WINNER! Circus Tickets

Congratulations to

Harmony Mitchell!

She is our third winner of a family four-pack of tickets to see Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus!

Remember, you still have one more chance to win! Our last winner will be chosen next Wednesday, and the winner will be drawn from our hot spot entry, Gines Auto Service.

You can also still purchase tickets for the show!

Thanks to Ringling Bros. for providing the tickets for this giveaway!

About Stas and Vas:
(See picture above. Photo used with permission by Feld Entertainment)

Highlights:

•        Vasily Trifonov originally considered attending medical school before he decided to enroll in Circus College. Stanislav Knyazdov had entered the Moscow Geological Research Institute but also decided to attend Circus College.

•        Stas and Vas met while attending Clown College and were paired up as a duo by their professor and have been working together for more than 10 years.

•        Stas and Vas are both traveling with their wives and children. Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey^® Presents FULLY CHARGED^SM is their second tour with The Greatest Show On Earth^®

Stas & Vas

Comedic Duo

Stas and Vas are the “power duo” of the 141^st Edition, Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey^® Presents FULLY CHARGED as their fully-charged antics deliver mega- watts of laughs, reminiscent of comedic greats such as Laurel and Hardy and Abbott and Costello.

While Stas carries the energy in as the Assistant Ringmaster, Vas carries the energy out as the Assistant to the Assistant Ringmaster. The duo are an electrolyte bath of antics as they race about the ring like electron particles, one negative antic by Vas balanced by Stas’ positive that produces a megavolt of raucous fun. These aren’t just a couple of guys clowning around; Vas and Stas have been honing their act for over a decade. The chemistry between this duo is a volatile performance of acid- laughter and sulfuric-fun. Nothing in their childhood would have led their parents to believe they were going to become clowns.Vas, Vasily Viktorovich Trifonov, was born May 16, 1978 in Yurga, Russia and was the youngest of three. His father was an engineer while his mother was an accountant and economist. After finishing school, Vas considered medical school, but decided to enter Circus College to become a clown. “As a result, an outstanding surgeon was lost for the world.” But Vas was only one part of the unit of this electromotive force.

While Vas considered his future, Knyazdov Stanislav Yevgenievich or Stas had entered Moscow’s Geological Research Institute, “Which he successfully gave up for the sake of studying at Circus College.” Stas was born January 16, 1976 in Moscow. His father is a sociologist at the Moscomsport and his mother studied economics and eventually became a sales manager. Stas was encouraged to become an actor by the director of the National Theatre Rampa in Moscow. In 1993, Stas entered the State Circus and Estrade Art College. For the first two years of studying, the two men learned the long history of great clowns before them. It was a lonely challenge for Vas. He was far from home and only 15 years old. The older Stas became like a brother to the younger Vas, taking care of him. Not until the third year were history and scholastics replaced by the grit of clowning — the performance. “The experience doesn’t come from your studies,” Vas says, “but when you begin to work in the arena. That’s when you start becoming a professional. Year by year, we studied by being in the arena.” Stas adds, “School can teach, but you have to have the talent to learn.”

Their third year, however, wasn’t working well for either of them. Vas explains, “When I did some skit with a fly or bee for one of Stas’ teachers, he said to me, ‘You’ve really been studying for two years?’ So he came up with an idea — we’d be better as a duo. He was truly a clown and his inspiration made it very easy for us. It was a revelation the first time we performed

together. Nobody could have made us believe then that we’d be together for so long.” It took them a few more years to develop their act and then several years on the road to refine it. Because they have been clowning around together for so many years, their experience shows and audience members have come to love them. The mystery of what makes a gag work still surprises the duo. Today, the show is different now that they are older; and although they’re still in shape, it’s their experience that drives the performance. “When you first start,” Stas explains, “you use your energy to cover up your inexperience and when you become older, you use your experience.”

Even though they’ve traveled the world and have worked with the Gold Unit of Ringling Bros.^®, FULLY CHARGED is the biggest show they’ve ever performed in, which comes with its own set of challenges. Vas explains, “The biggest challenge is the space. Filling that massive amount of space as compared to the space of theatre acts or one-ring shows is greatly different.” Stas agrees, “There’s nothing to compare to Ringling Bros. And there’s no way to prepare for such an immense size of a circus.”

Stas and Vas continue to use their comedic talents to fully charge Children Of All Ages! After all, they believe “laughter is life!”

Rewiring proven acts, with some twists to make them fit for FULLY CHARGED, the duo are nothing short of a great laugh.