Step right up: It's a new kind of circus for the Capital Region

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Hey, 518 readers! After getting rained out in July, you all really showed up for The 518 Dinner Club this month. We are fully booked for our August dinner with 60 guests coming out for a delicious evening of food & friendship!

We want to thank our generous sponsors EMRY’s Garden and The Berlin for helping to make this dinner possible. We love these two hotspots located in the heart of Troy.

Today, we’re introducing you to The Big Top Group, the Troy arts org dedicated to contemporary circus. Don’t miss their Circus in the Park next week!

—Phat X. Chiem & Karley Sullivan

Step right up: The Big Top Group is redefining circus in the Capital Region

For a lot of people, the word “circus” still conjures a pretty old-school image: big tents, animal acts, goofy clowns, and daredevil stunts.

The Big Top Group wants you to toss that idea straight out of the ring.

The Troy-based arts organization is on a mission to spread the joy of contemporary circus, bringing together aerial arts, dance, music, puppetry, physical theater and storytelling.

“There’s the traditional circus that people think of, right?” says managing director Amy Hitchcoff. “But you know, the circus arts are much broader. It crosses so many disciplines.”

Founded in 2019 as the Contemporary Circus and Immersive Arts Center, the organization initially operated on a more seasonal schedule, with its annual Circus in the Park serving as the marquee attraction.

Now, the group wants more people under its big top.

“We’re very intentionally trying to reach out to other parts of the Capital District and even beyond,” Amy says.

That expansion has included a World Circus Day celebration at The Egg; Circus Lab, a two-week run of performances, workshops and conversations; and a newly launched “salon series” that gives artists room to test new work in a more intimate setting. (We want to host a salon at The 518 HQ!)

The idea is not simply to put on more shows. The Big Top Group wants to build a regional network around contemporary circus, connecting artists, venues and audiences who might not otherwise find themselves under the same proverbial tent. Partners include Arts Letters & Numbers, NY Circus Project, and Cirque Kikasse.

“We don’t have a physical location that we perform out of,” Amy says. “But I think the beauty of that is that it allows us to create this ecosystem of partners.”

All of it feeds into a larger goal: getting people to reimagine circus as a creative form rather than a fixed genre.

“We’re really trying to broaden that concept of what a circus performance can even be,” Amy says.

The Big Top Group’s signature event returns this month as Circus in the Park takes over Prospect Park in Troy, Aug. 22–24.

🎪 The free festival runs from noon to 6 pm on Sunday, Aug. 23. Bring your lawn chairs and snacks, and picnic in Prospect Park (“the best place to see sunsets in the Capital Region,” Amy says). Full schedule to come.

🙌 Learn to fly: Sign up for trapeze lessons in the park.

🎟️ Summer Soiree: The Big Top Group depends on grants and donations to do its work. Join artistic director Arthur Yorinks and choreographer Ellen Sinopoli for an evening of performance, celebration, and artistic discovery.

🎬️ Also this Wednesday evening, Arts Letters & Numbers hosts a free screening of Born to Fly, the documentary about aerial artist Elizabeth Streb, who’s being honored at the soiree.

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🐔 Chicken Feastin has opened in Schenectady, at 1625 Union St. The restaurant originated in Brooklyn but moved upstate with bigger ambitions in mind. Centered around its delicious charbroiled chicken, the menu features Spanish, Greek, and halal influences. Give it a try!

🌆 Local businesses are hopeful that $40 million carved out of Gov. Hochul’s $200 million plan to revitalize downtown will mean neglected Liberty Park will finally get the redevelopment it so desperately needs. [Albany Business Review]

🍔 In case you missed it with all the hoopla around the new Costco, Shake Shack is now open at Stuyvesant Plaza.

🚨 Even the county is mad about those speed cameras around Albany schools. Albany County is suing the City of Albany to try to overturn more than $7,000 in “unfair fines.” [Times Union] Also beware of the work zone cameras! [Reddit]

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TOP 5 PICKS

⭐️ 🐷 Troy Pig Out | If you love barbecue and pork, you’re going to be in hog heaven at Troy’s annual celebration of this tasty beast. Get to downtown Troy to sample your way through some of the best BBQ in town. The competition looks fierce this year, too. Sun, noon-5p, free to attend (samples $4-$5 each).

⭐️ 🌭 Palace Theatre Community Block Party | Is it already time for the end-of-summer block party in front of Albany’s Palace Theatre? Alas, celebrate the season with free burgers and hot dogs from Ted’s Fish Fry and free dessert crepes from The Skinny Pancake (while supplies last). Bring the kiddos to check out the pony rides, petting zoo, bounce house and more! On the stage: The Ky McClinton Band & the Albany Rock Pit Showcase Band. Sat, noon-4p, free.

