tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17299873702501798122024-03-06T02:16:19.823-05:00Flea Circus ArticlesReviews and articles about Professor A.G. Gertsacov's Acme Miniature Flea Circus, the Most Miniscule Show on Earth. Featuring Midge and Madge, Performing Fleas!DADAPALOOZAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18133417490948081985noreply@blogger.comBlogger32125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1729987370250179812.post-29057073335020300132017-12-19T13:00:00.000-05:002017-12-19T15:27:32.167-05:00THANKS FOR VIEWING OUR ARCHIVEThis is the archive of articles about the Acme Miniature Flea Circus.<br />
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Check the archive listing to the right to see some of the articles that have been written about the show.<br />
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Please note the archive is incomplete, and does not reference EVERY mention or review of the show.<br />
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To find out more about the show, visit<a href="http://www.trainedfleas.com/"><b> http://www.trainedfleas.com</b></a>DADAPALOOZAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18133417490948081985noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1729987370250179812.post-12410943095410489012017-12-18T12:32:00.000-05:002017-12-19T15:41:23.264-05:00Platt House Newsletter December 18, 2017This article appeared in an email newsletter sent out to the <a href="https://www.vpul.upenn.edu/platthouse/">Platt House </a>community. The Platt Student Performing Arts House, named for Marc E. ('79) and Julie Beren Platt ('79) is the home of University Life Arts Initiatives and the Performing Arts Council at the University of Pennsylvania.<br />
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<strong>Alumni Spotlight on Adam Gertsacov, C'86</strong></h4>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><em style="background-color: white; color: #505050; font-family: arial; font-size: 12px; text-align: start;"><strong>Adam Gertsacov is a professional clown.<br />Photo credit: Bill Wadman</strong></em></td></tr>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #505050; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 12px;">We recently checked in on one of our PAC alums: Adam Gertsacov. </span><strong style="background-color: white; color: #505050; font-family: arial; font-size: 12px;"><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?hl=en&q=https://upenn.us2.list-manage.com/track/click?u%3D6c0c2b243ddf8efc6531eb79b%26id%3D13329eec5d%26e%3D91eac52977&source=gmail&ust=1513801474338000&usg=AFQjCNEThmfA_qiAxhnnwGQ8nrUZEAW1IA" href="https://www.smithsonianmag.com/travel/modern-day-flea-circuses-180967355/" style="color: #336699;" target="_blank">Check out this article</a></strong><span style="background-color: white; color: #505050; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 12px;"> from Smithsonian Magazine about his modern-day flea circus!</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #505050; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 12px;">At Penn, Adam majored in theoretical communications with a minor in theatre arts. After balancing Marching Band and theatre for two years, he launched fully into theatre, working with iNtuitons and Penn Players. Adam also worked for the Library and the Annenberg Center and was the Arts </span><span class="il" style="background-color: white; color: #505050; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 12px;">House</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #505050; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 12px;"> program coordinator in Harnwell for two years. </span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #505050; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 12px;">Adam has always felt the importance of the arts. He was inspired by his mom, a teacher, who used to take mistakes and turn them into art. Finding value and meaning in the mundane truly moves him. Adam explored his love of experimental theatre at Penn and beyond, working at the Guthrie and studying acting and directing at Trinity Rep Conservatory. In 1989, he attended Ringling Bros. Barnum and Bailey Clown College and discovered his passion for being a clown and the sideshow arts. </span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #505050; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 12px;">In addition to his flea circus, Adam is always pursuing multiple projects including "Buffoon Anonymous", a fictional autobiography of a clown who needs to quit, but can't; "The Barbie Oedipus", a version of Oedipus Rex </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #505050; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 12px;">using Barbie dolls as actors; and "Artistic Antics", a freeform clown improv show. Adam serves as the Clown Laureate of Greenbelt, Maryland, despite making his home in Chicago. As if that weren't enough, he is also working on revamping an old show about PT Barnum to make it more interesting for kids, and he is planning a new podcast. You can check out his blogs </span><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?hl=en&q=https://upenn.us2.list-manage.com/track/click?u%3D6c0c2b243ddf8efc6531eb79b%26id%3D353c161c29%26e%3D91eac52977&source=gmail&ust=1513801474338000&usg=AFQjCNFid0MMffKsZc5KwUZK98MYVvlm_g" href="http://www.dadapalooza.com/" style="background-color: white; color: #336699; font-family: Arial; font-size: 12px; font-weight: bold;" target="_blank">here</a><span style="background-color: white; color: #505050; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 12px;"> and </span><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?hl=en&q=https://upenn.us2.list-manage.com/track/click?u%3D6c0c2b243ddf8efc6531eb79b%26id%3D68bf54a929%26e%3D91eac52977&source=gmail&ust=1513801474338000&usg=AFQjCNFnjJue8LXi5VEQI-9ppgbxaSH8gQ" href="http://www.clownlink.com/" style="background-color: white; color: #336699; font-family: Arial; font-size: 12px; font-weight: bold;" target="_blank">here.</a><span style="background-color: white; color: #505050; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 12px;"> </span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #505050; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 12px;">Adam's advice to Penn students interested in pursuing the arts beyond college: “It’s not a sprint, it’s a marathon. Feel free to risk it all, but don’t burn it all down. It’s not all or nothing, all the time. Take artistic risks, but don't be afraid to take care of yourself, to have fun, and to do some easy stuff also. The last thing the world needs is another fizzled artist, so take your time and keep on working on your craft."</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #505050; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 12px;"><br /></span> <span style="background-color: white; color: #505050; font-family: "arial"; font-size: 12px;">More info about Adam is available at <a href="http://www.acmeclown.com/">http://www.acmeclown.com</a> or <a href="http://www.trainedfleas.com/">http://www.trainedfleas.com</a></span>DADAPALOOZAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18133417490948081985noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1729987370250179812.post-41477369401638289822017-11-29T11:00:00.000-05:002017-11-29T15:06:57.163-05:00Smithsonian Magazine Website November 29, 2017<h1>
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Revive the Charm of an 1800s Show with These Modern-Day Flea Circuses</h1>
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Take a trip to the (very small) Big Top</h2>
By Jennifer Billock<br />
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Come one, come all, to the show of the century! See jugglers, tightrope walkers, chariot races, and more. Admission is just the cost of the magnifying glass you’ll need to see the teeny performers! That’s right, a magnifying glass—because this is no ordinary circus. This is the time-honored tradition of the delightfully buggy and hopefully not itchy flea circus. But please, as Chicago-based <a href="http://www.trainedfleas.com/">Acme Miniature Flea Circus</a> ringmaster Adam Gertsacov says...leave the dogs at home.<br />
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Gertsacov started his flea circus (“with a lot of flea bites,” he told Smithsonian.com) in the early 90s, but the origins of the show itself reach back much further than that, all the way to watchmakers in the 1500s who were said to have wanted to impress crowds with their ability to make tiny working mechanisms. The first was London watchmaker Mark Scaliot who, in 1578, is credited with having made “a lock consisting of eleven pieces of iron, steel and brass, all [of] which, together with a key to it, weighed but one grain of gold,” Barkham Burroughs wrote in his 1889 book, <a href="http://archive.org/stream/burroughsencyclo14091gut/14091.txt" target="_blank">Encyclopaedia of Astounding Facts and Useful Information</a>. “He also made a chain of gold, consisting of forty-three links, and, having fastened this to the before-mentioned lock and key, he put the chain about the neck of a flea, which drew them all with ease. All these together, lock and key, chain and flea, weighed only one grain and a half,” Burroughs continued. Watchmakers continued the practice through the 1700s, harnessing fleas to tiny handmade chariots or other items the insects could pull across a small stage.<br />
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Then in the 1830s, performing fleas hit the big time. Italian-born Louis Bertolotto opened a new circus show in London, called Signor Bertolotto’s Industrious Fleas. The insects were the perfect stars for the miniature circus, mainly because they were so ever-present in society that in order to find your own troupe of artists, all you really needed to do was look under the bedcovers. Bertolotto’s performances reflected political events of the time; he even recreated <a href="https://entertainment.howstuffworks.com/arts/circus-arts/flea-circus1.htm" target="_blank">Napoleon’s defeat at Waterloo</a> with 435 fleas, all wearing outfits for battle, riding in golden saddles and carrying tiny swords. With that mock battle, flea circuses were cemented as one of the leading attractions of this era.
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According to Gertsacov, the most famous flea show in history was arguably Professor Heckler’s. He performed it first at the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition in Chicago, then he and his son (who continued his father’s work) took the act to Times Square, where the fleas performed until 1957 in Hubert’s Dime Museum. Gertsacov paid homage to the Hecklers with his own Times Square flea circus in 2001, only two blocks from where the Heckler show was once held, before taking his circus worldwide.<br />
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“I want to evoke the idea of the old Victorian-style flea circus,” Gertsacov said. “I don’t want the show to be about stupid pet tricks. Of course, the show is about the fleas. But on some level, it’s about the experience of the show and going back in time to see an old-fashioned showman doing an old-fashioned show.”<br />
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Alas, the world has become evermore technologically advanced, and around the 1940s and 50s, the demand for true flea circuses <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/2LF04Y9n5hJTHK1l6ffLhPc/the-rise-and-demise-of-the-flea-circus" target="_blank">began to decline</a>. “As television became popular and as human fleas became rarer, primarily through the use of modern appliances such as the vacuum cleaner and the washing machine, the flea circus has become harder and harder to find,” Gertsacov said.<br />
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Luckily, we can still get in on the fun today in a veritable revival of the Victorian-era flea circus. Gertsacov takes his show all over the world based on booking requests, but lately has been hosting circuses at the Garfield Park Conservatory in Chicago. His fleas do three main tricks: “They pull chariots in a chariot race, a flea walks on the tightwire while balancing a miniature chair and pole, and there’s a death-defying finale, where the fleas get shot out of a cannon through the flaming hoop of death and into their lavishly decorated trailer,” he said. Gertsacov’s show lasts about 45 minutes and also includes an illustrated lesson on fleas, “flea verse” poetry, and a flea market beforehand selling what he says is the world’s smallest show program.<br />
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“The program is a guaranteed collectible item, guaranteed to go up in value at least 10 percent over the next 10 years,” he said. “If you don’t believe me, come back in 10 years and I’ll purchase it back from you for 11 cents. On some level, if you haven’t been bamboozled by the flea circus guy for a dime, have you really seen the show?”</div>
On the east coast, flea fanatics can catch Maine’s <b>Dr. Wilson’s Flea Circus—An Extraordinary Entomological Exhibition Featuring Trained Fleas Executing Acts of Skill and Daring</b>,” where the fleas push heavy objects (“the equivalent of a grown man pushing a weight of twenty-three tons,” the website says), tackle the flying trapeze, and rear up on their hind legs like miniature angry bears.<br />
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Heading somewhere else in the world? The <a href="http://www.fleacircus.co.uk/OtherFleaShows.htm" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: rgb(0, 51, 153) !important; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">international flea circus directory</a> lists more than 30 shows in the United States alone, and even more abroad in the UK, Ireland, Australasia, Europe, Israel, Mexico and South Africa.<br />
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“The flea circus, like other sideshow and circus skills, is a direct connection to a simpler time unmediated by electronics and filled with the simple ability to wonder at the marvelous world around us,” Gertsacov said. “I would argue that the ability to wonder is one of the things that separate humans from beasts.”<br />
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<a href="http://www.smithsonianmag.com/travel/modern-day-flea-circuses-180967355/" style="font-family: "open sans", sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">Read the original article</a>
DADAPALOOZAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18133417490948081985noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1729987370250179812.post-41099522252870044142016-07-23T10:58:00.001-04:002016-07-24T01:01:40.104-04:00WGN TV News July 22, 2016<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "open sans condensed" , "helvetica neue" , "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 55px; line-height: 56px;">Circus with tiny stars big on fun</span><br />
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<span class="posted-time">POSTED 7:45 PM, JULY 22, 2016, BY <a class="author url fn" href="http://wgntv.com/author/amy-rutledge/" rel="author" style="color: #00a4e2; text-decoration: none;" title="Posts by Amy Rutledge">AMY RUTLEDGE</a></span></div>
