Big Apple Circus Wows Crowds at the Philadelphia Mills Mall Through Sunday, June 24When Nik Wallenda was just two years old he learned how to walk on the hire wire by holding his mother’s hand. He has never looked back from that lofty career move that continues to capture everyone’s imagination.
A seventh-generation member of the legendary Wallenda acrobatic family, known for his incredible feats as an acrobat and high wire artist, he is currently holding court under the big top at the Big Apple Circus at Philadelphia Mills Mall through Sunday, June 24.
Celebrating its 40th Anniversary, this time-honored family tradition, has a full lineup of global acts – clowns, jugglers, pony, horse and dog acts, and record-setting acrobatic acts — all of the sights and sounds of ideal family entertainment.
The Big Apple Circus has something for all of the senses: popcorn to munch on, light-up toys for the children, upbeat live music, and a feast for the eyes including a wide variety of seasoned performers in a rainbow of beautiful costumes.
Ringmaster Ty McFarlan takes his place in front of the cheering crowd of children, parents and grandparents, as well as their close friends, who witnesses breathtaking trapeze and high wire acts, clowns, and memorable animal acts. The animal acts featuring third-generation animal trainer Jenny Vidbel, her 16 ponies and horses, as well as her adorable rescue dogs.
The extraordinary Big Apple Circus features the adrenaline pumping famous seven-person pyramid on the high wire with Nik Wallenda and his family members, known as The Fabulous Wallendas.
Anyone who has been a fan of the circus knows that the name Wallenda is synonymous with daring acts and incredible feats on the hire wire and beyond. His great-grandfather was the infamous circus performer, Karl Wallenda.
Thirty-nine-year-old Nik Wallenda, holds a phenomenal 10 world records on the wire, but is best known as the first person to walk a tightrope stretched directly over Niagara Falls. He says that he and his family came to the Big Apple Circus shortly after the Ringling Bros. Barnum & Bailey Circus permanently closed.
“I am considered to be the face of the industry, with a legacy of more than 200 years of circus performing,” Wallenda recently explained. “This is my family’s first year with the Big Apple Circus, and we thought it would be something special to give a shot in the arm to our industry that has been struggling.”
In addition to watching The Fabulous Wallendas complete their many daring feats, he said he loves to spread his positive message when he and his wife perform, and when he travels as a motivational speaker.
“My motto is never give up. I want to inspire people around the world to follow their dreams,” Wallenda explained. “I think in society today, and throughout the generations, there are people from all walks of life who are one door knock – or one email away from success; but they give up.”
“My family has been living that motto of perseverance for many generations,” he said, “and it is still a vital message today.”
What is the attraction of the Big Apple Circus?
Nik Wallenda: There is something for everyone. There are animals for those who love animals, comedic characters for people who want a laugh. Juggling, roller skating, balancing acts. So, we’ve got something for everybody.
What’s your favorite part of the show that people are going to see in Philadelphia?
NW: I’m a little biased but we close the show with a seven person pyramid. Although, look, I enjoy watching the quadruple somersault every show too which closes the first half. Of course, I love watching [my friend] contortionist Elayne [Kramer] shoot the arrow into the target. I’m always in the tent, I sneak in just for that part when she does a handstand and a backbend and then holds a bow with her feet and shoots the target. So, you wake up every morning and you do some of the same things or there’s a routine, obviously, like a Broadway show, choreography. How do you keep it fresh and the excitement?
Have you performed in Philadelphia before the current gig?
NW: I certainly have. I performed here with Ringling Brothers in 2008. I performed here other times as well. I did a big walk in Atlantic City about three or four years ago, about 1,200 feet long a couple hundred feet long over the beach It’s not Philadelphia, but all of the local media was there. I’ve done a couple of appearances at Phillies games, my great grandfather did a big walk there back in 1976.
Are there family members with you in this circus?
NW: It’s me and Erendira, my wife of 18 years. But, there are other performers who have been performing with me my entire life as well that are part of it that might as well be family. In this industry, you’re all family. You’re always looking out for each other’s back whether it be an issue as a performer, you’re standing there; you see an issue you deal with it. Just as you would for a family. Flying act, if we’re standing there and I see something wrong I’ll go try to fix it or let somebody know right away, that sort of thing. But immediate family is just my wife.
How many records do you have right now?
NW: Ten.
What was it like when your wife set her big record? Were you nervous, fearful, exhilarated, proud – or all of the above?
NW: So, I had a world record for hanging by my teeth under a helicopter about 260 feet up and my wife broke that record over Niagara Falls over 300 feet above the falls. It’s exciting, look it’s her passion too. She comes from eight generations of circus on one side, and seven on the other, so she’s very passionate about performing as well and it’s exciting to see her live her dream, just like when she watches me walk where ever I’m walking, or breaking whatever records. We’re there to support each other but it’s exciting to see your significant other fulfill a lifelong dream. Not that it was a lifelong dream of hers but something that she wanted to do, and she enjoys doing. It creates a cool, fun rivalry between the two of us as well.