⭐️ 🎸 Trail Tunes | In its second year, this music / biking / hiking combo event is organized by the Mohawk Hudson Land Conservancy. Hit the trails of the Bender Melon Farm Preserve in New Scotland and enjoy music from some great local musicians as you stroll around. It's right off the Rail Trail, so you can even bike to the show! Sun, 1-4p, free.

⭐️ 🎡 Schoharie County Sunshine Fair | The county fair season is in full swing, and the one in Schoharie County has always been one of our faves. We love that they include gate entry and unlimited rides in one reasonable, all-inclusive admission price. Parking is free as well. Check out the discount tix for seniors and military. Open daily through Aug. 16. Tickets: $10-$23.

⭐️ 🇲🇲 Capital Thingyan: Myanmar Summer Water Festival | Celebrate the culture, music and foods of Myanmar at this day-long fest. We don’t get to indulge in Burmese cuisine much around these parts, so this is an excellent opportunity to try some tasty dishes! Sat, 11a-5p, free. At the Corning Preserve Boat Launch in Albany.

Honorable mention…

⭐️ 🐘 🐽 Elephant & Piggie’s We Are in a Play | Although budget cuts forced the Park Playhouse at Washington Park to scale back its traditional summer run, we’re still getting 10 days of this musical adaptation of Mo Willems’ popular children’s book series. This year, there are no reserved seats and admission is free for all! Kicks off Sunday at 5:30p and goes through Aug. 28.

🎭️ AT THE THEATER

• Bridge Street Theatre is staging Terrence McNally's The Lisbon Traviata, which explores friendship, obsession, and unrequited love during the height of the AIDS crisis. Through Aug. 16.

• The hit movie comes to the stage with Footloose: The Musical at Cohoes Music Hall. Through Aug. 15.

• Mopco has a full weekend lineup to enjoy, including Mopco & Chill, Theatresports, and What the F– Friday?

• On Sunday, get to Sand Lake Center for the Arts for the final performance of Agatha Christie’s Black Coffee.

• Get tix to Harbinger Theatre’s The Counter, about a lonely waitress who befriends a regular customer. Starting Sept. 17.

WEDNESDAY

🥙 The New York State Food Festival brings some 40 food trucks to the Empire State Plaza for an all-day foodie feast with live music to boot.

🌮 Speaking of food trucks… Have you been to the Food Truck Night on Wednesdays in Wynantskill? Tomorrow is the last night to check it out for the season! 4-7p at Town Hall.

🔭 Get to Guilderland Public Library for a screening of Small Town Universe, a documentary exploring Green Bank, WV, where residents willingly restrict cellphone use to preserve the area for the world's largest fully steerable radio telescope.

THURSDAY

🌠 Join Greene Land Trust for a night under the stars. Learn about constellations and maybe spot a meteor or two at the Starlore Night at the Coxsackie Creek Grassland Preserve. Only a few tickets left.

FRIDAY

🌆 The last Franklin Plaza Rooftop Series of the season doubles as a fundraiser, with DJ Eric Whin on the turntables.

SATURDAY

🫙 The Community Market Swap at Context Collective starts with a really fun concept: Make 12 of the same items, swap for 12 items.

🎸 Harbor Jam Concert | Rivers Casino Schenectady hosts a free two-day jam session with The Lords of 52nd Street (Billy Joel tribute) on Sat; and The Blushing Brides (Rolling Stones tribute) on Sun. 3-6p each day, free.

🖼️ Picture Lock One presents an artist talk and shorts program in connection with Gracelee Lawrence’s “Light Eaters” at Collar Works.

🧘‍♂️ Come for the free yoga class at Nine Pin and stay for the tasty cider drinks. Remember, 518 readers get 10% off when you mention “The 518 Crew.”

🎭️ Want to practice your theater voice? Join the Scripts & Sips night at Bard & Baker to read Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream.

🎨 The Shaker Heritage Society celebrate the 250th anniversary of Ann Lee’s arrival with What Blooms in the Moonlight—live painting and ecstatic dance.

SUNDAY

🪦 The Albany Institute of History & Art goes offsite for a walking tour of the Albany Rural Cemetery, to view Remembered in Stone: The Legacy of Erastus Dow Palmer.

🌘 The rescheduled Dance Under the Waxing Moon at Stablegate Winery is this Sunday!

💄 Trash and Roast, the Deflock Drag Show, hosted by Tommie Lee and featuring Opal Essence and Lady Seanzia, takes over the Troy Rewind arcade bar.

Our music listings are now published separately on The 518 website. Click here.

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