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<script height="281px" src="https://player.ooyala.com/iframe.js#pbid=5d88305d0c6c47eabc12e43063a41c69&ec=JjMjZ3NDE69W0di0eVen7xmj2p60-uCG" width="500px"></script> <span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span> <span style="font-family: inherit;">CHICAGO -- Adam Gertsacov doesn’t use that many performers in his show, but in the 20 years he has been touring around the world, he says he has perfected the art of what he calls the study of fleas.</span>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Today, his circus performed at Berger Park for some Chicago Park District camp kids and offered a little education and a lot of entertainment.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMQMDkAMxiOsOv8zNrlVURhKriMC93zEvLXDMuOCrcyqX2rCzzxAamUA_eBQOKd8az1MEBJ8jVRb_EFJKBYd1n50wBlQm49kwFXpPbEzC6XUwx3M2lgm6lrWY3_jSsoGmMrc9aXdeptzzb/s1600/flea_poster_chicago_2016.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; font-family: montserrat, 'helvetica neue', helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 18px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: center; text-transform: uppercase;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMQMDkAMxiOsOv8zNrlVURhKriMC93zEvLXDMuOCrcyqX2rCzzxAamUA_eBQOKd8az1MEBJ8jVRb_EFJKBYd1n50wBlQm49kwFXpPbEzC6XUwx3M2lgm6lrWY3_jSsoGmMrc9aXdeptzzb/s640/flea_poster_chicago_2016.jpg" width="492" /></a><span style="font-family: inherit;">A chariot race, a highwire act and cannon heroics were all part of the show.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Adam says his fleas live for about 24-months and require three to five months of training before hitting the big stage.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">The show started in 1996 and has been performed in 37 states and five countries.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Two years ago Adam and his family settled in Chicago.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">This summer the free show can be seen at four different Chicago parks as part of the nights out in the park program.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><strong>July 27</strong> 6 PM Touhy Park (7348 N. Paulina Ave)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><strong>August 4</strong> 6 PM Adams Park (1919 N. Seminary Ave)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><strong>August 10</strong> 6:30 PM Oriole Park (5430 N. Olcott Ave)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><strong>August 12</strong> 3:30 PM Gladstone Park (5421 N. Menard Ave)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Cost: Free (seating limited, please arrive early)</span></div>
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<strong><span style="font-family: inherit;">More info:</span></strong></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><a href="http://www.chicagoparkdistrict.com/" style="color: #00a4e2; text-decoration: none;">http://www.chicagoparkdistrict.com</a> or call (312) 742-7529 or (312) 747-2001 (TTY).</span><br />
<a href="http://www.trainedfleas.com/" style="color: #00a4e2; text-decoration: none;"><span style="font-family: inherit;">http://www.trainedfleas.com</span></a></div>
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DADAPALOOZAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18133417490948081985noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1729987370250179812.post-62947500110795858532015-08-15T13:58:00.000-04:002017-04-24T14:04:12.106-04:00Fascinating Nouns Episode 46Professor Gertsacov is featured in an hour long podcast on the Podcast Fascinating Nouns.<br />
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FROM THE PODCAST PAGE:<br />
Prof. A. G. Gertsacov is a man of many talents, an his ‘Acme Miniature Flea Circus’ is just one. He is a Waylon Smithers-esque aficionado of Barbies, graduate of Comedia Dell Arte, and an expert in the ways of ‘Punch and Judy’. I sit and talk to him about those things, as well as fleas believe it or not. While having an unrelenting resistance to divulging proprietary information, I do manage to get out of him a few things like what defines a talented flea, what are their capabilities in human terms (superhero in short), and how he feeds them!<br />
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Podcast: <a class="powerpress_link_pinw" href="http://www.podtrac.com/pts/redirect.mp3/danieljglenn.com/the_podcasts/Fascinating%20Nouns/ep%2047%20%20Prof.%20A.%20G.%20Gertsacov.mp3" rel="nofollow" style="background-color: transparent; box-sizing: inherit; color: #15a0e6; text-decoration-line: none; transition: all 0.2s ease-in-out;" target="_blank" title="Play in new window">Play in new window</a> | <a class="powerpress_link_d" download="ep%2047%20%20Prof.%20A.%20G.%20Gertsacov.mp3" href="http://www.podtrac.com/pts/redirect.mp3/danieljglenn.com/the_podcasts/Fascinating%20Nouns/ep%2047%20%20Prof.%20A.%20G.%20Gertsacov.mp3" rel="nofollow" style="background-color: transparent; box-sizing: inherit; color: #15a0e6; text-decoration-line: none; transition: all 0.2s ease-in-out;" title="Download">Download</a></div>
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<br />See the podcast on its original page</div>
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DADAPALOOZAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18133417490948081985noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1729987370250179812.post-21795527008074311392012-12-08T17:06:00.000-05:002016-08-12T11:04:58.419-04:00Mention in the Urbacher Letter<a href="http://www.urbachletter.com/Archive/Biz_1212_MakerFaireNYC2012.htm">Urbacher Letter Archive December 2012</a><br />
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<strong>Acme Flea Circus</strong></h2>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIzjsuijUnn3VIGsMZ8hGXOZXdGnkdsHDwpEgvXgU73LiEZLS8FnFQqU3i8PXPsC0jFhhtL6JSFbimtkrs28UbneEXOHODZjfAa7hK_gf5zVqjD4aorjPPRwo4lKAA-AoToC8_puup7Clz/s1600/flea_save_the.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIzjsuijUnn3VIGsMZ8hGXOZXdGnkdsHDwpEgvXgU73LiEZLS8FnFQqU3i8PXPsC0jFhhtL6JSFbimtkrs28UbneEXOHODZjfAa7hK_gf5zVqjD4aorjPPRwo4lKAA-AoToC8_puup7Clz/s200/flea_save_the.jpg" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-cMrqd3MlusD8tAQYS6Q5SlIORBOzr0vBBU9o4MNNY7bxFgIS70tyRc_3hhKZJXbMiK1EJ3FGwKlUYyAroxTHcRHHkKQOUCwU_zz-fxo4SPtc36VUEhGMda4JKJ_1UzdzWUI6S0qVPjwm/s1600/flea_circus_maker_faire.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-cMrqd3MlusD8tAQYS6Q5SlIORBOzr0vBBU9o4MNNY7bxFgIS70tyRc_3hhKZJXbMiK1EJ3FGwKlUYyAroxTHcRHHkKQOUCwU_zz-fxo4SPtc36VUEhGMda4JKJ_1UzdzWUI6S0qVPjwm/s200/flea_circus_maker_faire.jpg" width="200" /></a>
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The <a href="http://www.trainedfleas.com/" target="_blank">Acme Flea Circus</a> is an authentic Victorian-style flea circus. Ringmaster Adam Gertsacov presents "The Most Miniscule Show on Earth!" A posted sign warns "No Dogs Allowed."
<a href="http://www.urbachletter.com/1212/FleaCircus.html" target="_blank">Flea Circus</a> (0:41)<br />
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DADAPALOOZAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18133417490948081985noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1729987370250179812.post-3826863607318937832012-12-04T10:52:00.000-05:002016-08-12T10:54:37.227-04:00World's Maker Faire: September 9, 2012Video shot by the well known juggling entrepreneur Brian Dubé.<br />
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Here is the original post:<br />
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<a href="http://newyorkdailyphoto.com/nydppress/?p=13633">http://newyorkdailyphoto.com/nydppress/?p=13633</a><br />
I performed two shows a day at Maker Faire for two days in an outdoor setting, which is not ideal for the show, but worked out okay.<br />
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TEXT FROM ORIGINAL POST:<br />
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<h2 class="entry-title h2" style="background-color: #ededed; clear: both; color: #444444; font-family: Geneva, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 18.2px; letter-spacing: 0.07em; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow: hidden; padding: 0px;">
<a href="http://newyorkdailyphoto.com/nydppress/?p=13633" rel="bookmark" style="background: none !important; color: #444444; display: inline; font-size: 25.48px; letter-spacing: 0.07em; text-decoration: none;">Fleas or Teased</a></h2>
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<span class="meta-prep meta-prep-author">Posted on</span> <a href="http://newyorkdailyphoto.com/nydppress/?p=13633" rel="bookmark" style="background: none !important; color: #444444; text-decoration: none;">December 4, 2012</a> <span class="meta-sep">by</span> <span class="author vcard"><a class="url fn n" href="http://newyorkdailyphoto.com/nydppress/?author=1" rel="vcard:url" style="background: none !important; color: #444444; text-decoration: none;">Brian Dubé</a></span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 1.5;">New York City was home to one of the most astonishing things to those unfamiliar – the real flea circus. Most are familiar with the phrase, however, there are only a handful of flea circuses at the time and fewer yet that employ actual fleas, so it is very unlikely that any given individual has seen one of these performances first hand.</span></div>
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Yes, real human fleas, <em>pulex irritans</em>, were trained to pull miniature chariots and perform circus acts, rotate ferris wheels, and kick balls. Minuscule harnesses made from thin gold wire were wrapped around the neck of the flea. The harnesses were then attached to a variety of objects. Fleas are renowned for their incredible strength and are able to pull up to 160,000 times their own weight and jump 150 times their own size. Their lifespan, however is typically only months, and so new recruits must be found and trained. And, they must be provided a diet of human blood. Typically, owners of flea circuses just let fleas feed from their arms.</div>
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The flea circus flourished in the Victorian age, however, the harnessing of fleas goes back much further. The first to harness fleas were watch makers who demonstrated their skills in fine metal working skills. Mark Scaliot is 1578 is credited with locking a flea to a chain with “a lock consisting of eleven different pieces of steel, iron, and brass which, together with the key belonging to it, weighed only one grain.”</div>
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One of New York City’s great institutions was Hubert’s Dime Museum, which occupied 228-232 West 42nd Street near Times Square from the mid-1920′s until 1965. The building which housed Hubert’s was a schoolhouse, designed in the 1880′s by McKim, Mead & White. Hubert’s was a phantasmagoria of some of the greatest novelty, freak, sideshow, and variety acts and the home of the last working flea circus in the United States – Heckler’s Flea Circus. Heckler’s occupied a section of the basement and required an additional admission. It was here that the Heckler family plied their trade. The circus was started by native Swiss William Hecker circa 1923 and sons William Jr and Leroy (“Roy”). Roy took over the operation in 1933 and continued to operate the flea circus until he retired in 1957.</div>
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So, when I attended the <a href="http://newyorkdailyphoto.com/nydppress/?p=13497" style="background: none !important; color: #444444; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: red;">World Maker Faire</span></a> on September 29, 2012 and happened upon the Acme Flea Circus very unexpectedly, you can easily understand why I was stopped in my tracks and jubilant that I would at last be able to see a real flea circus. Adding to the serendipitous encounter was that the performer, <a href="http://www.trainedfleas.com/" style="background: none !important; color: #444444; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: red;">Adam Gertsacov</span></a>, already knew me, having been a previous customer of my business. I stood alone at his booth and it was a good 30 minutes to showtime. However, I was very passionate about seeing a flea circus in person and close up, so I stood and chatted with Adam while he prepared for his show. He told me all the details of the flea circus. I was later to learn that Adam was one of the most educated clowns in America – not only was he an alumnus of <a href="http://newyorkdailyphoto.com/nydppress/?p=13602" style="background: none !important; color: #444444; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: red;">Barnum and Bailey’s Clown College</span></a>, but he was also a graduate from the University of Pennsylvania and held a master’s in theater and communications from Rhode Island College.<br />
Adam assured me that I need not be concerned about having a “front row seat” since his show was designed to insure that all audience members were guaranteed to see all the details of his performers. This perplexed me, since I had learned that flea circuses like Heckler’s typically provided audience members with magnifying glasses. Historical photos showed him surrounded closely by a small number of viewers. How would Adam accomplish this at a distance? Theater.</div>
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Adam’s show involves a lot of theater, history, and clever quips and bits, including a “flea market” where small items are sold to the audience, whom he then proclaims has been adequately fleeced. The act consists of his two fleas, Midge and Madge, who engage in a chariot race and a tight-wire act. Children laughed and squealed, however, credulity was strained when the fleas were shot from a cannon through a hoop of fire to land inside a miniature Airstream trailer.<br />
I became intrigued and through a little research learned that a number of flea circuses currently working do not use fleas. At least one, Hans Mathes’s flea circus at Oktoberfest (you can see an actual video below), has real fleas. As to Adam Gerstacov and his Acme Flea Circus, in the end, I just decided to suspend and see it as an enjoyable piece of theater, not worry whether I had seen trained <span style="font-style: inherit; font-weight: 700; text-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.2) 0px 1px 0px;"><em style="font-weight: 400;">Fleas</em></span> or had just been <span style="font-style: inherit; font-weight: 700; text-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.2) 0px 1px 0px;"><em style="font-weight: 400;">Teased</em></span> <img alt=":)" class="wp-smiley" src="https://newyorkdailyphoto.com/nydppress/wp-includes/images/smilies/icon_smile.gif" style="border: 0px; height: auto; margin: 0px; max-width: 100%;" /></div>
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DADAPALOOZAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18133417490948081985noreply@blogger.comHall of Science Bridge, Corona, NY 11368, USA40.7472841 -73.84857649999997940.7465321 -73.84983699999998 40.7480361 -73.847315999999978tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1729987370250179812.post-31944131646266605542011-07-27T22:51:00.001-04:002011-07-27T22:53:39.583-04:00Travel & Leisure Magazine: July 28, 2011<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.travelandleisure.com/articles/worlds-strangest-circuses">http://www.travelandleisure.com/articles/worlds-strangest-circuses</a><br />
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<h1>World's Strangest Circuses</h1><div class="controls"><div class="autoplay" id="slideshow_controls"><div class="autoplay_controls" id="ap_controls"><div id="space_holder" style="height: 1px;"> </div></div></div><div class="navigation"><div class="prev"><a href="http://www.travelandleisure.com/articles/worlds-strangest-circuses/12">Prev</a></div><div class="count"><b>1</b> of <b>12</b> </div><div class="next"><a href="http://www.travelandleisure.com/articles/worlds-strangest-circuses/2">Next</a></div></div></div><div class="photo"><img alt="La Clique circus" src="http://static0.travelandleisure.com/images/amexpub/0023/8733/201107-w-circuses-la-clique-intro.jpg" /> <br />
<div class="credit"><a class="external" href="http://www.boudist.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Daniel Boud</a></div></div><div class="metadata"><h2 class="dek">Forget any fear of circus clowns. The strangest shows on earth feature backflipping cats, race-car stuntmen, and burlesque puppeteers. </h2><span class="date"> From <a href="http://www.travelandleisure.com/toc/august-2011">August 2011</a> </span> <span class="author"> By <a href="http://www.travelandleisure.com/authors/1527" rel="author">Danny Deza</a> </span> </div>At London’s Hoxton Hall, acrobats scamper up each other’s shoulders to form a pyramid—although it hardly looks human. The performers are unrecognizable beneath elaborate ant costumes complete with antennae and googly eyes.<br />
