From Don Covington

ZERBINI CIRCUS with CASUAL CAL DUPRE coming to Bluffton Bluffton, South Carolina October 9, 2010 "We discovered hip hop" says Casual Cal Dupre, the energetic ringmaster of the Zerbini Family Circus “We took the first hip hop artists on their first tour in America,” Dupree said. “People thought they were a bunch of kids doing mumbo jumbo. They didn’t know how hot their music was, but we did. Being a DJ, I knew.” Dupree now lives in Harlem, NY and Atlanta and is part of his own Blumpin’ Big Show Circus. He’s teamed up with Alain Zerbini’s Multi-cultural Family Circus for shows as well, including next’s week’s in Bluffton. Dupree is well known for his ability to get audiences on their feet, as well as for his messages in support of families. “You have to interject something enlightening that’s uplifting,” he said. “You never know what kid is shy and just waking up, what daddy is in the audience that wants to say sorry for something. You just open people up and expect the best. “With the show I do I try to instill some spiritually, try to put it into people’s lives. We all walk the high wire each day. How many of us are scared to cross it each day? People come back to see laid-back stuff and they get extra for their money,” he said. Ricardo Sosa, who brought his balancing act to South Africa to help President Nelson Mandela celebrate his birthday, is also coming to Bluffton to join in next week’s circus. “We have sword balancing, trapeze artists, a trampoline act, a Russian swing, a performing American buffalo and a horseback-riding dog… as well as clowns,” said Andrea Murray, a local coordinator for the event. Around 11 a.m. on Monday, the Zerbini troupe will arrive and begin to set up the big top, transforming Eagles baseball field. The public is invited. The show will bring the community together and help raise funds for the Eagles, according to Bluffton Town Councilman Fred Hamilton, chairman of the Eagles Field Action Committee. “I’m excited for it for Bluffton,” Hamilton said. “We have such a diverse community and … Eagles Field having the space to accommodate this will make a lot of kids and families happy. This also gives a whole new definition of what the property can to, to bring families together and at the same time help to be a fundraiser for future activities.” Dupree said he likes the fact that Zerbini doesn’t promote the regular circus animals such as elephants, lions and tigers. Treatment of some animals in circuses is an ongoing issue, with many major circuses having received multiple citations for improper care under the Animal Welfare Act or from the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Alain Zerbini’s circus used to lease animals from the Hawthorne Corporation, among those cited for failure to provide veterinary care and handle animals in a way that prevents trauma and harm, while UniverSoul Circus leased its animals from exhibitors that were cited for failing to meet minimal federal standards for the care of animals used in exhibition as established in the Animal Welfare Act (AWA). Dupree said that Zerbini owns the exotic animals that appear in his shows, and said Zerbini runs his circus and treats his animals with integrity. “Elephants, I feel, belong with their family,” said Dupree, whose Blumpin’ Big Show Circus is animal-free. Murray said in 12 years with circuses, she only saw animals treated well. “From my experience in the circuses, the trainers take very good care of the animals. All I see is the elephants getting their bath, them filing their nails before a show, and I’m like ‘Can somebody scrub me down? It’s been a positive experience for the animals that I’ve seen.’” The animals at the Bluffton circus will include Tatanaka, the “only performing American buffalo,” camels, and dogs, Murray said. “Let (the community) know they are more than welcome to come watch the reconstruction of Eagles baseball field turned into a circus,” Murray said.