14 Facts About Paul Binder

Paul Lewis Binder was born on October 19,1942 and is the founder, founding artistic director, and former ringmaster of the Big Apple Circus.

Paul Binder graduated with a bachelor's degree in medieval history from Dartmouth College in 1963 and MBA from Columbia University in 1967.

One of Dartmouth's educational philosophies was a belief in community service, which Paul Binder later embraced with the Big Apple Circus' community programs.

In 1971, Paul Binder joined the San Francisco Mime Troupe, where he learned to juggle.

Paul Binder was a street performer in Europe when he and Michael Christensen, whom he met while both were with the San Francisco Mime Troupe, decided to make circus performing their profession.

Paul Binder brought us to her circus and showed us the beauty of the intimate theatrical circus, and that was the inspiration for our circus.

In 1977, inspired by his time with the Nouveau Cirque de Paris, Paul Binder founded the Big Apple Circus in New York City, with Christensen later being named co-founder.

In 2017, Paul Binder and Christensen performed at the 50th annual Smithsonian Folklife Festival to "hand over the keys" to the circus' new leadership after it emerged from filing for bankruptcy the year before, which in the Big Apple Circus' case was a rubber chicken and a top hat.

In 2016, Paul Binder performed in his cabaret THE TALL AND SHORT OF IT with co-star Dana Mierlak.

In 2017, Binder performed in another cabaret P-P-P-Paul and K-K-K-Katie with co-star Katie Galuska.

Paul Binder has received an honorary Doctorate of Fine Arts from Dartmouth College, his alma mater.

Paul Binder was honored by Long Island University, Pratt Institute, and Rhode Island College.

In 2001, Paul Binder was declared a "New York City Living Landmark" by the New York Landmarks Conservancy society.

In 2014, Paul Binder was inducted into the Circus Ring of Fame in Sarasota, FL, a city with the nickname "Circus City".