Circus

STEVE SMITH In the thick of important events, it is difficult for most of us to stop for a moment and realize that we are witnessing history. Today, for example, it is easy to ignore that we are in the thick of the recall and that it is something we should be discussing with our children on an almost daily basis. The recall is not a circus, despite Joe Bell's claim on Sept. 11 and Sen. Diane Feinstein's on Sept. 15. From what I can read and hear, Bell and Feinstein are about the only two people left who are still clinging to a description closer to hysterical than historical.

Deirdre Newman Cirque du Soleil will somersault into town on Jan. 16, coming to rest at a different location on the fairgrounds from its previous controversial spot. In 1997, "Quidam" roared into town, replete with booming thunder and lightning sound effects. The location of that show, in the front of the Orange County Fairgrounds, caused an uproar among neighbors and prompted the city to consider suing the fairgrounds and Cirque du Soleil. This time, the French-Canadian company is bringing "Varekai" to the fairgrounds.

B.W. COOK Nearly 1,000 local guests gathered at the Cirque du Soleil tent at the Orange County Fairgrounds last Friday to benefit Childhelp USA. This season's performance of Cirque du Soleil, "Varekai," means "wherever" in the Romany language of the gypsies. The exotic performance brought out the crowd and raised significant funds, in excess of $150,000, for Childhelp. Cirque has forged a close bond with Childhelp, generously providing a popular platform for fundraising.

Michael Villani EDITOR'S NOTE: Michael Villani is a Costa Mesa resident who was an announcer at the Olympic Games in Athens, Greece. This is his final piece for the Pilot about his experiences there. It's over, that Cirque du Soleil-esque, dream-like experience they called the 28th Olympiad. The closing ceremony, for me, was just as spectacular as the opening in revealing the culture and past of this ancient country. As you probably know, in indoor volleyball the Brazilian men took the gold from my country of heritage, Italy.

"PSY," the newest and largest production from the Montreal-based circus troupe Les 7 doigts de la main (seven fingers of the hand), will spring into its debut at the Irvine Barclay Theatre for four performances only, starting May 10. Most known for their international hit Traces, 7 Fingers' fourth creation, "PSY," was conjured up in 2010. "PSY" explores the surreal underworld of the human psyche, while merging acrobatics of the body, mind and soul. Founded in Montreal in 2002, 7 Fingers' initial goal was to bring circus to a human scale.

U.S.S.R.-born Gregory Popovich, whose `Comedy Pet Theatre' plays at the Irvine Barclay today, never thought he'd be performing in America.Growing up in the Soviet Union, Gregory Popovich always imagined that he would end up in the circus. Since he was a boy, the "Comedy Pet Theatre" star had an affinity for juggling and animal tricks -- and since his parents were circus performers themselves, he had easy access to the profession. One thing Popovich never imagined, though, was that someday he would perform in the United States.

It’s kind of like an old cliche. Kid sees the circus and loves it. Kid runs away to join the circus. Kid grows up and becomes the ringmaster. But for Edward Russell it’s been the story of his life. “When I was a kid I always wanted to do this,” said the 73-year-old owner of Russell Brothers Circus. “One summer I went and did it, and I never went back. I ran a side show and introduced all the odd, unusual and bizarre acts.” Speaking of bizarre coincidences, the inspiration for the name of his family owned company isn’t his own moniker.

NEWPORT BEACH — When hobbyist Russell Cross volunteered to craft a wooden train for his granddaughter's grad night party, he didn't realize the scope of his offer. The 27-foot-long, red and black locomotive became the largest project he's ever made or designed. During the last two months, the 66-year-old retired Long Beach police officer clocked in some 300 man-hours over the last couple months building the replica train. Improvisation plays a large role in his work. "There's no plans," Cross said.

IRVINE — Jim Gardner had a good reason for wearing a head-to-toe dog suit to City Hall on Tuesday night. His furry alter ego, "Big Dog," and other animal activists turned out en masse to the public hearing of an animal welfare ordinance that bans the retail sale of cats and dogs in Irvine and also bans rodeos and circuses featuring exotic animals. "In normal street clothes, I'm one of 100 in the audience," Gardner said Wednesday. "There's no impact. Sitting there as a dog helps bring forward the impact of the issue to the council members.

Young Chang After 35 years of performing 15 fairs a year and jumping out to a crowd three times a day for two-thirds of every year, Edward Russell has perfected his circus announcer voice, his dove tricks and the illusion -- or is it reality -- that two men can carry a circus. He says things such as "Show time is just two minutes, folks! We'll see you then!" The 66-year-old even promises that at the end of the show, "all" of the performers will come out to greet the guests.