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Circuses have always been a bit offbeat, but they’ve morphed well beyond the classic three-ring spectacle of clowns and animal tamers. Today’s strangest circuses are small and innovative. Some, like the Insect Circus, push the boundaries by incorporating burlesque or performance art, while others are reviving near-extinct sideshow traditions for a new generation.<br />
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“Circuses were once the biggest shows in town,” says Marc Hartzman, author of <i>American Sideshow</i>. “People didn’t have the same mediums of entertainment that we have today.” As audience interest drifted in the 1970s, circuses began adapting, particularly in the U.K., the U.S., France, Canada, and Australia.<br />
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A painter by trade, Mark Copeland founded the U.K.-based Insect Circus in 2002, designing fantastical costumes for the acrobatic “ants,” a winged trapeze duo that go by the names of Baron and Baroness Flutterby, and others. He is especially proud of a stag beetle shell worn by three performers. This lumbering six-legged “insect” takes on a matador in an act that resembles a Spanish bullfight.<br />
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<div style="background-color: yellow;">Still other circuses get their strange factor from sideshow elements like sword-swallowers and actual insects. Adam G. Gertsacov, creator of Acme Miniature Flea Circus, practices a craft that dates back to the late 1800s. After graduating from the Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Clown College, he wandered from circus to circus until he got some career-changing advice. Legendary clown Avner Eisenberg told him to “focus on the fleas,” and Gertsacov hasn’t wavered since. He trains 12 fleas at a time to perform tricks like being shot out of a mini cannon into a Hula-Hoop dubbed “the hoop of death.”</div><br />
For truly death-defying stunts, look to Delhi, India, where the Diamond Maruti Car Circus has become infamous for performing while hanging out of speeding vehicles. For 25 cents, you can peer over the edge of a pit and watch performers on motorcycles and in cars zoom in circles as they grab hands and stand up on their seats—an unbelievable performance that also qualifies as one of the <a href="http://www.travelandleisure.com/articles/worlds-strangest-sports">world’s strangest sports</a>.<br />
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Even in an age of entertainment overload, the world’s strangest circuses share the ability to keep you on the edge of your seat. Here’s a sneak peek at their shows.<br />
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<h3><a class="external" href="http://www.trainedfleas.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Acme Miniature Flea Circus</a>, <a href="http://www.travelandleisure.com/travel-guide/new-york-city">New York</a></h3>Inspired by Hubert’s Flea Circus in Times Square, which closed in 1957, Adam Gertsacov pieced together the tricks of the flea trade from his circus mentors. The Acme Miniature Flea Circus’s bloodsucking insects have tumbled their way through four different countries and 38 states since the mid-1990s. The only thing Gertsacov asks from his audience? No dogs allowed.<br />
<b>Strange Factor:</b> Two fleas race to a finish line while pulling a chariot. Other less fortunate fleas are shot out of a mini cannon into a Hula-Hoop called the “hoop of death.”DADAPALOOZAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18133417490948081985noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1729987370250179812.post-46873384069565149052011-07-15T07:54:00.009-04:002011-07-23T10:07:38.038-04:00Journal News: Wear Your Glasses To This Circus<span style="font-family: arial,helvetica; font-size: x-small;"></span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cover of the Journal News Weekend Section July 15, 2011</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: arial,helvetica; font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman,serif; font-size: large;">Wear your glasses to this circus</span><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><br />
</span> <span style="font-family: Times New Roman,serif; font-size: x-small;"> <i>by Paul Bousche</i> </span> </span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRKcab5uL3D_dMRpcYs2AQ9bzvMAt3g53da0ZbgnhU-0-RKDUx1Vfv6gkcmmxaXNWD41UXCNOtl2oXIMttHTyIUnNw3zEG0Hz8Xkf5aXmp9vhX0wgoqLGOyf943R70tLjKBvByUn1O_z7-/s1600/lohud_photo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRKcab5uL3D_dMRpcYs2AQ9bzvMAt3g53da0ZbgnhU-0-RKDUx1Vfv6gkcmmxaXNWD41UXCNOtl2oXIMttHTyIUnNw3zEG0Hz8Xkf5aXmp9vhX0wgoqLGOyf943R70tLjKBvByUn1O_z7-/s400/lohud_photo.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><span style="font-family: arial,helvetica; font-size: x-small;">Midge and Madge have performed alongside Adam Gertsacov for over 25 years.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial,helvetica; font-size: x-small;">They have joined him on his far-flung travels, which have spanned 38 states and five countries from Canada to Brazil, putting on shows night in and night out. You might be wondering, what's the big deal?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial,helvetica; font-size: x-small;">Well, the big deal is that Midge and Madge aren't really that big at all. In fact, they're fleas.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial,helvetica; font-size: x-small;">Weighing in at an average of 0.1088 grams each and at only half the length of a fingernail, these "tiny performers" have been pleasing crowds around the world for decades as part of Gertsacov's Acme Miniature Circus.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial,helvetica; font-size: x-small;">Gertsacov, Midge, Madge and their circus will be at the Hudson River Museum on Sunday as part of its Victorian Day.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial,helvetica; font-size: x-small;">Along with the tiny show, families can play Victorian-era games like nine-wicket croquet, lawn bowling, pick-up-sticks and marbles.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial,helvetica; font-size: x-small;">Believe it or not, Gertsacov, the merry ring leader of the spectacularly small Acme circus, actually started out as a clown. And he has the degree to prove it. He graduated from the Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Clown College in 1989, which was statistically harder to get into than Harvard Law School.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial,helvetica; font-size: x-small;">"I never knew how difficult it was to get in when I applied, but I realized my love for performing and gave it a shot," says Gertsacov, a Rhode Island native who now lives in Yonkers.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial,helvetica; font-size: x-small;">But how did his attention turn to fleas? Gertsacov realized early in his clown career that circus clowns were not at the top of the three-ring heap.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial,helvetica; font-size: x-small;">"I wanted to be the main clown, but the lion tamers were getting all the attention," he says. "So I knew I had to branch out on my own. I began to look for my own unique act."</span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial,helvetica; font-size: x-small;">During his search, Gertsacov became intrigued by the flea circus, which was a big form of entertainment back in the Victorian era. "There was no television or social media, so this was what kept people entertained," he says.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial,helvetica; font-size: x-small;">The research wasn't easy as flea circuses of the past weren't very well documented. "I immersed myself in fleas for over a year and a half and figured out the show."</span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial,helvetica; font-size: x-small;">The last popular American flea circus, according to Gertsacov, was Professor Heckler's of Times Square, which left New York in 1957.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial,helvetica; font-size: x-small;">Today, Gertsacov's educated insect stars pull chariots, dance on a tightrope, and perform other circus-like stunts.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial,helvetica; font-size: x-small;">While he does not reveal his method of training (a proprietary secret, he explains), he assures the curious and the civic minded that he uses only methods of positive reinforcement to teach the insects their routines.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial,helvetica; font-size: x-small;">"I treat them as if they are my own flesh and blood," Gertsacov says. "And in some ways, they are."</span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial,helvetica; font-size: x-small;">There is also a pre-show "flea market" in which miniature props are for sale.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial,helvetica; font-size: x-small;">"I have mini 'Save The Fleas' bumper stickers. Hey, it worked for the whales," he says.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial,helvetica; font-size: x-small;">About Midge and Madge: They are members of the Pulex irritans species — that is, human fleas that can live for 24 months, a long life as fleas go.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial,helvetica; font-size: x-small;">And yes, they are females because lady fleas are a little bigger than their male colleagues and easier to train.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial,helvetica; font-size: x-small;">Midge and Madge, who arrive in their own mini Airstream trailer, will enjoy careers from 16 to 18 months before retirement.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: arial,helvetica; font-size: x-small;">Gertsacov says his Acme Miniature Circus is great entertainment and all ages are welcome — just don't bring the dog. Gertsacov says he doesn't want them to steal the show — literally.</span>DADAPALOOZAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18133417490948081985noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1729987370250179812.post-47728021980652020822011-06-03T07:49:00.000-04:002017-11-30T07:58:14.756-05:00The American Scholar: A Speck of ShowmanshipThe American Scholar has an article about flea circuses entitled<br />
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<span style="color: rgb(20.000000% , 20.000000% , 20.000000%); font-family: "georgia"; font-size: 20.000000pt; font-weight: 700;">A Speck of Showmanship </span></div>
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<span style="color: rgb(6.700000% , 6.700000% , 6.700000%); font-family: "georgia"; font-size: 11.000000pt;">Is that </span><span style="color: rgb(6.700000% , 6.700000% , 6.700000%); font-family: "georgia"; font-size: 11.000000pt; font-style: italic;">Pulix irritans </span><span style="color: rgb(6.700000% , 6.700000% , 6.700000%); font-family: "georgia"; font-size: 11.000000pt;">pulling that carriage, or is someone just pulling our leg? </span><span style="color: rgb(20.000000% , 20.000000% , 20.000000%); font-family: "georgia"; font-size: 13.000000pt; font-weight: 700;">By Ernest B. Furgurson</span><span style="color: #ababab; font-family: "georgia"; font-size: 8pt; font-weight: 700;"> </span></div>
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It is a long article about different flea circuses and the long history of flea circus. Acme Miniature Circus is featured towards the end. The full article is here:</div>
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Excerpt of the relevant parts about the Acme Miniature Circus:<br />
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<span style="color: rgb(6.700000% , 6.700000% , 6.700000%); font-family: "georgia"; font-size: 11.000000pt;">Adam Gertsacov, of Providence, Rhode Island, and Yonkers, New York, wants to give his Acme Miniature Flea Circus performances “the aura of a sideshow in the 1890s,” a feeling that many flea managers share. They like being part of the long, romantic tradition of show business. Though they typically operate out of a handy suitcase that opens into a midway with flags, carousel and Ferris wheel, they consider themselves colleagues of the great sword swallowers and prestidigitators of the past, part of the fabled world of “learned pigs and fireproof women.” </span><br />
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<span style="color: rgb(6.700000% , 6.700000% , 6.700000%); font-family: "georgia"; font-size: 11.000000pt;">Gertsacov delves into flea circus history; indeed, he has helped make it. He studied acting and matriculated at the Ringling Brothers clown college before an old trouper told him to “get rid of that clown stuff; get yourself some fleas.” He could picture the act: “You’re so big, they’re so little.” This was not advice that Gertsacov wanted to hear, but he followed it, and eventually presided over the “triumphant return of the flea circus to Times Square” in 2001. He performed there for several months before taking his attraction back on the road. </span><br />
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<span style="color: rgb(6.700000% , 6.700000% , 6.700000%); font-family: "georgia"; font-size: 11.000000pt;">Show people tend to loosen up under friendly questioning. Jim Frank, who lives in Laurel, Maryland, puts flea circuses in three categories: “One, dress ’em up as familiar people—Lincoln, Napoleon—see how small I can make a costume; two, hook ’em up with brass wire to pull chariots and such; and three, present fleas that cause things to happen, cause reactions—imagine the expressions on Benny Hill’s face. That’s my bracket, the illusion bracket. People tune their shows to their own skill level. Some use gearing, clockwork, small motors. . . . But if I’m outside, any speck of dust can be a flea. A puff of breath and it moves, and they’ve seen the flea. There are many ways to influence kids to see an illusion.” </span><br />
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<span style="color: rgb(6.700000% , 6.700000% , 6.700000%); font-family: "georgia"; font-size: 11.000000pt;">Gertsacov agrees. Without putting the conversation off the record or even on deep background, he admits that “part of the fun is the secrecy. Obviously it’s hard to see fleas. People watching say, ‘What am I really seeing?’ I like that. You haven’t really been to a flea circus unless you’ve been bamboozled by the flea-circus guy. It would be interesting to watch real trained fleas, but only for three or four minutes. That’s not enough </span><span style="color: #111111; font-family: "georgia"; font-size: 11pt;">these days when you can Google insects and see them mating, up close and personal. My show is about showmanship.”</span><br />
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<span style="color: rgb(6.700000% , 6.700000% , 6.700000%); font-family: "georgia"; font-size: 11.000000pt;">He enriches it with an illustrated history of the flea, reciting classics of the flea canon and ending with the shortest poem of all: </span><br />
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<span style="color: rgb(6.700000% , 6.700000% , 6.700000%); font-family: "georgia"; font-size: 11.000000pt;">Adam/Had ’em. </span><br />
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<span style="color: rgb(6.700000% , 6.700000% , 6.700000%); font-family: "georgia"; font-size: 11.000000pt;">It’s a rare showman who can squeeze a living out of a flea circus. But if it paid off for enthusiasm, Jim Alberti of Winston-Salem, North Carolina, would be chartering his own jet instead of piloting his pickup from bluegrass concert to school fundraiser to county fair, handily supplementing his Social Security check. His father and grandfather before him ran flea circuses, and Jim is blessed with a spouse who understands that the bug is in his blood. He was teaching at the North Carolina School of the Arts in 1988 when he told her he’d like to quit and do his show full-time. “We could do that,” she said. “I’ve seldom loved her more,” Jim told me. </span><br />
