Folklife Festival Celebrates 50 Years (photos)
By • July 13, 2017 0 1020
This year marked the 50th anniversary of the Smithsonian Folklife Festival, which takes place every summer on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. This year’s program, which encompassed 10 days in the period from June 29 to July 9, was dedicated to the “Circus Arts.” A concurrent program explored migration to and within the United States. The centerpiece of the festival was a temporary big top with a seating capacity of 1,400, showing continuous performances by nearly two dozen circus groups from as far away as Sarasota, Florida, and Wenatchee, Washington.
Visitors were exposed to the rich circus experience with a look behind the scenes “to learn from generations of American circus families and contemporary visionaries who are keeping the circus arts alive and engaging.” Jugglers, clowns, acrobats and aerialists were ubiquitous. Missing were the animal acts which have been a circus staple in times past but which are now largely out of favor.
The circus industry was rocked when Ringling Bros. Barnum & Bailey folded its tent this May after a 146-year run, but anyone spending time on the Mall during the festival could see that the circus arts are alive and flourishing.
View Jeff Malet’s photos from the 2017 Smithsonian Folklife Festival by clicking on the photo icons.
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- Caribbean Dancers of the UniverSoul Circus (Atlanta Ga.) performs during opening ceremonies.
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- Christylez Bacon performs during opening ceremonies. Bacon is a GRAMMY-nominated progressive hip-hop artist and multi-instrumentalist from Southeast Washington, D.C.
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- Maddy Graddy of Circus Juventas (St. Paul Minn.) as The DoDo from Alice and Wonderland meets Iris Kelly-Piontkowski (age 4) of Olney Md.
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- Stiltwalker from UniverSoul Circus (Atlanta Ga.)
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- Contortionist Dwoira Galilea of Circus Bella (San Francisco, Calif.)
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- The 1400 seat Big Top graces the National Mall.
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- Natasha Kaluza of Circus Bella (San Francisco, Calif.) performs with hula hoops.
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- Tim Mack is ringmaster of The Imperial OPA Circus based in Atlanta Ga.
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- Happenstance Theater (Rockville Md.)
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- Keith Nelson plays a clown and sword swallower with the Bindlestiff Family Cirkus of New York City.
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- The Hebei Golden Eagle Acrobatic Troupe from Hebei Province, China perform with the diablo (also called the Chinese yoyo)
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- Carlo Gentile balances daugher Giulia on his feet. Famiglia Gentile of Circus Bella (San Francisco, Calif.) perform foot juggling on June 30
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- Navy veteran Kim Hawkins is a clown who goes by the name “The Admiral”
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- Robin Eurich was known across the country to millions of adults and children as “Rusty the Handyman,” the sidekick to the popular Bozo the Clown character on Chicago’s WGN-TV.
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- Sailor Circus (Sarasota Fla.) is America’s oldest continuously operating youth circus.
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- Juggler Sean Petric of Circus Harmony (St. Louis, Mo.) performs with hats and balls.
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- Sailor Circus (Sarasota Fla.) is America’s oldest continuously operating youth circus.
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- Rony Gomez of Havana Cuba.
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- Rony Gomez of Havana Cuba.
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- flying trapeze
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- The Hebei Golden Eagle Acrobatic Troupe from Hebei Province, China.
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- Acrobats from the Wenatchee Youth Circus (Wash.)
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- Acrobats from the Wenatchee Youth Circus (Wash.)
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- Delaney Bayles (Salt Lake City, Utah) juggles 5 clubs.
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- Acrobats from the Wenatchee Youth Circus (Wash.)
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- The famous Flying Wallendas do a handstand from a 25′ high wire.
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- The Wallenda Family Troupe performs on the high-wire in front of the dome of the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History at the Smithsonian Folklife Festival on July 1.
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- Listo, international acrobatic flyers perfrom a “passing leap”
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- Circus Juventas (St. Paul Minn.) perfromed around the theme of Alice and Wonderland.
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- Dolly Jacobs was inducted into the Circus Ring of Fame in 1999.
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- UniverSoul Circus is a combination of circus arts, theater, music, and audience interaction that embraces and celebrates urban pop culture from around the world.
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- Stiltwalker from UniverSoul CIrcus of Atlanta Ga. entertains in the Big Top
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- UniverSoul Circus of Atlanta Ga. – “The Wheel of Death”
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- The Hebei Golden Eagle Acrobatic Troupe from Hebei Province, China.
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- Clown Kim Hawkins with Hailey (age 3-1/2) of McLean, Va.
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- The Flying Wallendas perform from 25 feet.
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- Aerial artists Marina Luna and Ella Storme perform a lyra act as LunaStorme.
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- Leosvel Almeida Gutierrez and Diosmani Aguero from Cuba. Their Chinese pole act combines supreme strength with well-timed balance and flexibility to create captivating entertainment.
