Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey® Circus Launches BARNUM BASH(SM) an All New Gold Edition National Tour!

VIENNA, Va., Jan. 17, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey® Circus is excited to announce the launch of BARNUM BASH(SM), an all-new 45-city US tour. Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Presents BARNUM BASH introduces the Ringling Bros.® Ringlettes, who are the stylish hosts of the swankiest circus party in town. The Ringlettes are ready to invite Children of All Ages® in on the hippest circus spectacular that The Greatest Show On Earth® has ever produced! 

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The fun begins as soon as the audience enters Ringling Bros. Presents BARNUM BASH with a rockin' Pre-show party happening directly on the arena floor. Party goers can learn fresh dance moves from Ringling Bros. clown DJ Dean, style in glitzy costumes, learn balancing and juggling skills, meet and take photos with circus stars, and even step behind the curtain for an exclusive backstage experience which includes an up-close look at the most exotic animal menagerie only at BARNUM BASH.  

Ringling Bros. Presents BARNUM BASH has assembled the most amazing international cast who are tricked-out for the circus party and ready to perform wild feats of wonders and strength, all to contemporary pop music and in 21st century Barnum style. Everyone who is anyone is invited to the party, except Anton, a loveable, goofy hipster clown, who just wants to be part of the fun. Ringling Bros. Presents BARNUM BASH is all the rage with outlandish thrills, hilarious high-jinks and majestic animals, but can Anton, with his non-stop laughable antics, persuade us all that there's not just one right way to party!?! 

At BARNUM BASH, the audience is only feet away from:

Dmytrio the Strong Man makes the seemingly impossible, possible as he demonstrates wicked strength when he attempts to lift and spin a host of Ringling Bros. beauties, bend steel pipes and even performs a unique display of extreme fortitude that includes a 4,400 pound all-terrain vehicle!

The uber-fabulous Urias Family, the first family of Motorcycle Mania, blows audiences out of their seats, as they ride customized motorcycles at speeds up to 60 mph in a steel globe that is only 16 ft. in diameter. For the nail-biting finale, Jodie Urias enters the globe and is suspended in the air by a single rope and spins as the riders orbit only inches away from her body.

Epic Asian elephants are definitely on the party scene at BARNUM BASH. These cool 10,000 pound pachyderms will rock audiences in their grand style with smooth moves lead by trainers Brett and Cathy Carden.   

Chic camels, handsome horses and pretty ponies gather together for an unforgettable, hot-to-trot hoofstock presentation. They prance, twirl and even step to the side as one of their own show off a moon walk like no other party animal in town!    

A clever clique of canines twist, flip and jam inside the circus ring. These dogs will definitely show who the masters of this BASH really are.

The Havanna Troupe shifts the audience into high gear with their dizzying display of high flying acrobatics combined with ridiculous Olympic style flips and twists executed between uneven Russian bars. These thrill seekers soar from bar to bar and ultimately catapult each other over a story high.

The Cruzado Troupe's outrageous four person Wheel of Steel defies the forces of gravity as they propel themselves with cat-like ease in and out the spinning double wheel and undertake an unfathomable  human tower balanced precariously 30 ft. in the air.

The dynamic Duo Fusion hand balancers, husband and wife Giovanni and Virginia demonstrate powerful passion and insane flexibility in an exotic presentation of unbelievable symmetry.  This captivating couple maintains perfect synchronization even as Virginia attempts to balance Giovanni, upside down on her shoulders, poised in red hot three inch heels!  

Anton, an eccentric comedian,  along with Ringling Bros. party clown DJ Dean, join forces with their nonstop wit and crazy stunts keep audiences giggling, guffawing and laughing throughout the entire BARNUM BASH.

"What makes Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Presents BARNUM BASH so fun is the hip atmosphere of the production. Party goers are included from the moment they step onto the floor and can interact with performers during the BARNUM BASH Pre-show Dance Party," says Producer Alana Feld. "The intimate setting of the show allows audiences to see their new circus friends execute the most extreme maneuvers; to be so close, it's what makes the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Gold Edition so special," adds Producer Nicole Feld.

To produce Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Presents BARNUM BASH, the Feld sister duo dialed in the talents of a creative team consisting of:

• Rye Mullis (Director) – returns to Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus as Director of Barnum Bash. Previously he was Associate Director for Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey productions of Bellobration(SM), Over the Top(SM), and Barnum's 200(SM), Disney's The Cheetah Girls, Yanni Voices Tour, American Dance and Disney's Imagination Movers Tour. Mullis' stage experiences include performances in Mel Brooks Young Frankenstein The Musical, Curtains, and Joseph and The Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat.
• Jeremy Desmon (Writer) – an award-winning composer, lyricist and author, Jeremy was the recipient of the prestigious Kleban Award for Excellence in Musical Theatre Bookwriting and the Dramatists Guild's Jonathan Larson Fellowship. His credits include The Girl in the Frame; If You Give a Mouse a Cookie & Other Storybooks; Curious George Live!; and more recently, Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey® Presents Fully Charged(SM) and Disney Live! Mickey's Musical Festival, also produced by Feld Entertainment.
• Tovaris Wilson (Choreographer) – has experience in several entertainment genres of television, stage and film. He has performed in several Academy Award® programs and music videos for Britney Spears, Macy Gray, Will Smith and in feature films Austin Powers II and III. Wilson has choreographed for Janet Jackson, Pussycat Dolls, MTV's Becoming, So You Can Dance and America's Got Talent.
• Rick Papineau (Scenic Designer) – vice president of Scenic Elements for Hagenbeck-Wallace and Feld Entertainment veteran who creates props, scenic elements and special effects for Feld Entertainment's touring shows Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey, Disney On Ice, and Feld Motor Sports' Nuclear Cowboyz (SM).
• Sam Doty (Lighting Designer) – assisted in the building and planning of every Feld Entertainment show since 2006, including Disney On Ice presents Worlds of Fantasy, Disney Live! Mickey's Music Festival and three editions of Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey and most recently Disney's Phineas and Ferb: The Best LIVE Tour Ever! 
• Dawna Oak (Costume Designer) – brings experience in managing the exotic and breathtaking costumes for the thousands of performers from Feld Entertainment's numerous productions of Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey, Disney On Ice, and Feld Motor Sports' Nuclear Cowboyz (SM).

For tour schedule and to find out more about Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Presents BARNUM BASH, visit Ringling.com.

About Feld Entertainment: Feld Entertainment is the worldwide leader in producing and presenting live touring family entertainment experiences that lift the human spirit and create indelible memories, with 30 million people in attendance at its shows each year. Feld Entertainment's productions have appeared in more than 70 countries on six continents and include Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey®, Feld Motor Sports, Disney On Ice and Disney Live!

SOURCE Feld Entertainment