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<span style="color: rgb(6.700000% , 6.700000% , 6.700000%); font-family: "georgia"; font-size: 11.000000pt;">After failing to catch him at the Merlefest in Wilkesboro, North Carolina, and the James Riverfest in Lynchburg, Virginia, I finally met him on a sweltering day at the annual Folk Festival in Lowell, Massachusetts. He was setting up his show on a sunbaked concrete walkway far out on the fringe of the festival; as I helped him erect signs, I thought he could never draw a crowd there. But a couple of passersby slowed down out of curiosity, and a few more stopped when he donned his derby and red vest, signs that the show was about to begin. He has a line of patter to accompany his chores. His fleas go south for the winter, he says. “They have a condo in Florida. It’s a French poodle.” By the time he introduced his star performer, Captain Spalding, to do his daring double flip into the tank, dozens of kids had appeared, snaggle-toothed, freckle-faced, like the resurrected cast of an old </span><span style="color: rgb(6.700000% , 6.700000% , 6.700000%); font-family: "georgia"; font-size: 11.000000pt; font-style: italic;">Our Gang </span><span style="color: rgb(6.700000% , 6.700000% , 6.700000%); font-family: "georgia"; font-size: 11.000000pt;">movie. They listened open-mouthed to his patter and seemed mesmerized as he wove his hands to illustrate what was happening. </span><br />
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<span style="color: rgb(6.700000% , 6.700000% , 6.700000%); font-family: "georgia"; font-size: 11.000000pt;">As Jim says, “It’s not easy to make something out of their imagination—a little like James Joyce taking a thought and making a book out of it.” His performance may or may not have equaled </span><span style="color: rgb(6.700000% , 6.700000% , 6.700000%); font-family: "georgia"; font-size: 11.000000pt; font-style: italic;">Ulysses. </span><span style="color: rgb(6.700000% , 6.700000% , 6.700000%); font-family: "georgia"; font-size: 11.000000pt;">But as I watched the kids watch him, it was clear that Jim, like Scalliot, Boverick, Bertolotto, and Heckler—not to mention Adam—had ’em. </span></div>
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DADAPALOOZAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18133417490948081985noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1729987370250179812.post-89433130056055700662009-05-22T17:24:00.000-04:002010-08-07T14:33:49.655-04:00Minnesota Public Radio: Whatever Happened to the Flea Circus?<div class="header newsq-header-footer"><img alt="MPR News Logo" height="69" src="http://minnesota.publicradio.org/standard/images/mpr006/news/header/logo.gif" width="320" /> <img alt="In the Loop" class="blogheader" height="87" src="http://minnesota.publicradio.org/collections/special/columns/loophole//images/header_itl.gif" width="320" /></div><a href="http://minnesota.publicradio.org/radio/programs/in_the_loop/" title="In the Loop"></a> <br />
<h1>What ever happened to the flea circus?</h1><div class="entrydata">Posted at 2:24 PM on May 22, 2009 by Sanden Totten </div><script src="http://minnesota.publicradio.org/www_publicradio/tools/media_player/js/swfobject.js" type="text/javascript">
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<table align="right" class="image"><caption align="bottom"><small><b>Professor A.G. Gertsacov <small><i>Photo by Dennis Hlynsky</i></small></b><small><i></i></small><i></i></small></caption><tbody>
<tr><td><img alt="Adam Gertsacov small.jpg" class="mt-image-none" height="258" src="http://minnesota.publicradio.org/collections/special/columns/loophole/content_images/Adam%20Gertsacov%20small.jpg" width="180" /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>A few weeks back a visitor to this blog found our <a href="http://skribit.com/blogs/the-loophole" target="new">Skribit page</a> and asked this question: <i><b>"Are there still flea circuses?"</b></i><br />
<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flea_circus" target="new"><b>The flea circus is an act where real human fleas (Pulex irritans) are harnessed and trained to perform tricks.</b></a> At one time the flea circus was pretty common, say around the late 1800's and early 1900's. But today, you can go your whole life without running across a single human flea . . . let alone a flea circus full of them.<br />
<b>But that doesn't mean the art of training fleas is dead!</b> It's just a bit harder to catch these days. We spoke with one seasoned "flea-man", Adam Gertsacov, also known as Professor A.G. Gertsacov, the leader of the ACME Miniature Flea Circus. He told us about his show, what to feed a flea circus performer and why vacuums may have been partly responsible for the decline of the great flea circus side show.<br />
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<small><b>Come see (or squint to see) the circus!<br />
<small><i>Photo by Jaime Murphy</i></small></b></small>DADAPALOOZAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18133417490948081985noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1729987370250179812.post-6027669591589987612009-03-13T15:12:00.000-04:002011-11-02T09:58:24.906-04:00ChicagoLand Television- Metromix<object id="WNVideoCanvasDEFAULTdivWNVideoCanvas" height="355" width="400"> If you can't see the video below, check this link out.<br /><br /><a href="http://cltv.trb.com/video/?autoStart=true&topVideoCatNo=default&clipId=3544504">METROMIX</a><br /><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"> <param name="quality" value="high"> <param name="wmode" value="windowless"> <param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always"> <param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"> <param name="bgcolor" value="#FFFFFF"> <param name="movie" value="http://video.cltv.com/global/video/flash/widgets/WNVideoCanvas.swf"> <embed src="http://video.cltv.com/global/video/flash/widgets/WNVideoCanvas.swf" 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I’m sorry. I’m a busy woman. And, I felt a little uncomfortable about blogging something like the <a href="http://www.trainedfleas.com/">Acme Flea Circus</a> after hearing about <a href="http://www.gainesville.com/article/20090302/ARTICLES/903020948/1002?Title=Update-Two-children-killed-in-Sunday-crash">Chuck’s family</a>. So, it’s been a week and I’m still too darn busy but I have had a bit of blogging fever so… yea, the Acme Flea Circus…. omg… awesomeness.</p> <p><em>Consider this a public service announcement. The following post contains use of the word freak in a way that might make some people uncomfortable. Your uncomfortableness is not my goal. In my household, the use of the word freak is not a negative or derogatory thing. We, the Flamingo House inhabitants, have embraced all things freaky and all people who society currently or has been known to label as freaks. We like the freak. More freaks should exist. Everyone should embrace their inner and outer freak and strive to become more freak-like. If this makes you uncomfortable, you might simply choose to stop reading. Or you may continue reading at your own risk.</em></p> <p>Before I tell you why the Acme Flea circus gets an “omg…awesome!” from me, I have to tell you a couple of little stories. First, the story of TW and the fleas.</p><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: rgb(255, 102, 0);">(SOME PORTIONS OMITTED)</span><br /></div><p>So yea. We have the woman who invented fleas and her daughter the circus freak. God or some higher power was paying attention when he influenced me to open a Daily Candy newsletter (something I never ever do) to discover the Acme Flea Circus would be performing in the Intuit, just a few short miles from our home. Fate! Cosmic something or other. I purchased six tickets.</p> <p>At this point, I have to say that not all Flamingo House inhabitants were thrilled with the idea of the Flea Circus. RJ was not unhappy about the idea, she just wasn’t enthusiastic. Prince J, however, was downright <em>bitchy</em> about the idea and there was much “it’s not fair! why do I have to go!” all of which lasted right up until the moment we took our seats at the Flea Circus.</p> <p>Prince J and RJ sat in the second row with me. TW, Liz and TW’s mother sat in the front row in front of us. As people came in and found their seats (sold out show with people turned away who thought they could buy their tickets at the door!) the ringmaster wandered around with a little tray selling the tiniest programs for a dime a piece. TW bought six and we all sat down to read them. But the print was incredibly small and it was a little dark. Luckily, the ringmaster had thought of that and he had tiny little magnifying glasses for sale, and he walked around selling those too.</p> <p>Which of course led him to sell flea tattoos, postcards, photographs and the much coveted bumper sticker. The “flea market” before the “flea circus”. It was incredibly amusing and both of the previously disgruntled teens were fascinated by the showmanship of the ringmaster.</p> <p>And then the show began - with Midge and Madge, the most brilliant and talented fleas ever. They even have their own Airstream! (sweet!) Midge and Madge had a race - our side of the room rooted for Midge, the other side for Madge. There was much cheering and jeering and in the end…Midge! The winner!</p> <p>There was a brief stop in the flea action for the ringmaster to read us a very informative book about the history of fleas.</p> <p>And then Midge walked the tightwire, something our little circus freak enjoys (though not as much as she enjoys the Spanish Web.)</p> <p>Another brief stop for some “Flea Verse” and uh oh… Madge escaped from the Airstream or was flea-napped! Thankfully, the ringmaster found poor Madge hiding in a woman’s hair.</p> <p>Did I mention both teens were amused by this performance and could not keep from smiling, even though they tried - when they realized both their mother and I had noticed them actually enjoying themselves.</p> <p>Then, the finale - Midge and Madge would be shot from a cannon, through a ring of fire, into their Airstream!</p> <p><a href="http://flamingohouse.net/wp-content/uploads/2009/03/fleas.jpg" title="fleas.jpg"><img src="http://flamingohouse.net/wp-content/uploads/2009/03/fleas.jpg" alt="fleas.jpg" height="400" width="300" /></a><br /><br /><br />Ohhhh scaryyyyyy! Very tense moment…. they made it! Much cheering ensued.<br /><br /><br />We all, and I do mean all, had a fabulous time.<br /><br /></p>DADAPALOOZAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18133417490948081985noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1729987370250179812.post-51405446609383767552009-02-27T10:23:00.000-05:002010-08-07T14:29:53.246-04:00Chicago Tribune: Wear long Sleeves. The flea circus is in town.<span style="font-size: 180%;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Wear long sleeves. The flea circus is in town.</span></span><br />
<dl class="byline"><span class="story-byline">By Lauren Viera </span>|<span class="story-titleline">Tribune reporter</span><span class="story-dateline"><dd>February 27, 2009</dd></span></dl><div id="story-body-parent"><div id="story-body" style="clear: left;">The circus is coming to town.<br />
<br />
Wait just a minute, <i class="i">coulrophobics</i>; you can relax: This circus is clown-free. There aren't any bearded ladies, strong men or tigers jumping through fiery hoops, either. We're talking about a sideshow-size tribute to some of the tiniest wonders of the world: fleas.<br />
<br />
On Thursday, professor A.G. Gertsacov and his Acme Miniature Flea Circus hopped into Intuit: The Center for Intuitive & Outsider Art, where they're in residence through the weekend. The Acme circus fleas pull chariots, dance on tight wires and perform other death-defying feats.<br />
<br />
We think.</div></div><div class="rail">Although Gertsacov, the show's self-proclaimed Flea Master, swears his Victorian-inspired circus uses real, live insects, we were skeptical. So, we called him up to ask.</div><br />
"The only thing I can say to people who don't believe it," Gertsacov says, "is to come down and decide for yourself."<br />
<br />
Such is the business plan of the Acme Miniature Flea Circus: It succeeds primarily based on the curiosity of its patrons. And, of course, the talent of its performers.<br />
<br />
Gertsacov first stumbled into the ... er ... flea market more than a dozen years ago. After graduating from the Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Clown College and traveling for a few years with an East Coast-based troupe producing a show with a combo box turtle/imaginary flea circus act, Gertsacov sought out career advice from renown clown Avner Eisenberg, under whom he studied. "Focus on the fleas," Eisenberg advised. "You're so big; they're so little. You love the fleas. That's your show."<br />
<br />
And so it was.<br />
<br />
Gertsacov began researching his act, recruited a set designer to build his show apparatus and invested in <i class="i">pulex irritans </i>(a.k.a. human fleas), whose average life span reaches 24 months. He uses only female fleas, which are slightly larger than male fleas and, according to research, typically easier to train. While Gertsacov isn't sure whether that's true, he's going with it. "One set of [human] fleas can perform for nearly 18 months," he says, noting that cat fleas—which are much more common in North America—have only an eight-week life span. Which, he says, isn't enough time to train and perform.<br />
<br />
As for the training, that's Gertsacov's secret.<br />
<br />
"The word 'training' is a funny thing," he says. "I'm not training them to do rocket science. What they do in my show is natural behavior. And to coach them in context, they do these tricks in a way that makes them entertaining. Do they know that they're racing chariots? No, but I train them to pull the chariots on command, which they do 85 percent of the time. There's always a 15 percent chance they won't perform."<br />
<br />
So what happens when they don't?<br />
<br />
No biggie, says Gertsacov. "That's showbiz."<br />
<br />
<a href="mailto:lviera@tribune.com">lviera@tribune.com</a>DADAPALOOZAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18133417490948081985noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1729987370250179812.post-23800720940109924662009-02-27T09:49:00.000-05:002017-10-16T16:30:52.889-04:00Chicago Sun Times: Flea Spirit Brings Smallest Show on Earth to Town<h1 class="story_headline">
Flea spirit brings smallest show on earth to town</h1>
<div class="date">
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</script><a class="IconOnTag IconComments" href="http://www.suntimes.com/entertainment/1451637,WKP-News-flea27West.article#Comments_Container"></a>February 27, 2009</div>
<div class="byline">
BY <a com="" href="mailto:dohara">DELIA O'HARA </a> dohara@suntimes.com<br />
<br /></div>
The question Professor A.G. (also known as Adam) Gertsacov is most commonly asked about his flea circus is, "Do you have real fleas?"<br />
<br />
The second most common question is, "Really?"<br />
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Professor A.G. Gertsacov looks<br />on as one of the stars of the <br />Acme flea circus does a dance<br />
on the tightwire.<br />
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ACME MINIATURE FLEA CIRCUS</div>
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<breakouthead></breakouthead>6:30 tonight; 2, 4 and 6 p.m. Saturday<br />
Intuit: The Center for Intuitive <br />and Outsider Art, <br />756 N. Milwaukee<br />
Tickets, $8-$12<br />
(312) 243-9088; <i>www.art.org</i></div>
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And the third is, "Come on, you don't really have fleas, do you?"<br />
<br />
