Gandey World Class Productions

The unveiling of The UK’s First Permanent Monument to Philip Astley & his legacy of the Circus By Andrew Van Buren Images by Andrew Lewis Thankfully it was a gloriously sunny day for the unveil of the country’s first permanent monument to Newcastle-under-Lyme born Philip Astley, the original Ringmaster & creator of the modern day circus and his legacy. I had been working towards 21st April 2018 for a good many months, wanting to pull together a number of threads to celebrate World Circus Day in Newcastle-under-Lyme and this monument was the icing on the cake. Realise Foundation Charity , which encompasses Aspire Housing and PM Training had agreed to create and house the monument. During several meetings designer Candida Kelsall created the image, which was then built by 17 year old PM Training apprentice Liam Robinson. It was placed on its St George Street (ST5 1JX) site on the boundary of Newcastle-under-Lyme and Stoke on Trent...

It's World Circus Day ! Today, on Saturday 21st April, circuses, circus schools and circus advocates around the globe will be celebrating the arts and culture of circus. As Fédération Mondiale du Cirque aptly put it: "It's a special opportunity to celebrate together, to get more supporters and fans of the art of happiness. Our possibilities are borderless." This is the 9th World Circus Day, and it's the most important one yet... as 2018 is the 250th anniversary of circus! Marking 250 years since Philip Astley , a cavalryman from Newcastle-under-Lyme, pitched the first ever circus on the bank of the River Thames. Gandeys Circus wanted to celebrate World Circus Day with some of the locals in Penrith this week. So we invited the pupils and teachers from Beaconside Primary School to join us in the Big Top for an amazing circus presentation and a thrilling afternoon at the show! It was a union brought about by a charming coincidence, actually....

‘Elephant in a former life…’ In lieu of Valentine’s Day and the warm fuzzy feeling it has parted us with, this blog post is about something equally, if not more uplifting than spending Valentine’s Day in an igloo, or dining atop a skyscraper (excuse the pun). Firstly let me introduce the protagonist of this heart-warming tale, Princess Stéphanie Grimaldi of Monaco, Countess of Polignac, who is as you might have guessed from the name, the princess of the Principality of Monaco and seventh in line for the throne. Carol Gandey who is oneof the directors here at Gandeys World Class Productions had the pleasure of meeting Princess Stéphanie (pictured below) when they were attending the InternationalCircus Festival in Monte Carlo , of which the princess is a patron.   Now onto the story, some may remember back in early 2013 the tale of two elephants named Baby and Nepal (pictured below) who were residents of the Tête d'Or zoo in Lyon, France.   These magnifi...

38th Monte Carlo International Circus Festival Published Wednesday 22 January 2014 at 11:53 by Liz Arratoon for the Stage Newspaper UK This month, those whose super power is being in two places at once can enjoy the 38th London International Mime Festival and the 38th Monte Carlo Circus Festival. Here, competition for the prestigious Clown Awards - designed by renowned Dutch sculptor Kees Verkade - has a glittering start. Dancers from the Great Moscow State Circus cavort round ringmaster Petit Gougou while he tentatively floats a box from which ever-coiffed Dutch magician Hans Klok appears. The Daring Jones Duo Photo: Charly Gallo: Press Centre, Monaco Traditionally dressed, the Czech Faltyny family then wheels into action on unicycles. The four men and three women are almost eclipsed by four tiny children, but they show amazing balance skills, particularly when father and son, both Emil, teeter on tall unicycles with a bar across their s...