Arts & Entertainment
Circus tradition remains a family affair
Courtesy Swanson Russell Associates
Bill and Donna Bannister
By l isa Donovan
Senior Reporter
Kditor's note: I he Shrine ( ir
cus performances begin tonight at
7:30 p.m. at the State Fair Park
Coliseum.
The circus isa family alfair lor the
Bannisters. Donna Bannister. 41. has
been in the business her whole hie,
husband Bill, 41, has played a role in
the circus lor 30 years and Iracey
Bannister, 14. is in her fourth year.
Keith Bannister 3. is still a bn young.
Donna and Bill said, but it is only a
matter ol about two years he I ore he
begins training
Different combinations of the
family will perform three aerial acts
in each show Tuesday through Satur
day. for the Sesolris Temple Shrine
Circus in the Suite Fair Park Coli
seum
The first act of the set is The
Kneislcys. Titled from Bill s middle
name. The Kneislcys perform an aer
ial act which includes Donna and
Bill Bill hangs upside down by his
knees from two parallel bars about 40
feci high. Meanwhile. Donna swings
down to a trap bar which Bill is hold
ing. Alter positioning herself on the
swing. Bill twirls her around until she
is horizontal.
“She swings so last, she's just a
blur.’’ Bill said.
Tracey also contributes to the act
by swinging down to her lather and
performing various gymnastic teats
while her lather holds her.
In the second act, Iracey, Donna
and Bill call themselves the The
Williams, named alter Bill.
“Tracey is the star of this one.
Bill said.
In this aerial act. Bill wears a
shoulder support with a pole stem
ming from it Tracey climbs to the lop
of the pole, and once positioned, Bill
twirls her around, much like the act
he and Donna perform.
Bill said in the final act, the group
includes another family member no
one talks much about: Daisy, the f>
year-old chimpan/ee.
Donna. Bill and Daisy perform in
the final act. named Daisy and C'o.
Working with a combination ol
different circus animals, the three
some performs various gymnastic
acts.
Although the Bannister's act came
together in ll)7!>, when Donna and
Bill married, their lies to each other
and the circus go way back.
Natives ol Tampa. Ha., Donna s
involvement in the circus stems Iron)
her grandparents.
“One set of my grandparents was
involved m the circus. Donna said
!n addition, Donna's great-uncT
owned a circus show. I he Wilson*
Donna s parents, were involved with
the circus and carried on the circus
tradition. The Wilson sisters hccam>
famous lor their trape/e art as well as
aerial performances.
Donna said that currently, four ol
the six Wilson children are'involved
in the circus.
Bill hit the circus scene as a clown
when he was 11.
"I worked with her (Donna's)
mom and dad,’’ Bill stud. "Her lather
was a producing clown at the time ”
Bill said he actually met and
worked with Donna when he was IS
"We didn't get together until
later." Bill said.
In the meantime. Bill and Donna
performed individual flying trape/e
acts, until, at the age ol 27. the\
married.
Now, Donna and Bill said they
teach their children all they've
learned.
Donna said Tracey learns about
the acts much the way she did - by
mimicking.
"When I was younger. I |ust
learned hy mimicking my older sis
ters." Donna said.
Bill and Donna added that Keith
See CIRCUS on 8
‘Morality Tales' exhibit shouldn't offend, professor says I
From Staff Reports
Although the Sheldon Memorial
Art Gallery ’s newest exhibit "Mo
rality Tales." depicts graphu con
tent, one University of Nebraska
Lincoln art professor said no one
should be shocked
"I realty wonder if content of Urn
nature car shock anyone, Richard
Trickcy said
The large-scale paintings in the
exhibit portray scenes of domestic
violence a gang member urinating
on a victim and a trio of teen-ager1
first sexual experience.
Trukey said most people have
seen the same kind of materia* or
teles ision and other places Although
the graphu content may be common
place it *sn n an art museum
"’hen i ic‘ the shock. Trickcy
said Fhi ur museum is a sanctum
'hat norrr ;t s doesn’t display tfm
kind of m i icc matter
T ricki' -me cac h of the pieces has
historica precedents
"Then > nothing new cxcepi t
ahe current exhibit hasn . been
mythologized,” he said In the past,
art often smoothed over the contro
versial aspects, sometimes by depict
ing the subject as an ancient figure.
Daphne Deeds, curator and assis
lani director at the Sheldon, said n is
the gallery 's responsibility to provide
as many different kinds ol art and
expression as it can.
She said she wouldn’t be surprised
il there was controversy over the
exhibit, but she's not worried.
The show has stopped at six other
museums nationwide, including the
University Gallery at Ohio State
I mversity. The show hasn't received
adverse reaction. Deeds said
“Ironically, the strongest reaction
came from New York itself," she
said.