To which he rejoins, "If you don't believe me, come on down and see for yourself."<br />
<br />
The New York-based Gertsacov has brought the Acme Miniature Flea Circus to Intuit: The Center for Intuitive and Outsider Art. Performances tonight and Saturday are in conjunction with "The Picture Tells the Story: The Drawings of Joseph E. Yoakum," an exhibit up at Intuit through June 27. Yoakum, a highly regarded Chicago outsider artist, claimed to have spent his working life as a circus roustabout and took up art only when he retired.<br />
<br />
The circus is the stated link between Yoakum and the flea circus, even if the connection is a bit tenuous -- none of the drawings in the show depict circus scenes. It's possible the flea circus is coming to Intuit mostly because it's the kind of loopy entertainment that might be expected to delight people who love the creations of self-taught artists.<br />
<br />
"It's going to be fun" says Jerry Stefl, Intuit's Education Chair. "Everybody I've talked to has heard of a flea circus but no one has ever seen one."<br />
Intuit specializes in showing the creations of self-taught artists like Yoakum. Another show there now is "Sticks," works made of everything from twigs to toothpicks.<br />
<br />
"Self-taught artists are working from an inner passion," Stefl says.<br />
You could say the same thing about Gertsacov, an actor and longtime clown who has overcome a number of obstacles to produce the Acme Miniature Flea Circus, which has two female flea performers, Midge and Madge. The major obstacle, according to Gertsacov, is that fleas are about as big as the period at the end of this sentence.<br />
"It took me two years to figure out how to do this," he says.<br />
Gertsacov will not reveal his hard-won secrets -- how he has prevailed on fleas to perform, that is -- but fleas are very strong jumpers. The trick is to get them doing something that puts that attribute to work, says Gertsacov, who adds that his training methods are humane.<br />
A highlight of the flea circus is the "chariot race" between Midge and Madge, which takes a minute and a half and covers 13 inches. For a finale, the fleas are shot out of a cannon into their "lavishly decorated trailer," Gertsacov says.<br />
"The journey of my show is not about pet tricks, although they are pretty interesting and impressive and worthy of note," Gertsacov says. "It's more the journey of the audience, as they come to love the fleas and cheer for them madly."<br />
<br />
Dennis Hlynsky, a friend and professor at the Rhode Island School of Design, created the set and props. The fleas don't wear costumes.<br />
<br />
Researching flea circuses, Gertsacov, 44, learned that they appear to date from the early 19th century. William Heckler brought his famous flea circus to the 1933 Century of Progress World's Fair here, and a Heckler son had a flea circus that was a fixture in Times Square until about 1956.<br />
<br />
Midge and Madge are members of the Pulex irritans species, human fleas, which are relatively long-lived, as fleas go. They still have a performing career of only about 16 to 18 months, so Gertsacov has young jumpers in training at all times. He gets them from the same type of catalogue supplier research labs use.<br />
They're cheap to feed -- every 10 days or so, the boss pricks his finger and sets them up in a little case for lunch. They don't actually bite him anymore.<br />
It's very important that the flea circus performers all be females.<br />
"I don't want to start an infestation," Gertsacov says.DADAPALOOZAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18133417490948081985noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1729987370250179812.post-66165084049119682742009-02-26T16:38:00.000-05:002010-08-07T14:41:30.039-04:00NBC Chicago: The Smallest Show On Earth<a href="http://www.trainedfleas.com/fleaimages/pfleas.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" src="http://www.trainedfleas.com/fleaimages/pfleas.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; float: right; height: 278px; margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; width: 452px;" /></a><br />
<div id="storyInfo"><h1><span class="title">The Smallest Show on Earth</span> <span class="subtitle">Bring your reading glasses -- the Acme Flea Circus is coming to town!</span> </h1><span class="byauthor">By</span> <span class="author"> <a href="http://www.nbcchicago.com/results/?keywords=%22WENDY+WOLLENBERG%22&author=y&sort=date">WENDY WOLLENBERG</a> </span> <br />
<div class="updatedate">Updated 4:15 PM CST, Thu, Feb 26, 2009</div><br />
<span class="float_right"><img src="http://www.trainedfleas.com/fleaimages/pflea.jpg" /></span><span class="float_right">Jaime Murphy for the Acme Miniature Flea Circus</span> </div><div class="overlay_caption_text" id="imgCaption_1">The Acme Miniature Flea Circus is an authentic Victorian-style flea circus. </div><div class="story"><div id="paragraph1">Come one, come all, but please, by all means, leave Fido at home. Chances are you've heard of them but never actually seen one up close -- a real, live flea circus. Now's your chance. The <a class="external" href="http://www.trainedfleas.com/" target="_blank">Acme Miniature Flea Circus</a>, headed up by ringmaster Professor A.G. Gertsacov and starring trained fleas Midge and Madge, rolls into town tonight, Thursday, Feb. 26 through Saturday, Feb. 28. The Victorian-style spectacle will be staged at <a class="external" href="http://art.org/" target="_blank">Intuit: The Center for Intuitive and Outsider Art</a> in River West.</div><div id="paragraph2">Apparently, there are only a handful of flea circuses still in existence throughout the world. By his own reckoning, Gertsacov's is certainly one of the most famous, thanks in no small part to the stars -- the talented twosome Midge and Madge -- whose tricks include pulling golden chariots, dancing on a tightwire and getting shot out of a cannon. Be sure to look closely -- you wouldn't want to miss a thing. The Acme Miniature Flea Circus has traveled the globe with its act, including shows in Brazil, <a href="http://www.nbcchicago.com/topics?topic=Chile" title="Chile">Chile</a> and <a href="http://www.nbcchicago.com/topics?topic=Canada" title="Canada">Canada</a>, as well as a three month-stint performing in Times Square.</div><div id="paragraph3"><a href="http://www.nbcchicago.com/topics?topic=Intuit+Inc." title="Intuit Inc.">Intuit</a>'s presentation of the Acme Miniature Flea Circus is in conjunction with an exhibition of artwork by <a href="http://www.nbcchicago.com/topics?topic=Chicago" title="Chicago">Chicago</a> self-taught artist <a href="http://www.nbcchicago.com/topics?topic=Joseph+Yoakum" title="Joseph Yoakum">Joseph Yoakum</a>, who made his way across the country by traveling with various circus acts.</div><div id="paragraph4">Performances take place at 6:30PM on Thursday and Friday and at 2PM, 4PM and 6PM on Saturday. Tickets are $8-$12 a person and can be bought in advance through the <a class="external" href="http://art.org/eventsPrograms/upcoming.htm" target="_blank">Intuit Web site</a>. </div>Copyright NBC Local Media </div>DADAPALOOZAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18133417490948081985noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1729987370250179812.post-33352136730674221042009-02-26T10:33:00.000-05:002010-08-07T14:42:16.033-04:00Daily Candy 2/26/09: The Weekend Guide: SEE!<div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUivxOuN_ZYIoinPQb1DG-nPEbQZQtDP0ftk8kEQjnR8p_9Lv8FFc-yqLZ0O_iK6tu6RfSkNqBKphvEhCapgxpDvfrvE8DVA_0ABgc8gZHddA8hdwwmCxiKZ-UC0zxnCsLNOhYsi1kcMV3/s1600-h/dailycandy2_26.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}">click for a large copy</a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUivxOuN_ZYIoinPQb1DG-nPEbQZQtDP0ftk8kEQjnR8p_9Lv8FFc-yqLZ0O_iK6tu6RfSkNqBKphvEhCapgxpDvfrvE8DVA_0ABgc8gZHddA8hdwwmCxiKZ-UC0zxnCsLNOhYsi1kcMV3/s1600-h/dailycandy2_26.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5310098431130984082" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUivxOuN_ZYIoinPQb1DG-nPEbQZQtDP0ftk8kEQjnR8p_9Lv8FFc-yqLZ0O_iK6tu6RfSkNqBKphvEhCapgxpDvfrvE8DVA_0ABgc8gZHddA8hdwwmCxiKZ-UC0zxnCsLNOhYsi1kcMV3/s400/dailycandy2_26.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 374px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 456px;" /></a></div>DADAPALOOZAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18133417490948081985noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1729987370250179812.post-19591390765703879102009-02-26T10:14:00.000-05:002010-08-07T14:45:39.911-04:00Chicago Tonight-- WTTW: What to see This Weekend (VIDEO)Thursday February 26, 2009<br />
We're around minute 4. <br />
<br />
<object height="390" width="480"><param name="movie" value="http://www.wttw.com/res/flash/c2n/embed.swf"><param name="FlashVars" value="video=http://wttw.vo.llnwd.net/o16/wttw/c2n/022609f.flv&link=http://www.wttw.com/chicagotonightvideo&embed=false"><embed src="http://www.wttw.com/res/flash/c2n/embed.swf" flashvars="video=http://wttw.vo.llnwd.net/o16/wttw/c2n/022609f.flv&link=http://www.wttw.com/chicagotonightvideo&embed=false" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" height="390" width="480"></embed></object>DADAPALOOZAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18133417490948081985noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1729987370250179812.post-67577397681732439372009-02-26T09:52:00.000-05:002010-08-07T14:44:11.525-04:00Time Out Chicago: Sneak Peek: Acme Miniature Flea Circus<script type="text/javascript">
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<div class="RG_middle LY_left"><a href="http://www.timeout.com/chicago/section/museums-culture" style="color: #015949;">Museums & Culture </a><br />
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<div class="MD_article"><div class="MD_sectionTitle01"><span style="color: #015949;"> </span> </div><div class="MD_publicationDate01"><small class="CL_darkerGrey"><i>Time Out Chicago / Issue 209 : Feb 26–Mar 4, 2009</i></small> </div><div class="MD_kicker01"><h6 class="FT_title2 CL_darkerGrey">Sneak peek</h6></div><div class="MD_contentTitle01"><h1 class="FT_title4 FT_22">Acme Miniature Flea Circus</h1></div><div class="MD_bodyPreview01"><div class="image_right" style="width: 221px;"><img alt="" src="http://www.timeout.com/chicago/resizeImage/htdocs/export_images/209/209.x600.around.fleacircus.Sneak.jpg?width=220" /> </div>Ladies and gentlemen, step right up for the five-show Chicago premiere of Professor A.G. Gertsacov’s <a href="http://www.timeout.com/chicago/events/city-picks/270848/acme-miniature-flea-circus">Acme Flea Circus</a>. The show’s two tiny performers, Midge and Madge, will bask in the spotlight as they perform old-fashioned Victorian sideshow acts. Watch in wonder as the fleas compete in chariot races, balance chairs on a tight wire and, as the grand finale, are shot from a cannon.<br />
The act—which Intuit is presenting in conjunction with its “The Picture Tells the Story: The Drawings of Joseph E. Yoakum” exhibition—is part hokum, part actual animal wonder. It started in 1992 as a Pandora’s Box–themed act in the Pan-Twilight Circus in Providence, Rhode Island. Then, in 2001, Gertsacov took his act to Times Square with the Bindlestiff Family Cirkus, replacing a famous flea act that operated there until 1957. <br />
Since then, the professor and his miniscule marvels have traveled around the U.S., Canada and Brazil, wowing audiences with their daring feats, plus a little history, poetry and grandstanding thrown in for good measure. The trio has now performed more than 1,000 times, in venues as diverse as Coney Island’s famed sideshow to a circus-themed wedding. <br />
While Gertsacov, a graduate of the Ringling Bros. Clown College, won’t reveal the coveted trade secrets behind training the tiny bloodsuckers, he says the real secret is getting the crowd to love the fleas. “People cheer for them and applaud in the races. Now if they could see them up close, they would probably kill them.” <i><a href="http://www.timeout.com/chicago/venues/old-town-river-north/7444/intuit">Intuit: The Center for Intuitive and Outsider Art</a>, 756 N Milwaukee Ave (312-243-9088, <a href="http://art.org/" target="_blank">art.org</a>). Thu 26, Fri 27 at 6:30pm; Sat 28 at 2, 6:30pm; $8–$12.</i><br />
<a href="http://www.timeout.com/chicago/search/articles/category=303"></a><span class="CL_black"><i>— Martina Sheehan</i></span></div><div class="MD_byline01"></div></div><br />
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<span style="display: none;">53241</span> <b class="LY_left">Intuit</b> <span class="LY_left CL_darkGrey TP_date"><i>Thu, Feb 26, at 12:11pm</i></span><br />
Please note the correct showtimes: Thursday, February 26, 6:30pm - Friday, February 27, 6:30pm - Saturday, February 28, 2:00pm, 4:00pm and 6:00pm - And remember, no dogs allowed! <br />
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<h3>Flea circus makes Chicago debut, hopes to attract audiences of all ages</h3><div class="single_post_meta">by <a href="http://columbiachronicle.com/author/bertha-serrano/" title="Posts by Bertha Serrano">Bertha Serrano</a></div></div><div id="single_body">They have been to 37 states and four countries, traveling in a fur-lined case and getting fed in a petri dish. Their trainer treats them as if they were his own blood, and, in some ways, they are. They depend on human blood for survival. Meet Midge and Madge, the stars of Adam Gertsacov’s Acme Flea Circus show.<br />
After many years of unpopularity, flea circuses are making their way into city events once again, one flea stunt at a time. Coming to Chicago for the first time ever, Acme Flea Circus will make its premiere at Intuit, 756 N. Milwaukee Ave., from Feb. 26-28.<br />
<div class="img size-medium wp-image-4368 alignleft" style="width: 248px;"><img alt="" height="375" src="http://columbiachronicle.com/wp-content/ac223_flea2.jpg" width="248" /> <br />
<div class="actual_caption">Courtesy DONNA ATWOOD - Adam Gertsacov looks on as one of the stars of the show does a dance on the tightwire. </div></div>Flea trainer Adam Gertsacov has been training the tiny creatures since 1994 and running his own flea circus in New York since 1996. Before falling for fleas, Gertsacov was a professional clown, and one of his clown routines was imagining he had a flea circus. After reading about how to train animals and learning about fleas, he decided this would be his big break. <br />
“I started because it was a traditional act that had gone away, and I wanted to know more about it,” Gertsacov said. “I started doing some research and finding out that 100 years ago there were flea circuses all over the place, and they were very famous. They were kind of ephemeral and they didn’t survive.”<br />
It took him a while to get them to do tricks because there was nobody to teach him how. He said it requires a lot of observation and patience, but it’s not impossible. Most of the tricks they do are already things they do normally; the only difference is getting them to do it on command.<br />
“Training fleas is not easy, and [people] don’t have to do that in order to entertain [others], but I do it anyway, because I’m interested in the old-fashioned circus,” Gertsacov said. “I would say that it’s fun and it’s great to bring back this old tradition. It’s interesting to me.”<br />
Their different stunts include running a chariot race, which, in reality, is only about a foot-and-a-half long and takes them a minute-and-a-half to complete. Another famous stunt includes them flying out of a cannon. How he gets them to do all this is still a secret.<br />
Though not much has changed since the first flea circus, Gertsacov said every show is different thanks to the audience. And if it wasn’t for that, he would have given up on flea circuses a long time ago.<br />
Many viewers walk in with binoculars, but Gertsacov said they aren’t necessary, and they won’t help.<br />
“The way that I design the show, people can see what the fleas do without any aid,” he said. “It would be hard to see the fleas even if I perform with one person at a time. I need to use a high power magnifying glass just to put them in the proper place.”<br />
