Contemporary Circus and Immersive Arts Center

06/05/2026

Friends of the Big Top Group Nikki Miller and Benny Oyzon are developing a new work, and you're invited to be part of the process. Join them for an opportunity to experience work-in-progress, engage with the creative journey, and support the development of new work in the field of contemporary performance. Your presence helps artists take risks, experiment, and bring bold new ideas to life.

Sticks & Stone

An aerial dance, puppetry, and physical theatre performance that asks: What do we do when our bodies become strangers to our souls?

Co-created and performed by Nicki Miller & Benny Oyzon
Production managed by David Glista

This collaborative project began in 2019 and premiered at the Performing Garage in NYC in 2022. After a hiatus, the show will have its festival premiere at Hupstate Circus Festival in Ithaca, NY on September 5, 2026! As we prepare for this, we are thrilled to invite our Hudson Valley community to join us for these preview performances at Leaps & Bounds/Take the Leap Dance in Gardiner, NY. We hope you'll join us!

Performances will be:

Saturday June 20th at 7pm
Sunday June 21st at 5pm

All tickets are Pay What You Wish $5-50. All ticket funds help offset our production costs (including equipment, materials, space rental, and all of the collaborators’ skill/labor). Most importantly, your presence makes this whole effort with it! If you can’t make it but want to support the project, we will graciously accept your donation and gift the tickets to folx for whom cost is a barrier.

Content Advisory: Themes of body dysphoria, patriarchal gender roles, brief topless nudity. Recommended for audiences 13+

More info and tickets: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/sticks-stone-by-nicki-miller-benny-oyzon-tickets-1990270205762?aff=oddtdtcreator

About us: sticksandstone.art
IG: .art

An aerial dance, puppetry, and physical theatre performance that asks: What do we do when our bodies become strangers to our souls?

05/20/2026

Did you know that the Troy Hidden Garden Tour helps support programs like Circus in the Park?!

Don't miss an opportunity to enjoy Troy and help support an organization that provides access to programming in Troy's Prospect Park.

FINAL DAY OF PRESALE $20 TICKETS
Today, May 20, is the final day you can purchase advance discounted tickets to the Troy Hidden Garden Tour. The price is $20 per ticket today.
Buy your tickets online now at:
https://www.hiddengardentour.com/tickets
The price will increase to $25 tomorrow, Thursday May 21, the day of our event.
THIS IS A RAIN OR SHINE FUNDRAISER.. and the forecast looks great!

Tickets are $20 presale, $25 day of the event. This is a self-guided walking tour. Rain or Shine. Proceeds benefit Friends of Prospect Park, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, that supports improvements and provides programming in Troy’s Prospect Park.

04/21/2026

Bindlestiff Family Cirkus reminds us that tradition is alive.
Drawing from vaudeville, sideshow, and the traveling circus, their work carries forward a vibrant performance lineage rooted in humor, virtuosity, and direct connection with audiences.
Without companies like Bindlestiff, the cultural vocabulary of circus would fade. Their work sustains the living ecosystem that makes new creation possible.
We were honored to celebrate World Circus Day with artists who keep the foundations strong while inspiring what comes next.

04/21/2026

Thank you for celebrating World Circus Day with us.

We are still processing the experience — and feeling deeply inspired by the extraordinary artists and community who made the day so meaningful.

From the enduring brilliance of Bindlestiff Family Cirkus and the joyful music of The Rubin Brothers, to the generosity of local friends Jim Snack and Ragliacci as well as the impactful presence of the I Love You Project this day reflected the depth and vitality of the circus ecosystem we are building together.

A special acknowledgment to New York Circus Project, a young company out of NYC, who spent two weeks with us creating an entirely new work. They brought rigor, curiosity, courage, and an incredible spirit of collaboration. Experiences like these remind us why this work matters.
While we might expect to feel exhausted, instead we feel energized — reminded that the wellspring of creative energy is collective. The process of making, sharing, and witnessing new work creates a vital pulse that continues to move all of us forward.
Over the next few days, we’ll share images and moments from the full celebration.
But this first post is dedicated to these young artists who poured every ounce of themselves into creating something new.
Thank you for being part of a growing community that supports the future of circus. Special thank you to Arts, Letters and Numbers and Mt. Ida Preservation Association for helping to make this possible. Photography by : Joe Putrock

04/17/2026

https://www.themetroland.com/blog-main/preview-world-circus-day-01

PREVIEW: The Egg Celebrates World Circus Day previewarttheater Apr 16 Written By James Mullen 04/18 @ The Egg, Albany “When audiences attend events like these, they are directly supporting ambitious local creative projects and helping to ensure that such projects can continue to be researched, cre...

04/16/2026

Thank you WTEN / News10 for a great conversation on the Road to Success!
We loved sharing more about World Circus Day and welcoming Keith Nelson, Co-Founder of Bindlestiff Family Cirkus, to the Capital Region.
Join us April 18 at The Egg for an unforgettable celebration of contemporary circus 🎪
Watch here → https://www.news10.com/road-to-success/

1 like. "Keith Nelson, co-founder of Bindlestiff Family Cirkus | Road to Success | WTEN+"

04/15/2026

We are excited to welcome Bindlestiff Family Cirkus to the stage for World Circus Day at The Egg 🎪
Founded in 1995, Bindlestiff is one of the longest-running circus and variety arts companies in the United States, presenting leading artists from around the world and bringing the rich traditions of circus, sideshow, and vaudeville to audiences across generations.
Featuring world-class performers including:
✨ Keith Nelson — renowned juggler, physical comedian, and sideshow artist
✨ Ermiyas Muluken — master of balance and rolla bolla
✨ Ellie Steingraeber — aerialist and multidisciplinary circus artist
✨ Pher Gleason — award-winning juggler and filmmaker
✨ Jefferson Freire — internationally acclaimed juggler and musician
Bindlestiff demonstrates how tradition continues to inspire innovation, virtuosity, and connection through live performance.
Join us April 18 → two shows | one ticket 🎟️

04/15/2026

Excess, Effort, Spectacle
Reading the Body in Motion
📅 April 16 | 7:00 PM
📍 Mt. Ida Preservation Hall, Troy
Join Patricia Coleman for a public conversation exploring the relationship between sport, performance, and spectacle. Inspired by Roland Barthes, this dialogue examines how bodies in motion communicate meaning through effort, virtuosity, risk, and display.
Part of Circus Lab, a two-week exploration of contemporary circus and performance.
RSVP →[email protected]

04/12/2026

CIRCUS AS SYSTEM
Labor, Myth, and the Contemporary Circus Body
@ The Art Center of the Capital Region
265 River St. | Troy, NY
March 27-April 19
Reception and Q & A with Charles Batson, New York Circus Project, Bindlestiff Family Cirkus & Friends
April 13 | 7 PM
RSVP:[email protected]

04/11/2026

Thanks and for highlighting our work and having us on this morning. https://cbs6albany.com/news/local/circus-lab-launches-ahead-of-world-circus-day-event-at-the-egg-on-april-18-in-albany