The Bindlestiff Family Cirkus

Today, I want to tell you about a tantalizing treat - the Bindlestiff Family Cirkus. I saw them a few years ago when they came to Des Moines and put on a performance at Hairy Mary's. They were incredible. Included was everything from (but certainly not limited to) spinning plates, razor blades, broken bottles (frolicked upon) and light bulbs (eaten), swords (swallowed) and lots of long pointy objects inserted into cranial cavities to the most impressive and erotic display of fireplay that one can imagine. They also featured a contortionist named Danny Boy who was simply unbelievable. The performance was intoxicating and made me want to dive into their van and go with them.

Philomena, the ring leader, performs with a very large bull whip with which her finesse and accuracy is incomparable. She puts several previously proven super-sharp double edged razor blades into her mouth along with a long string of thread and proceeds, with mouth closed, to tie each razor onto the string like christmas lights, pulling each one out on the string for display. She is nothing short of amazing.

Obviously, I am a raving fan of theirs. I saw them again a year or two later and the show was equally enticing.

If you'd like to check out some amazing video footage of these most intriguing individuals at work go for it!

The troup is based out of NYC (Brooklyn) and perform in NYC on a fairly frequent basis. They normally go across the country on tour during a good part of the year. If these folks ever come to perform in your city, I highly recommend that you open your mind and go see them. You will not be sorry.