The only precaution Gertsacov requires when people attend his show is that the audiences keep their pets at home so they won’t steal his show. After all these years of performances, he has used over 20 fleas since they only live 24 months. No matter how many times they have died, the two stars are always named Midge and Madge.<br />
With his previous clowning and acting career, Gertsacov has performed in Chicago, but this will be the first time he performs with his flea circus.<br />
Amanda Curtis, education director at Inuit, said the nonprofit arts center has a way of finding unique shows such as this one. Their current exhibit called Sticks, displays different self taught artists and showcases models they built out of sticks, tree trunks, telephone polls and toothpicks.<br />
“We have an exhibit up now from Chicago artist Jospeh E. Yoakum, [who] traveled as a bill-poster for several different circuses. So as a tribute to him, we thought this would work out,” Curtis said. “Usually we try to somehow relate any of our programs to the exhibits.”<br />
Though she has never seen a flea circus show, she’s looking forward to all its surprises and reactions of viewers.<br />
Michael Ketts runs Professor Marvel’s Flea Circus and Magic Show in Evanston, Ill. He said he’s looking forward to the Acme Flea Circus show coming to town for the first time.<br />
After personally training fleas for six years, his worst experiences have been getting bit by them, but he also feeds them his blood in order to keep them alive. He orders the fleas from a company in California.<br />
“[Flea circuses] were famous in the 1950s in New York,” Ketts said. “A lot of things have just faded. Now everyone wants high-tech and graphics, and this is a more simple kind of entertainment.”<br />
After the flea circus show in Chicago, Gertsacov will return to New York and have his first, show Exploring Henry Hudson, where he will play Henry Hudson, the founder of the Hudson River. He said as of right now, no fleas are in the show.<br />
<i>Admission for this show is $12; $10 for students, seniors, and members; and $8 for children under 12. Tickets can be purchased at Intuit’s website, Art.org. </i></div>DADAPALOOZAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18133417490948081985noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1729987370250179812.post-91453270463877383672007-08-27T10:05:00.000-04:002010-08-07T14:32:55.248-04:00Washington Post: The Tiniest Show in Town!<h3 class="post-title">Flea circus featured article in Washington Post </h3>This has also become a <a href="http://www.upi.com/NewsTrack/Quirks/2007/08/27/fleas_bring_new_kind_of_circus_to_dc/3389/">UPI article<br />
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<div id="article"><h1>The Tiniest Show in Town!</h1><h2>At the Flea Circus, There's More Than Meets the Eye</h2><span style="font-size: 85%;"> </span><br />
<div id="byline"><span style="font-size: 85%;">By Rachel Beckman</span></div><span style="font-size: 85%;">Washington Post Staff Writer<br />
Monday, August 27, 2007; Page C01</span><br />
<div id="article_body">The magic of the flea circus climaxed during the chariot race. That's when ringmaster Adam Gertsacov persuaded the audience to fall in love with Midge and Madge, the tiny stars of his Acme Miniature Circus.<br />
Yesterday about 40 people -- a mix of families and hipsters -- at the Palace of Wonders on H Street NE rose to their feet, craning their necks to get a better look at the action. Gertsacov, wearing a purple top hat, shot a toy gun and the fleas were off.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFDrRvNsVIqMsp8482rqEInhWWVlENs6G0YN38qHHPLSpwS4eUTEDRaCrG-S0eV-Ty4uLYoVxozpNSgkGCY8A1STyLafj3b-LAVK0odzfPC_MudvLAAq5Gc3l_cnqnMaREQLoAhpoO9qHN/s1600-h/washpost1.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5322323579514812242" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFDrRvNsVIqMsp8482rqEInhWWVlENs6G0YN38qHHPLSpwS4eUTEDRaCrG-S0eV-Ty4uLYoVxozpNSgkGCY8A1STyLafj3b-LAVK0odzfPC_MudvLAAq5Gc3l_cnqnMaREQLoAhpoO9qHN/s400/washpost1.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; float: right; height: 372px; margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; width: 209px;" /></a>"We've approached the straightaway," he said, talking double-time, like a sports announcer. "It's going to be a very close race. Midge is making her move. Let's hear it!"<br />
The audience screamed and one man broke into a chant: "Let's go, Midge! Let's go, Midge!"<br />
Who won? Maybe the more pressing question is whether there was a race at all. "Professor" A.G. Gertsacov has worked to revive a tradition that's been mostly dead since the 1950s. He's also revived the question that has always accompanied the spectacle: Are there actually any fleas?<br />
Tough to tell. There were two small chariots moving across the stage (about as big as a school desk) but any fleas pulling them were impossible to see -- even from the front row, even with Gertsacov's magnifying glass hovering above them.<br />
Gertsacov, however, insists that his stars exist. "It wouldn't be much of a flea circus," he said, "without the fleas."<br />
The 42-year-old resident of Yonkers, N.Y., started his flea circus in 1994 and has presented it more than 1,000 times. The clown college graduate first got the idea after watching Charlie Chaplin host one in the film "Limelight." Gertsacov initially pantomimed the act. Then a fellow performer gave him some advice.<br />
"He said, 'Get rid of all the clown stuff,' " Gertsacov recalled. " 'You're so big, they're so little. You love the fleas. That's your show.' "<br />
The Acme company is one of only a handful of flea circuses left in the world, he said. They were popular in Victorian days, but existed in New York's Times Square until 1957. Gertsacov revived the Times Square show in 2002, performing in the now-defunct Palace of Variety on West 42nd Street, about two blocks from the original location.<br />
Gertsacov wouldn't reveal his secret for training fleas, but he did assure the audience that he uses only positive reinforcement.<br />
"I treat them as if they are my own flesh and blood."<br />
<div id="article_body">And, in some ways, he said, they are. Gertsacov said he uses the <i>Pulex irritans</i> flea, or the human flea, for his show. They like human and pig hosts best, so he feeds them by pricking his finger and bleeding into a petri dish every 10 to 12 days. Uh-huh.<br />
Gertsacov uses only female fleas because they're bigger and easier to train. But not every flea is cut out for being a circus flea, mind you. He gets his performers from an entomologist and then puts them through rigorous exercises to see if they've got what it takes. <i>Pulex irritans</i> lives for about a year, so there have been quite a few Midges and Madges.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSgibWo2Ng5lYM8nVTYl7ybMBPdEPx7WfscQcLAI-5Lr-2YmM_eV6d9PjWO1S7N2y6O6_bCkEqmn4nkYjMu5BEkhg4AlR_vqcA9llwhSqDymd9BXT3QY4Wf8MFvpEyhM9t6KOpiaexK_zi/s1600-h/washpost2.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5322324699078648274" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSgibWo2Ng5lYM8nVTYl7ybMBPdEPx7WfscQcLAI-5Lr-2YmM_eV6d9PjWO1S7N2y6O6_bCkEqmn4nkYjMu5BEkhg4AlR_vqcA9llwhSqDymd9BXT3QY4Wf8MFvpEyhM9t6KOpiaexK_zi/s400/washpost2.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; float: right; height: 400px; margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; width: 220px;" /></a>Gertsacov initially thought that his circus would attract families, but it turned out that "the punk-rock-tattooed guys loved my show." At the Palace of Wonders, a sideshow-themed bar, he attracted plenty of both families and tattooed folk. (He sold flea-themed temporary tattoos at the beginning of the show, so the two demographics started to blend together.)<br />
"I feel a little guilty coming to a flea circus," said Kathy Hutchins, who brought her 12-year-old daughter. "I have dogs and cats, so I've spent a lot of time trying to eradicate fleas. I hope they're not relatives of Midge."<br />
Gertsacov lamented the flea eradication industry during the flea history segment at the beginning of the performance. He also started off with a "flea" market, selling plastic magnifying glasses, "Save the Fleas" bumper stickers and 2-by-3-inch programs.<br />
As for the race: Despite the zeal of Midge's fans, Madge pulled ahead at the finish and won. Gertsacov said it was time for Midge to rest, so, using tweezers, he placed her in a miniature Airstream trailer adorned with a sparkly green "M" on top.<br />
For a solo stunt during the show, Madge walked a tightrope while balancing a chair and a pole. Gertsacov watched the death-defying act through a magnifying glass and put her in a spotlight by shining a flashlight on her.<br />
The show's grand finale was supposed to have Midge and Madge shot out of a cannon, sailing through a fiery ring and landing safely in their cushy trailer.<br />
"And now, ladies and gentlemen, a moment of silence for their brother Leopold, who died while attempting this trick."<br />
The sister fleas stayed safe because Gertsacov was cursed with two malfunctions. The ring of fire wouldn't light, and then the cannon wouldn't shoot. The ringmaster improvised his way out of it, urging the audience to visualize the stunt.<br />
By the later show, he said, he hoped to have worked the bugs (ha ha) out of the system. That 8 p.m. show admitted patrons 21 and over only because the fleas performed "completely nude," Gertsacov said.<br />
Amy Pollok, whose husband co-owns the bar, brought her two daughters to the show. The girls, ages 3 and 6, enjoyed the flea circus but Pollok suspected that "it might have been the popcorn." Pollok, for her part, tried to buy into Gertsacov's magic.<br />
"I would like to believe there is a flea out there named Madge," she said.</div></div></div>DADAPALOOZAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18133417490948081985noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1729987370250179812.post-88197714672874780412005-08-10T13:00:00.000-04:002016-07-30T01:48:57.596-04:00Denver Post: Boulder Festival Still Has A Few Bugs In It<div class="page" title="Page 1">
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ENTERTAINMENT</div>
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<span style="font-size: x-large;">Boulder festival still has a few bugs in it</span></h2>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Professor A.G. Gertsacov examines one of the stars of his Victorian-style flea circus. <br />The Acme Miniature Flea Circus is part of the inaugural Boulder International Fringe Festival.</span></td></tr>
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By ED WILL</div>
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PUBLISHED: August 10, 2005 at 1:00 pm</div>
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"Do you really have fleas in your show?'</div>
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"No, really?"</div>
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"Come on. Real fleas?" </div>
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"Insects, right?"</div>
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In descending order, those are the four most frequent questions heard by Professor A.G. Gertsacov, the owner, operator and ringmaster of the Acme Miniature Flea Circus.</div>
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"I say the same thing every time: 'If you don't believe, come down and decide for yourself,"' Gertsacov said in a recent telephone interview from the circus' home in Rhode Island.</div>
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He and his two star performers, Midge and Madge (a.k.a. Pulex irritans, the "human ea"), are among the array of acts scheduled for the 12-day Boulder International Fringe Festival. The festival, boasting more than 300 events at various sites, runs Wednesday through Aug. 28.</div>
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Boulder's event will differ from most fringe festivals, executive director Lawrence Kampf said. Rooted in Europe, fringe fests honor the offbeat.</div>
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"The Boulder fringe is about half theater," he said. "There are lots of other art forms, circus arts, dance, literally arts (and more). We have lots of educational workshops and that sort of thing."</div>
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Not that the Boulder fest will lack its share of goofy hijinks. The festival met its goal of booking 70 percent of its acts from the Boulder area.</div>
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"We hoped we could get enough national and international touring artists to really act as an inspiration to local artists, while at the same time really putting the bulk of our energy into creating a prosperous environment for the local artists," Kampf said.</div>
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The first fringe festival took place in Edinburgh, Scotland, in 1947. The city was mounting the Edinburgh International Festival, a mainstream event inspired by the idea of helping reunite Europe a after World War II. "It was a very political sort of thing," Kampf said. "It was juried. ...So essentially it became seen as the same fascism that started the war."</div>
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A host of artists showed up uninvited and, in an act of rebellion, wound up playing the fringes of the city. Thus the name was born. The fringe festival organized in the early 1950s and grew popular in its own right.</div>
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Today there are about 50 such festivals worldwide. They are a magnet for some of the more oddball acts in showbiz – like the Acme Miniature Flea Circus.</div>
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Only a handful of flea circuses exist in this day and age, but their history reaches back at least to the 19th century, with some historians arguing they can be traced 300 years earlier than that.</div>
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"The earliest flea circus that we know reliably about is a flea circus that was done in the 1820s in England by a guy named Señor Bertoloto," Gertsacov said. "He was the talk of London during that time." One of the most popular elements in Bertoloto's act was a flea re-enactment of Napoleon's 1815 defeat at Waterloo, still much in the public mind at the time.</div>
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Gertsacov notes that in those days everybody had fleas, even royalty. The circuses had no problem finding performers.</div>
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"Nowadays, the flea is less prevalent for humans, primarily because we, you know, wash," he said. "We wash our clothes; we wash ourselves."</div>
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Gertsacov buys his human fleas – a variety common in Europe but rare in the United States – from an entomological company. Some circuses use the more common cat flea. Gertsacov likes to follow the flea tradition of the earliest circuses.</div>
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One old-time practice to which he does not adhere is using glue to attach fleas – alive or dead – to the props.</div>
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"Years ago one of the thing they had was sword- ghting eas," Gertsacov said. "The way that they would do that is they would glue a sword to one of the eas' legs. </div>
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The fleas were constantly trying to shake off this little toothpick sword. As a result, it looked like they were sword ghting."</div>
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His show includes a flea walking a tight wire while balancing a miniature chair and pole. Midge and Madge also get shot out of a cannon through "the aming hoop of death" and into their trailer home. They also pull miniature chariots in a race along a 12-inch course.</div>