1 _
Sheldon’s ‘Morality Tales’ portrays social concerns
By Michele Tilley
i Slat I Reporter
“Morality Tales," the current
exhibition at Sheldon Art Gallery,
* I (reuses on ethical issues of our
lime Delving into issues such as
AIDS. Central America and nu
I clear war the show challenges
viewers and forces them to look at
an i m pc'r l et I world
- REVIEW I—
On first glance the images arc
shocking and disturbing They are
mcuni to be The artists want their
work to grab attention and shove
the problems ol the world at the
viewer. Each work blatantly de
picts a pessimistic attitude toward
society and reveals a wretched,
tormented world filled with the
inherent evil of mankind.
It’s easy to find oneself pulling
away from the artwork. Eric
Fischl’s “First Sex” painting is a
perfect example.
His subject matter is intense,
provocative and extremely dis
turbing. but as his work is studied,
deeper meanings emerge. Daphne
Deeds' typed explanations beside
each work help to sort out some
subtle meanings not easily ob
served by the viewer
Jerome Wilkin s Division
Street ” graphically depicts a lam
ily argument. Wilkin's use ol color
and brush strokes heighten the
tense emotions ol the scene and put
the viewer directly into the friction
of the moment. The morality issue
enters as Wilkin shows the nega
tive effect ol the argument on the
child.
Ida Applebroog’s “Church ol
Saint Francis Xavier deals di
rectly with the AIDS issue. Apple
broog uses different canvases,
each with varied scenes depicting
emotions ol AIDS victims and that
ol society's reaction toward them
Applebroog portrays society as
alraid and ignorant and reiterates
this with a somewhat sterile style
In contrast, a vivid and emotional
style is used when showing the
emotions ol the victims, bringing
the viewer into the struggles that
each victim lives.
Although the exhibition lo
cuses on the negative aspects ol
society, it also brings attention to
important issues that need to be
addressed. The artists want view
ers to re-examine the idea ol mo
rality and to question eac h individ
ual's role within it
The exhibit runs through May
2b. ITie Sheldon is open luesday
through Saturday from Ida in to?
pm, and Sunday I rom 2 to p m
F.vemng hours Thursday through |
Saturday are 7 to l) p.m
She s Out of Control’ is respectable for a formula film
By Kelly Ander*
S'aff kip. ru
What'at k surprise isn aiwa\va
flop. Mom .om.Hi;- films an sostupio
and bad(\ i- *c< ihai one ear* help
but griniii- n»n start U) finish
Bu» m. i ihen are thosi execp
lions tha .n.o no sa\ ar>v it-ing nevx
but'* a tens igh> hearten anomon
th.it nearar .
sh« *m »: r ontro, i* onr
-uch itin u o-tt sextremeixpn
datable n ri. ii nrig *sdecent The
nusu ini »n siiabh’. ctbei
Shor an. weei thisisihi stop of
mat win nai trouble dealing with
uaughte» giowing u| ano tht
mv typ»< allv waek' mishaps
^ ensue
Doug Simpson (Tony Dan/a> is a
general managei of a rock station
He’s the type- ol guy teen-agers want
tor a father laid back likes “gtxxl”
music ano is up with the limes. Doug
soon learns he can be as paianoid and
Pop-like as Ward Cleaver. The times
are a-changin’ and so are his daugh
ter’s measurements.
Upon his return from a business
trip, Doug’s eyes almosi pop out
when he notices his daughter, Katie
(Ami Dolcnz) has evolved from a
tomboy to a boytoy seemingly over
night
For those trivia buffs out there
Dolcn/ is the offspring ol Monkce
Mickey Dolcn/
Suddenly Doug remembers whai
ii was nke to be a hormone-cra/cd
teen-age boy He doe*> everything
possible to protect his baby girl Irom
hci mans admirers
Ano she docs have many Penn
Kane is so swamped with attention
thai she incorporates the assistance ol
he youngci siste' Bonnie (Laura
Mexrncv to momioi hci dating
schedule
As with most films ot this sort the
be)y friends are as expectedly opposite
as possible I we ot hci main
squeezes Joey (Dana Ashbrooki and
Timothy (Matthew t. Perry), arc
particularly different. Joey is an ear
ring-wearing biker, while Timothy is
a wealthy smooth-talker.
Doug doesn’t know how to handle
his predicament. He enlists the aid of
a “child expert,” Dr. Fishbindcr
(Wallace Shawn), a quirky pop cul
lurist who has no children. Needless
to say his help proves questionable.
Although this is no “Rain Man,”
“She’s (Jut of Control’’ is pretty
good.
«*«-• « «« PM. at dating
“Wiiili _