esteemed awards as the Rome's 2014 Porcapapessa Award for the Caput Mundi International Burlesque Festival, 2017 & 2018 "Biggest Lebowski" award at Burlesque Hall of Fame Weekender, and seven golden pastie awards over her 10 years performing in the much loved New York Burlesque Festival. You can find Boo Boo performing regularly at a legendary burlesque homes such as The Slipper Room, Bathtub Gin, Joe’s Pub, & Coney Island’s Burlesque at The Beach.
Formed in 2017 by Daphne Malfitano and Eli Rose, The No Ring Circus is a New York based theatrical production company and agency dedicated to the fusion of circus sideshow, performance art, and theater. They create everything from full-length ensemble productions, to original acts at variety shows, events, and in productions across the US for companies such as Theatre Bizarre, House of Yes, Company XIV, The Great Gatsby Party, Dances of Vice, Torture Garden, FNT, Shanghai Mermaid, The Box, and Little Cinema. In addition, the company performs at private and corporate events, and have appeared at Bonnaroo Music & Arts Festival, Coney Island USA, Six Flags, and shared the stage with celebrities from Dave Chappelle to Lil Wayne.
About Bindlestiff Family Cirkus
The Bindlestiff Family Cirkus is a non-profit performing arts organization. Its Mission is to create original, collaborative circus experiences that nurture transformation in people and communities by centering joy, wonder, healing, beauty, and learning.
Bindlestiff does this by:
1. presenting world-class performances which lift the diverse cultures, experiences, skills, and work of artists and creators.
2. Creating relevant, high-quality circus arts education programs for youth and adults of all abilities.
3. Serving emerging and established variety artists with funding opportunities, technical support, access to residencies, and professional development.
For more information about Bindlestiff’s programs, including Columbia County and New York City performances, please visit www.bindlestiff.org. Like and follow Bindlestiff’s Instagram and Facebook pages for up-to-the-minute news and tidbits about Bindlestiff’s extended family of artists, upcoming performances, and circus arts educational opportunities.
ABOUT HUDSON HALL
Hudson Hall (www.hudsonhall.org) is a cultural beacon in the Hudson Valley, offering a dynamic year-round schedule of music, theater, dance, literature, exhibitions, workshops for youth and adults, as well as family programs and large-scale community events such as Winter Walk. Located in a historic landmark that houses New York State’s oldest surviving theater, Hudson Hall underwent a full restoration and reopened to the public in April 2017 for the first time in over 55 years. In 2019, through an extensive program encompassing live performance, art exhibitions, city-wide festivals, free community events and workshops, Hudson Hall served an audience of 50,000 and employed over 400 artists and skilled technicians, making it a valuable contributor to Columbia County’s $8 million creative economy. Approximately 70% of Hudson Hall’s programs are free of charge or subsidized to ensure equitable access to the arts.
BINDLESTIFF FAMILY CIRKUS FAMILY MATINEE
Saturday, March 25 at 3pm
Tickets: $25 adult / $10 child
BINDLESTIFF FAMILY CIRKUS CABARET
Saturday, March 25 at 7pm
18+ unless accompanied by an adult (mature content)
Tickets:
Section One: $45, one reserved table seat
Section Two: $25, one general admission seat
Hudson Hall at the historic Hudson Opera House
327 Warren Street, Hudson, NY 12534
hudsonhall.org/ (518) 822-1438
MEDIA CONTACT:
Caroline Lee
caroline@hudsonhall.org/(518) 822-1438