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Gertsacov declines to reveals how he trains fleas for fear someone might steal his show. He will say he uses only positive reinforcement – hear that, PETA? – and time-honored methods used to train animals of any kind.</div>
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"You have to observe very carefully what it does, and then you have to gure out a way to replicate its natural behaviors," he said. "I'm not teaching the fleas how to do rocket science. Nor do they do arithmetic. They do what they normally do, but I am able to make that into a little show."</div>
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Take the chariot race. Fleas naturally move by hopping – the critters have no wings, but as leapers they're the Michael Jordans of the insect world. The fastest hopper wins the race.</div>
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"They go 12 inches, and it takes them a minute and a half to do so," Gertsacov said. "That is not like great visual theater."</div>
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But racing fleas are not what has brought Gertsacov the success he has enjoyed since he launched the show in 1996.</div>
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"The great journey of my show is not the journey the fleas make when they pull the chariots," he said. "The really amazing journey in my show is when I get an audience of people cheering for these insects, going 'Midge! Midge! Go Midge!' or 'Go Madge!'</div>
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"They're cheering for these insects that they can't really see, and if they could see them they'd want to kill them. Yet, somehow I manage to get them to love the eas. And that is really the secret and the magic of my show."</div>
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In this circus, only the stars are suckers.<br />
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From <a href="http://www.denverpost.com/2005/08/10/boulder-festival-still-has-a-few-bugs-in-it/">http://www.denverpost.com/2005/08/10/boulder-festival-still-has-a-few-bugs-in-it/</a></div>
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DADAPALOOZAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18133417490948081985noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1729987370250179812.post-59207946649263050152003-02-06T09:00:00.000-05:002011-11-02T10:01:11.912-04:00Toronto Star: Lord of the Fleas<div class="body-paragraph"><span style="font-size: large;"><b><span rwthpgen="1">Toronto Star: Lord of the Fleas</span></b></span></div><div class="body-paragraph"><span rwthpgen="1">by </span>Emily Howell, age 10.</div><div class="body-paragraph">published 2/6/2003 </div><div class="body-paragraph"><br />
</div><div class="body-paragraph"><span rwthpgen="1">Everyone I've talked to is curious to know if in a flea circus the trainer uses real fleas.</span><span rwthpgen="1"> So when I told them that I was assigned to visit a flea circus that was coming to Toronto, they told me to figure out the mystery.</span></div><div class="body-paragraph"><br />
</div><div class="body-paragraph">Do they use real fleas in a flea circus?</div><div class="body-paragraph"><br />
</div><div class="body-paragraph"><span rwthpgen="1">Before I went into the flea circus, I thought that the trainer, whose name is Prof.</span><span rwthpgen="1"> A.G. Gertsacov from Rhode Island in the United States, actually didn't use fleas, although he claims he does.</span></div><div class="body-paragraph"><br />
</div><div class="body-paragraph"><span rwthpgen="1">He calls his fleas Midge and Madge, and you can't see them.</span><span rwthpgen="1"> He says they're there, and they can do tricks like racing in cars and swinging on a trapeze in a very colourful but very small Big Top.</span> </div><div class="body-paragraph"><span rwthpgen="1">Prof.</span><span rwthpgen="1"> Gertsacov, who is a big happy guy with a moustache, beard and a top hat, asked everybody in the audience to cheer for either Midge or Madge.</span><span rwthpgen="1"> I was sitting on the Madge side and cheered as long as I could.</span></div><div class="body-paragraph"><br />
</div><div class="body-paragraph"><span rwthpgen="1">The show was at the Artwords Theatre on Portland St. It was the first time Prof.</span><span rwthpgen="1"> Gertsacov had come to Toronto, although he has been in Canada before.</span><span rwthpgen="1"> He also said he has been to 37 states of America and he's also brought his fleas to Brazil and Chile.</span></div><div class="body-paragraph"><br />
</div><div class="body-paragraph">When I was interviewing him, I picked up some flea facts.</div><div class="body-paragraph"><br />
</div><div class="body-paragraph"><span rwthpgen="1">Did you know that if a flea were the size of a woman, it would be able to jump over one of the great pyramids of Egypt?</span><span rwthpgen="1"> You didn't?</span><span rwthpgen="1"> It's true!</span></div><div class="body-paragraph"><br />
</div><div class="body-paragraph"><span rwthpgen="1">Another fact is that a flea usually lives for only about two years.</span><span rwthpgen="1"> Prof.</span><span rwthpgen="1"> Gertsacov said Midge and Madge were 16 months old, so they don't have much longer to be performing in his circus.</span></div><div class="body-paragraph">I asked him if his fleas ever get sick.</div><div class="body-paragraph"><br />
</div><div class="body-paragraph"><span rwthpgen="1">"Occasionally, they don't like to perform," he said.</span><span rwthpgen="1"> "And the flea union is very tough.</span><span rwthpgen="1">"</span></div><div class="body-paragraph"><br />
</div><div class="body-paragraph">I also asked him if his fleas ever have temper tantrums, like my brother Jake used to have.</div><div class="body-paragraph"><span rwthpgen="1">"They can be little divas," he said.</span><span rwthpgen="1"> "But they're also quite talented.</span><span rwthpgen="1">"</span></div><div class="body-paragraph"><br />
</div><div class="body-paragraph"><span rwthpgen="1">Prof.</span><span rwthpgen="1"> Gertsacov uses 12 fleas at a time when he travels.</span><span rwthpgen="1"> So if Midge and Madge get tired, there are 10 other fleas who can take their place.</span></div><div class="body-paragraph"><br />
</div><div class="body-paragraph"><span rwthpgen="1">He's been doing his flea circus since 1996.</span><span rwthpgen="1"> He really likes it, but he also likes doing other things, such as acting like a clown.</span><span rwthpgen="1"> He also does what he calls "a crazy puppet show.</span><span rwthpgen="1">"</span></div><div class="body-paragraph"><br />
</div><div class="body-paragraph">He calls himself a "psycho entymologist" because he understands the psychology of fleas.</div><div class="body-paragraph"><br />
</div><div class="body-paragraph"><span rwthpgen="1">He's hoping to one day star in a movie playing the role of P.T. Barnum, the famous circus entertainer.</span></div><div class="body-paragraph"><br />
</div><div class="body-paragraph"><span rwthpgen="1">You'd really enjoy going to a flea circus.</span><span rwthpgen="1"> I had lots of fun, and Prof.</span><span rwthpgen="1"> Gertsacov said he hopes to come back to Toronto soon to do more shows.</span></div><div class="body-paragraph"><br />
</div><div class="body-paragraph"><span rwthpgen="1">I'm sorry that I can't tell you if he uses real fleas or not.</span><span rwthpgen="1"> But the whole fun of the flea circus is the mystery.</span><span rwthpgen="1"> So you will have a good time even if you don't see any fleas.</span></div><div class="body-paragraph"><br />
</div><div class="body-paragraph">Emily Howell, 10, is in Grade 5.</div><div class="body-paragraph">Under the Tiny Top with insect daredevils Midge and Madge</div><div class="body-paragraph"><br />
</div>DADAPALOOZAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18133417490948081985noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1729987370250179812.post-16961629387551011132003-01-23T09:00:00.000-05:002011-11-02T10:01:11.912-04:00Toronto Star: Clown Says It's Time To Flea<b><span style="font-size: x-large;"> Clown says it's time to flea </span></b><br />
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</div><div class="medium-bold"><i><span style="font-size: large;"><span rwthpgen="1">Adam </span><strong style="font-weight: normal;"><em>Gertsacov</em></strong><span rwthpgen="1"> leads Acme Circus acts Four days of shows centre on clowning </span></span></i></div><div class="body-paragraph"><span rwthpgen="1">Section:</span><span rwthpgen="1"> Entertainment, pg.</span><span rwthpgen="1"> G09</span></div><div class="body-paragraph"><br />
</div><div class="body-paragraph"><span rwthpgen="1">Strike up the band.</span><span rwthpgen="1"> The circus is coming to town.</span><span rwthpgen="1"> The Acme Miniature Flea Circus, that is.</span></div><div class="body-paragraph"><span rwthpgen="1">Fresh from Times Square, Professor A. G. </span><strong><em>Gertsacov</em></strong><span rwthpgen="1">, ringmaster of the most renowned flea circus in North America, presents his trained fleas Midge and Madge tonight through Sunday at Artword Theatre.</span></div><div class="body-paragraph"><span rwthpgen="1">Billed as "part side show, part exhibit and a whole lot of fun," the Acme Miniature Flea Circus is the creation of Adam </span><strong><em>Gertsacov</em></strong><span rwthpgen="1">, a 38-year-old clown from Providence, R.I.</span></div><div class="body-paragraph"><span rwthpgen="1">With a bit of a John Goodman look to him, in a lavender top hat and matching silk tails, </span><strong><em>Gertsacov</em></strong><span rwthpgen="1"> wields a magnifying glass rather than a ringmaster's whip as Midge and Madge race round the ring in tiny chariots, push a miniature chair across a tightrope and, for their death-defying finale, get shot from a cannon through a ring of fire.</span></div><div class="body-paragraph"><strong><em>Gertsacov</em></strong><span rwthpgen="1">, schooled at the Ringling Bros.</span><span rwthpgen="1"> Clown College, The Dell'Arte School of Physical Theatre and several other training grounds for professional funny people, describes himself as an actor, director, teacher, writer and clown.</span><span rwthpgen="1"> He has toured his flea circus around North America and to places as far away as Sao Paulo Brazil.</span></div><div class="body-paragraph"><span rwthpgen="1">And that's not his only act.</span> <strong><em>Gertsacov</em></strong><span rwthpgen="1"> does one routine he describes as a puppet show for goldfish and another called Buffoon Anonymous, in which he enters a 12-step program to deal with his addiction to clowning.</span></div><div class="body-paragraph"><span rwthpgen="1">Born to buffoonery, </span><strong style="font-weight: normal;"><em>Gertsacov</em></strong><span rwthpgen="1"> was working as a clown for the Pan-Twilight Circus in Rhode Island when he got the idea for a flea circus.</span><span rwthpgen="1"> He was asked to come up with an animal trainer act.</span><span rwthpgen="1"> His first effort was a box turtle act, using people dressed up as turtles.</span><span rwthpgen="1"> When that floundered, he tried a flea circus.</span></div><div class="body-paragraph"><span rwthpgen="1">At first he simply mimed the whole thing, using imaginary fleas.</span><span rwthpgen="1"> Then, as the story goes, a fellow clown, Avner the Eccentric, advised him to get serious - get some real fleas.</span> </div><div class="body-paragraph"><span rwthpgen="1">"He said, 'You're so big; they're so little.</span><span rwthpgen="1"> This is your act,'" the six-foot-two, 250-lb "psycho-entomologist" recalls.</span> </div><div class="body-paragraph"><span rwthpgen="1">"I got a grant from the state arts council.</span><span rwthpgen="1"> I hired a designer, Dennis Hlynsky, to create all the sets and props and I bought some fleas from an entomological supply company," says </span><strong><em>Gertsacov</em></strong><span rwthpgen="1"> on the phone from his Rhode Island home.</span> </div><div class="body-paragraph"><span rwthpgen="1">The whole show unfolds on a waist-high table-sized arena, preceded by a little carny action as Prof.</span><strong><em>Gertsacov</em></strong><span rwthpgen="1"> flogs miniature programs ("you can't tell the fleas without a program") and other flea mementos to the audience.</span><span rwthpgen="1"> This is the flea market segment of the show.</span> </div><div class="body-paragraph"><span rwthpgen="1">The ringmaster also recites some "flea verse" ("Adam / had 'em") and gives a short lecture on the human flea, or pulex irritans, informing his audience of the amazing strength of the parasite:</span><span rwthpgen="1"> "A flea the size of a woman could leap over the Great Pyramid of Giza in a single bound.</span><span rwthpgen="1">" </span></div><div class="body-paragraph"><span rwthpgen="1">For those curious about the Acme Miniature Circus, Prof.</span><span rwthpgen="1"> Gersacov has agreed to answer some Frequently Asked Questions:</span> </div><div class="body-paragraph">Will the audience be able to see the fleas?</div><div class="body-paragraph"><span rwthpgen="1">"It would be very difficult to see the fleas.</span><span rwthpgen="1"> A flea is smaller than the period at the end of a sentence in the newspaper.</span><span rwthpgen="1"> But you can see quite clearly what the fleas do.</span><span rwthpgen="1"> You can see the little chariots across the stage - they go about 10 inches in about a minute-and-a-half - and you can watch the chair on the pole crossing the wire.</span><span rwthpgen="1">"</span></div><div class="body-paragraph">Is the show suitable entertainment for all ages?</div><div class="body-paragraph"><span rwthpgen="1">"Well the fleas are totally nude.</span><span rwthpgen="1"> But I like to say the show is suitable for ages 6 through 106.</span><span rwthpgen="1"> What's exciting is that all the audience is cheering for these insects.</span><span rwthpgen="1"> If they could see them, they'd probably like to kill them, but people fall in love with the fleas.</span><span rwthpgen="1">"</span></div><div class="body-paragraph">How do you train the fleas?</div><div class="body-paragraph"><span rwthpgen="1">"I only use female fleas.</span><span rwthpgen="1"> The females are a little bit stronger and they're more easily trained.</span><span rwthpgen="1"> But training is really kind of a funny word.</span><span rwthpgen="1"> I capitalize on their instinctual behaviours and teach them things they're already able to do, using positive reinforcement.</span><span rwthpgen="1"> Then I am able to get them to do it on command.</span><span rwthpgen="1"> Some flea circuses were kind of inhumane.</span><span rwthpgen="1"> There was one where they glue a little sword to the flea's legs.</span><span rwthpgen="1"> My fleas are actually trained to do the things they do.</span><span rwthpgen="1">"</span></div><div class="body-paragraph">Have any fleas been harmed giving their performance?</div><div class="body-paragraph"><span rwthpgen="1">"When I first started doing the show, there were some flea fatalities, but I've figured out how the fleas can do the tricks safely, even the death-defying finale.</span><span rwthpgen="1"> As long as I take all the proper precautions everything is ok.</span><span rwthpgen="1">"</span></div><div class="body-paragraph">How long do the fleas survive and what do you feed them?</div><div class="body-paragraph"><span rwthpgen="1">"I chose these fleas because they live about 24 months and that gives me enough time to train them.</span><span rwthpgen="1"> One of the things amazing about fleas is they can live without food or water for several months.</span><span rwthpgen="1"> They're parasites and they eat blood.</span><span rwthpgen="1"> But they only have to be fed every 15 days or so.</span><span rwthpgen="1"> I prick my finger and put a little blood in a Petri dish and they can eat the blood that way.</span><span rwthpgen="1"> I treat the fleas as if they were my own flesh and blood.</span><span rwthpgen="1">"</span></div><div class="body-paragraph">Can members of the audience go backstage to meet the fleas?</div><div class="body-paragraph"><span rwthpgen="1">"No.</span><span rwthpgen="1"> I don't like to scare them with other people.</span><span rwthpgen="1"> Sometimes I allow people after the show to take a look in the trailer (a miniature Airstream trailer with a big M on it) and they can see them at rest.</span><span rwthpgen="1">"</span></div><div class="body-paragraph"><span rwthpgen="1">What:</span><span rwthpgen="1"> The Acme Miniature Flea Circus</span></div><div class="body-paragraph"><span rwthpgen="1">When:</span><span rwthpgen="1"> Today to Sun.</span><span rwthpgen="1">, Jan.</span><span rwthpgen="1"> 26 (more than one show per day)</span></div><div class="body-paragraph"><span rwthpgen="1">Where:</span><span rwthpgen="1"> Artword Theatre, 75 Portland St.</span></div><div class="body-paragraph"><span rwthpgen="1">Tickets:</span><span rwthpgen="1"> $10; children (12 and under) $5; seniors $7 @ the door or advance @ Ticketmaster, Rotate This, Browsers and Den Of Magic</span></div>DADAPALOOZAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18133417490948081985noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1729987370250179812.post-69694804510945462752003-01-01T09:00:00.000-05:002010-08-07T14:51:33.334-04:00Fluid Movement: Behind the Glitter<span><table bgcolor="#000000" border="1"><tbody>
