Don't tell

John Rocker, but a piece of New York City is coming to

Atlanta this week.

The Big

Apple Circus is coming to town with its all-new show,

Bello and Friends, starting Wednesday, Feb. 23 at the

Lakewood Fairgrounds.

Big Apple

performers are known internationally for working closer

to the audience than most circuses. The audience sits a

mere 50 feet from the ring.

For more

than two decades, the Big Apple Circus has been thrilling

people. This particular production focuses on the clown,

the special being who is fanciful, imaginative, playful,

silly, sad and seemingly proud. For instance, clown Bello

Nock is a seventh generation circus performer and a

recent winner of the Silver Crown award, an award given

at the International Circus Festival.

Of course,

you cannot have a circus with just clowns and the Big

Apple Circus does not disappoint. Aerobatics are

performed by triple somersaulter Kirillas Vorona and The

Jokers, his magnificent flying trapeze troupe, from

Russia. The show also is filled with the high-speed

juggling display of The Original Jugglers, the disarming

antics of Violetta Ignatova's dogs and house cats, the

Woodcock Elephants, Katja Schumann's horses, and no

circus would be complete without a master of ceremonies.

The Big Apple Circus's emcee is the mustached and witty

Dinny McGuire.

The Big

Apple Circus has succeeded for so many years because of

its combination of traditional circus acts with Broadway

style theater. Bello and Friends is set to music composed

and arranged by Canadian composer Brigitte Larochelle.

The performers are choreographed by Gail Gilbert and are

clad in colorful costumes by Parisian designer David

Belugou. Atlanta is but one stop on their 11-city,

10-month tour.

The Big

Apple Circus, Bello and Friends will be presented at

Lakewood Fairgrounds Feb. 23 - March 5 in association

with the Woodruff Arts Center. Tickets range from $10-$25

for weeknight performances and $14-$34 for weekend

performances. Tickets are available at the Big Apple Box

Office, the Woodruff Arts Center box office or any

Ticketmaster location

For

information phone 1-800-922-3772 or visit them on the web

at www.bigapplecircus.org .

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