Are your children performing in the circus as well?
NW: No, my children are not. They all perform and they all walk the wire very well. My oldest is a Marine, my next son is a high school football player and my daughter is 15 and goes to high school.
Is that difficult since you and your wife travel all over?
NW: There’s a curriculum, it’s actually a lot easier. I was homeschooled because of traveling but there’s a curriculum called Florida Virtual and so she goes to school online. She sees the classroom, same exact curriculum she would be in, in her first year of high school however it’s done online. That’s why she’s home because she has standards testing where she has to go into school and take their yearly test finals and that’s what she just completed.
You meet a child who is 5 or 10 or 15 and who’s in awe with what you do and you talk to them. What is that like?
NW: I would say it’s fulfilling. I would hope that when people of all ages – not just children – see what I do that they are inspired. I think the circus as a whole is inspiring, especially when you can see somebody train six dogs to do amazing tricks when you consider that I can’t get my dog to come to me when he’s outside.
What else do you love about this circus?
NW So much. When you see somebody who can do what contortionist Elayne Kramer does or two brothers who juggle each other on their feet, or a guy who does a quadruple somersault on the flying trapeze, or on the wire. To me, that’s inspirational, and my overwhelming goal is to inspire people. So, when they come up and are inspired then I feel like I’m fulfilling my life’s purpose.
When we spoke the last time, you talked about breaking records, getting into the record books and all the TV attention that is one element of your career. But you also said that what is more important to you is the message you convey – that any child or adult who may be down on their luck, or facing difficulties, can learn from your challenges and triumphs.
NW: Look, I think that there’s a lot of negativity in our world these days. I think we all have that, you know there’s that analogy of the little devil on one shoulder and the angel on the other. We all have those negative voices that try to tear us up and I think that at least I try to live my life by inspiring others. I’m currently writing a book on not allowing that negativity to take over your thoughts and control your mind, because you can get immersed in this. I guess the best way to describe it is two different people with different personalities get diagnosed with cancer and the one that accepts it and says, ‘My life’s over’ generally they don’t make it that much longer. It’s clinically studied and proven. Those who go into it saying, ‘I’ll make it through it,’ have a better chance of surviving. That’s an extreme example, but you understand what I am driving at. Right?
Yes, the difference between someone who has given up and someone else who is willing to fight back, and has family support and says, ‘yes, maybe I have to slow down but I can still do this.’
NW: And remain positive.
Yes, and still thrive.
NW: That mental aspect of life is the key to success. When it’s me on the wire, when I’m over the Grand Canyon and I get hit with 52 miles per hour winds, I can allow that to freak me out or I can say, ‘I trained in 90 mile an hour winds, so I’ll be fine.’ I probably talked to you about it before but it’s like a weed that’s growing in your garden and if you don’t pull that weed out immediately, it will take over, it will grow, spread seeds, and take over your whole garden. That’s the same with negative thoughts in our mind. If we can control where our mind goes, then we can control our destiny.
Tell me what will be your next big daredevil feat?
NW: I’m working on it. I just signed a new TV deal for two more specials in the next couple years. The big focus right now and probably my ultimate dream is to walk over a volcano with lava in it. I’ve got a team working on it now and I think we’ve found a location, I can’t talk about it yet, but I think we’ve actually found one. I’ll be traveling there June 24 so sometime the beginning of July. I’ll be doing research at that point.
When do you hope to actually do your next daring feat?
NW: I would say the deal I just signed they expect me to deliver by the end of next summer 2019 with at least one walk.
When’s your next book coming out?
NW: I’m supposed to do another TV special next summer [2019], and the new book will hopefully come out just before that special. It’s about overcoming fear and not being controlled by fear and, again, the power of the mind.
What do you want the result of your book to be?
NW: If only one person reads my book and their life is changed for the better, then that’s all that matters to me.
There’s so many naysayers in this world. The difference between getting the job that you want or the career or the business is, in my mind, just not listening to the naysayers…
NW: That’s correct. So many people give up on their dreams because somebody comes in from the outside and says – let’s say I went to my best friend and said, ‘I’m going to open up a pizza shop. I’ve always wanted to open a pizza restaurant.’ And my best friend comes and says, ‘Why would you do that? There a Pizza Hut or a Domino’s on every corner. Why would you do that?’
I would say, okay you are right. So the restaurant has a failure rate of 80 percent and let me roll up my sleeves.
NW: Yeah, so what? I can make the best pizza in town, and people are going to line up for it. They may not line up in the first month or in the first year, but once I prove myself and they try it, they’re going to come because it’s a way better product.