<tr><td><center><span style="color: #66ffff;"><img align="bottom" height="72" src="http://www.trainedfleas.com/press/glitter.jpg" width="476" /></span><span style="color: #66ffff;"><br />
</span><span style="color: #66ffff;"><b>An Interview with Flea Circus Impresario: Adam Gertsacov </b><br />
</span><span style="color: #66ffff;"><b>by Keri Burneston</b></span></center> <span style="color: #66ffff;"><b>NOTE: This interview first appeared in the January 2003 issue of </b><i>Fluid Movement</i><b>, an email newsletter of</b></span><span style="color: blue;"><b> </b></span><a href="http://www.fluidmovement.org/" target="_new"><span style="color: red;"><b>Fluid Movement</b></span></a><span style="color: red;"><b>,</b></span><span style="color: #66ffff;"><b> a Baltimore-based performance art group that juxtaposes complex subject matter with delightful and unexpected mediums.<br />
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It is reprinted by permission.</b></span> </td> </tr>
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<tr bgcolor="#99ffff"> <td bgcolor="#99ffff" valign="top" width="56"> <span><b>Q:</b></span> </td> <td> So, Mr. Gertsacov...I first heard of your famous "Acme Flea Circus" at the <a href="http://www.pafringe.org/">Philadelphia Fringe Festival</a>. I didn't even know what to think. I didn't know if the show was some post modern take on fleas...or if it was a hoax...or if you really did have TRAINED fleas.<br />
I have to say that the show was truly a delight! Can you explain this miniscule wonderment to people that may not know what a flea circus is? And please explain a little bit about the history of these traveling shows. </td> </tr>
<tr bgcolor="#ffffcc"> <td valign="top" width="56"> <span><b>A:</b></span> </td> <td> <a href="http://www.trainedfleas.com/" target="_new"><span><b>The Acme Miniature Circus</b></span></a><span> is a genuine Victorian style flea circus that features two trained fleas (Midge and Madge) who perform spectacular circus. During the course of the show the fleas pull chariots in a chariot race, dance on a tight-wire, dive through hoops, and at the end of the show, defy death in a flame-filled finale (which is hopefully not a flea flambé!) </span> <br />
<span>As for the history of the flea circus, the first flea circus that I've heard about was in 1829, when Professor Bertolotto, an Italian gentleman, displayed his Industrious Fleas in a show in London. It was the rage of the nobility, and even the Queen came to see the show. Bertolotto featured in his show a recreation of Napoleon's defeat at Waterloo, which you can imagine was quite popular in England! Flea circuses as an entertainment were popular during Victorian times, but then in the early 1920's/30's suffered a decline, and went out of style. I'm not exactly sure why, but I think it was the rise of vaudeville and film. People could see a lot more interesting things than a miniscule show. </span> <br />
<span>Perhaps the most famous flea circus of the twentieth century was Professor Heckler's, who had his show at Hubert's Dime Museum on Times Square for over 30 years. In 1957, Heckler left Times Square because he said that the nudie shows were giving his fleas a bad name. In 2002, I brought the flea circus back to Times Square for an extended run at the </span><a href="http://www.bindlestiff.org/" target="_new"><span>Bindlestiff Palace of Variety</span></a><span>, less than two blocks from where Hubert's stood. I felt that since they cleaned up Times Square, it was only right to bring the fleas back! A lot of people who had been to Hubert's in the 40's and 50's came to see my show, and would reminisce about Heckler and the old Times Square. </span> </td> </tr>
<tr bgcolor="#99ffff"> <td width="56"> <span><b>Q:</b></span> </td> <td> So, how exactly did you become a carrier of the flea circus torch? How, when, where and why did you become inspired to create your show? </td> </tr>
<tr bgcolor="#ffffcc"> <td valign="top" width="56"> <span><b>A:</b></span> </td> <td valign="top"> <span>My show is not the only flea circus. There are 5 or so other flea circuses around the world. There are also some magicians who do flea circuses as part of their magic act, but it involves, you know, magic. And it's usually just a tiny portion of their show.</span> <br />
<span>How I got started doing the flea circus is a slightly long story. I first performed a flea circus as part of a circus I was involved with as a clown. The show was the </span><a href="http://users.ids.net/%7Etomss/ptc/" target="_new"><span>Pan-Twilight Circus</span></a><span>. We did this great show based on the story of Pandora, and at the beginning of the circus, the entire circus came out of a small box, and then Pandora spent the rest of the show trying to put the circus back in the box. We had a 16 foot long puppet elephant (I performed as the elephant's back-end! Pandora tried to train the elephant, And says "Sit, Penelope, Sit!" And I shove out some brown softballs from the elephants rear end. She says: "I said Sit!!!" Probably the biggest laugh in the show.) </span> <br />
<span>Anyway, they asked me to do a clown animal trainer act, based on the idea of boxes. I came up with one, but it was too short. They said, what else do you have? And I had just seen </span><a href="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/6302561965/%26tag%3Dacmeclown-20/" target="_new"><span>Chaplin's<b> Limelight</b></span></a><span> where he does a Mime/Clown Flea Circus. So, I said I could do a flea circus! That show was an imaginary flea circus. The band (17 pieces!) played the sound of the fleas, and everything was pantomimed. After the show, I took a master class with Avner Eisenberg and he said "Get rid of the clown stuff. Get yourself some fleas. You are so big, they are so little. You love the fleas. That is your show." </span> <br />
<span>So I started thinking about that, and talked to a friend of mine [Dennis Hlynsky, a professor at</span><a href="http://www.risd.edu/" target="_new"><span> RISD</span></a><span>]. After some discussion, I applied for a grant, got the grant, and had Dennis build the tiny sets and props. I then bought some fleas from an entomological supply company, and started observing them, to see what I could get them to do. It took me about 2 years on and off to figure out how to make a show from the fleas. I started touring the show in 1996. And now here I am! </span> <br />
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<tr bgcolor="#99ffff"> <td valign="top" width="56"> <span><b>Q:</b></span> </td> <td> So, you went from being a circus clown into flea performance- really big scale to miniscule...I know that most of the success of your Flea Circus comes not from the stars, Midge and Madge, but from your persona- that's sort of part ring master, part scientist...do you keep this character through your other puppet shows as well?<span> </span> </td> </tr>
<tr bgcolor="#ffffcc"> <td valign="top" width="56"> <span><b>A:</b></span> </td> <td valign="top"> <span>I do a variety of shows, and I would say that for each show I create different characters. And each of those characters is kind of an expanded version of myself. It's not exactly me, but it's still me. There was a Canadian clown teacher Richard Pochinko who had a very specific idea of clown training. As part of your training you would create 6 masks-- one for each direction (North, South, East, West, Up, and Down). You would create two characters for each mask, one based on innocence and one on experience. At the end of his class you had 12 extreme and archetypal characters (at least archetypal for you!) Pochinko's idea is that your clown is at the center of these 12 extreme characters that you've created, and can pop out to any of the extremes without going directly through the center. </span> <br />
<span>I've never done that particular work but I like to think about that when I'm creating characters for my shows. Each of my characters is me, but at the same time it's an expanded version of myself. The flea circus guy is clearly me, and at the same time, I'm not quite as ringmastery/sales oriented in my real life. </span> <br />
<span>I do a series of small scale puppet shows (for example I do the<b><u> Barbie Oedipus</u></b>, in which I perform <b>Oedipus Rex</b> in 12 minutes using Barbie dolls as actors. As a matter of record, I must state that this show is NOT ENDORSED by the Mattel Corporation in any way). </span> <br />
<span>When I work as a clown in fairs and festivals and even circuses, I often don't speak at all. (I know that seems difficult to believe!) My character there is kind of a big baby innocent rube who has visions of grandeur that get foiled by his own desires and appetites. When I was the </span><a href="http://www.acmeclown.com/greenbelt/" target="_new"><span>Clown Laureate of Greenbelt, Maryland</span></a><span>, I had to speak, so I had to find another dimension to that character. </span> <br />
<span>In my next project I will be portraying a very specific character-- I'm doing a historic interpretation of </span><a href="http://www.ptbarnum.org/" target="_new"><span>P.T.Barnum.</span></a><span> Of course he'll probably be more like me than the actual Barnum (how could he not? That's the material he will be based on!) but he's still going to not be me. So all of my work has the seeds of clowning in it. </span> </td> </tr>
<tr bgcolor="#99ffff"> <td valign="top" width="56"> <span><b>Q:</b></span> </td> <td valign="top"> So, you have also done a show called "Vegetable Macbeth." Using food as puppets is actually a concept that is near and dear to my heart. Fluid Movement's first ever production was a 10 minute adaptation of a 4 act opera called "Carmen- The Hot Dog Opera". All of the performers were actually elaborately dressed tofu hot dogs. Preparing the cast of 12 for the show was nearly a 2 hour endeavor, whereby I cut out their little round singing mouths, oiled them so they didn't crack, taped them carefully onto sticks and had to put in eyeballs, earrings and head wear. I'm curious as to what types of vegetables you use for your show and what is involved in bringing them to life. </td> </tr>
<tr bgcolor="#ffffcc"> <td valign="top" width="56"> <span><b>A:</b></span> </td> <td valign="top"> <span>Carmen- Hot dog Opera! I love it! </span> <br />
<span>The Vegetable Macbeth is part of my show <b><i><u>The Puppet Tragedies</u></i></b> and is a relatively new show for me: It's a found object show (although the objects are actually bought in the supermarket) I manipulate all of the vegetables and give them voices. Casting was a lot of fun. Duncan is a large tomato, and his soldiers are all mini tomatoes, Lady Macbeth is a large artichoke turned upside down, and the Scotsman is a large potato. The witches are one very wilted celery stalk. At the end of the show, I end up juicing the cast members and drinking them. </span> </td> </tr>
<tr bgcolor="#99ffff"> <td valign="top" width="56"> <span><b>Q:</b></span> </td> <td valign="top"> Food puppets seem to have an inherent sense of tragedy. I guess cause in their more traditional life, they are meant to be cut up and consumed. But it does do something to the psyche to see the ìcharactersî you start to sympathize with treated this way. If you had to name your all-time, hands-down, absolutely favorite show you've ever done...what would it be? </td> </tr>
<tr bgcolor="#ffffcc"> <td valign="top" width="56"> <span><b>A:</b></span> </td> <td> <span>Wow, that's a great question. The flea circus is the one I've done the most, and as a result I'm best at it, and I love doing it, but I don't know if it's my favorite.<br />
<br />
Probably the most favorite show that I ever directed/conceived was a show called <b><u>The One Sure Thing: A Cabaret on Death.</u></b> It was my master's thesis in theatre and group communication. I took 5 people (mostly non-actors) and using automatic writing techniques, improvisational exercises, and some songs that one of the performers had written, and a friend of one of the performers who was a cellist, and in 3 1/2 weeks we created an amazing cabaret of songs, poems, sketches, epitaphs, and dreams about death. </span> <br />
<span>One of the most amazing moments in that show was when the guy who played Rasputin (in a clown sketch, wearing a gigantic ridiculous floorlength beard) stood up and took off the beard and started talking about his grandfather, and how he could listen to an engine and hear it go click click clang and know how to fix it, and how the last time he saw his grandfather he flew in to Wisconsin, not drove, and his grandfather was dressed in his Sunday best, in the coffin, and he looked down at his grandfathers hands, rough callused, skillful farmer's hands and realized that he had a connection with his grandfather, because he was good with his hands too. </span> <br />
<span>Getting ordinary people to do something extraordinary, to sit up and tell their stories, that was a real treat. </span> <br />
<span>I've always wanted to do that show again, with a different ensemble, which would mean different stories and songs.... That way it would be the same show, but completely different too! </span> </td> </tr>
<tr bgcolor="#99ffff"> <td valign="top" width="56"> <span><b>Q:</b></span> </td> <td valign="top"> That sounds a lot like how Fluid Movement works--although our work isn't usually so confessional, but we do get people to do things that are pretty surprising.<br />
Unfortunately, our conversation in this form must come to an end. How can people track you down to see some of your clowning and fleas and juicing live? </td> </tr>
<tr bgcolor="#ffffcc"> <td valign="top" width="56"> <span><b>A:</b></span> </td> <td> People can find out more about my work at <a href="http://www.acmeclown.com/">http://www.acmeclown.com</a> <br />
<br />
I also have a couple of websites about specific projects: <br />
<a href="http://www.trainedfleas.com/">http://www.trainedfleas.com</a> Flea Circus<br />
<a href="http://www.ptbarnum.org/">http://www.ptbarnum.org</a> P.T. Barnum<br />
<a href="http://www.riatoz.com/">http://www.riatoz.com </a>(a coloring book that I wrote!) <br />
You can also join my mailing list by sending an email to:<br />
<a href="mailto:fleacircus-subscribe@yahoogroups.com">fleacircus-subscribe@yahoogroups.com </a> <br />
<br />
My next set of shows is in Toronto:<br />
January 23-26,2003 under the small top of the <a href="http://www.artword.net/website/Theatre/2002-2003/acme_min_circus.htm" target="_new">ARTWORD THEATRE</a><br />
Suitable for ages 6 to senior <br />
POSITIVELY NO DOGS WILL BE ADMITTED TO THE SHOW! </td></tr>
</tbody></table>DADAPALOOZAhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18133417490948081985noreply@blogger.com