Please tell me more.
NW: Most people don’t get to that point. They don’t get to the first year of going through all those challenges because they immediately give up. There are a lot of miserable people out there that are doing jobs that aren’t what they’re called to do, that aren’t their destiny, that aren’t their purpose in life, because they’ve just settled rather than saying, ‘I’m going to push it further. I’m going to go higher. I’m going to pursue my dreams. I’m not going to give up. I’m going to live a little on the edge;’ not carelessly, not recklessly, but I’m going to pursue my dreams.
Does that help inform your goals and dreams?
NW: Yes. I believe that those people who are most successful in life, I think the large majority would tell you they stepped out of their comfort zone on many occasions, and continue to step out of their comfort zone and that’s how you find success in life.
Well, and it also depends on your definition of success.
NW: Very true. Success is different to different people. It might be inspiring people, it might be affecting peoples’ lives in a positive way. It’s not necessarily that next contract or that paycheck. Again, it’s different for everybody. It might be raising children to become responsible adults. Success can be measured in so many different ways.
Talk about the unique world of the circus.
NW: It’s funny. All my best friends are about ten years apart. A lot of my best friends are 10 years older than me and many of them are also 10 years younger than me. But, I think it’s one of the unique aspects of the world that we live in and I am blessed with the opportunity. I’ve been able to do a lot of things I didn’t even realize I was capable of doing. But, because of that mindset that anything is possible, and that there’s not a hurdle too big, or a mountain too high, I am able able to share that with the next generation.
What life lessons did you grow up with from your family of performers?
NW: My great grandfather said one day you eat the chicken and the next day you eat the feathers and that’s the industry. Our industry is known to save every penny and put it all away. If your money is sitting over here, it’s not making money for you, it’s just sitting there and eventually that will go away when you can’t have – if you no longer have a source of income. So, it’s about preparing for that, being ready for it and diversifying because the reality is most people in our industry have all their eggs in one basket.
Why should you come if you’ve already seen this circus in New York or elsewhere over the years and why come if you haven’t ever seen it?
NW: The show changes every year so it’s a brand new show this season, the 40th anniversary. This season, they’ve definitely, it’s definitely a top heavy show, a lot of great talent. I think being that they just took the show over, this particular ownership company just took over that they wanted to set their – and the 40th anniversary, they wanted to set the standards high.
Any other thoughts?
NW: Another reason to come back and see it now is because it’s polished. There we were still – no, that’s one of the unique things about our industry. You can take a bunch of different talent and put it together and work on it and it becomes polished and you make it a great show. Not necessarily, a lot of well Broadway, etc. they’ll rehearse for months on end whereas with our show, with most circuses, there’s very little rehearsal. You rehearse your production numbers, but your acts are already polished, and they’re brought in already polished. It’s an exciting show, everybody will enjoy it. Obviously, the benefits are that it’s what I call a mobile theatre.
Tell me more.
NW: The tent is as much of a tent as a mobile theatre and it’s climate controlled, heated and air conditioned. So, people aren’t going to have to worry about being too hot, I would assume this time of year although it’s been cool the last couple days. And you’re so close to the performers. You’re no more than 50 feet from anyone while they’re performing. So, you get to make eye contact, you get to see the nerves on the performers faces and the stress on their faces at times depending on what act they’re doing. And, you can buy tickets for $15 here. That’s crazy. To see a two hour long live show, I can’t think of and I’m not saying that because it’s the circus.
You can barely get a movie ticket for that price, in New York you can’t get a movie ticket.
NW: Right. So, very reasonably priced and there’s not a bad seat in the house.
How do you keep the show fresh?
NW: This is my passion, it’s what I love doing. I grew up doing it. So, for me, there is redundancy, for sure, especially on a tour like this, we’ve done over 250 shows already. To be honest, that’s probably the most dangerous part of what we do at this point is you’re doing it so much we become complacent rather than keeping on your toes. With what I do, it’s never the same twice. It’s not as though my balance is identical the same time or the person on my shoulders or my wife hanging under me by her teeth when I’m on the bike is moving exactly the same. So, that keeps it exciting, just that element alone.
What do you want your legacy to be?
NW: I think that I’ve inspired people to not give up no matter what their dreams are, and no matter what their goals are. I want my legacy to be lived on and carried on through the next generation seeing what I’ve done and going, ‘If he can walk across the Grand Canyon with 50 plus mile an hour winds or Niagara Falls or hopefully a volcano next year, than I can pursue my dreams, too.’ If he can change two laws in two countries to fulfill a dream of walking a wire over Niagara Falls, I can pursue my dream, of opening a pizza restaurant, writing a book, or whatever it is that drives someone. I can go speak to a group of school children or the adults in the nursing home or to the masses, and hopefully they will feel my passion for doing what I love.
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