Historically, games in ancient Rome involving horse and chariot races, gladiatorial combat, and wild animals; in modern times, a travelling show featuring animals and feats of human endurance and skill. Acts of bareback horse riding and lion taming formed the basis of early circuses, but other animals, such as chimpanzees, dogs, seals and elephants, became popular features (less so in recent years, with the growth in the animal rights movement). Human feats such as sword swallowing, fire eating, trapeze, and juggling are also common. Most have a comedy routine carried out by clowns. The modern-day circus was initiated in 1768 by trick horseback rider Philip Astley, who built his own arena in which to display his skills. Charles Hughes built his famous Royal Circus in 1782, and this was the first modern-day use of the word circus. The most famous 19th-c circuses were Barnum and Bailey's in the USA, Astley's and Spengler's. In the 20th-c the shows of Bertram Mills, Billy Smart, and David Chipperfield were popular, though have suffered a decline in recent years. At the beginning of the 21st century, European and Asian circuses, such as those of Moscow and China, continue to provide spectacular shows, and tour regularly, as does Canada's Cirque du Soleil.
The circus is thought to have had its origin in Ancient Rome, where the circus was an open-air stadium where chariot and horse races and other public exhibitions were held.
History of the circus
Circus in the ancient world
In Ancient Rome the circus was a building for the exhibition of horse and chariot races, equestrian shows, staged battles, displays featuring trained exotic animals, jugglers and acrobats and other amusements.
The first circus in Rome was the Circus Maximus, in the valley between the Palatine and Aventine hills. Next in importance to the Circus Maximus in Rome was the Circus Flaminius, the Circus Neronis, from the notoriety which it obtained through the Circensian pleasures of Nero. the ruins of this circus have enabled archaeologists to reconstruct the Roman circus.
Following the fall of Rome, Europe lacked a large and organized circus. Animal trainers and performers are thought to have exploited the nostalgia for the Roman circus, traveling between towns and performing at local fairs. Another possible link between the Roman and modern circus could have been bands of gypsies who appeared in Europe in the 14th century and in Britain from the 15th century bringing with them circus skills and trained animals.
Development of the circus
The modern concept of a circus as a circular arena surrounded by tiers of seats, for the exhibition of equestrian, acrobatic, and other performances seems to have existed since the late 18th century. The popularity of the circus in England may be traced to that held by Philip Astley in London, the first performance of his circus is said to have been held on January 9, 1768. One of Astley's major contributions to the circus was bringing trick horse riding into the ring, and in doing so he set the diameter of the circus ring at 42 feet, which is the size ring needed for horses to circle comfortably at full gallop. In England circuses were often held in purpose built buildings in large cities, such as the London Hippodrome, which was built as a combination of the circus, the menagerie and the variety theatre, where wild animals such as lions and elephants from time to time appeared in the ring, and where convulsions of nature such as floods, earthquakes and volcanic eruptions have been produced with an extraordinary wealth of realistic display.
Antonio Franconi, the founder of the French circus, is credited by many to be a co-creator of the modern circus, along with Philip Astley.
In the first two decades of the 19th century The Circus of Pepin and Breschard toured from Montreal to Havana, building circus theatres in many of the cities they visited. In 1825 Joshuah Purdy Brown was the first circus owner to use a large canvas tent for the circus performance. Circus pioneer Dan Rice was probably the most famous circus and clown pre-Civil War, popularizing such expressions as "The One-Horse Show" and "Hey, Rube!". Coup was also the first circus entrepreneur to use circus trains to transport the circus from town to town;
In 1840 the equestrian Thomas Cooke returned to England from the United States, bringing with him a circus tent. Three important circus innovators were Italian Giuseppe Chiarini, and Frenchmen Louis Soullier and Jacques Tourniaire, whose early travelling circuses introduced the circus to Latin America, Australia, South East Asia, China, India, South Africa and Russia. Soullier was the first circus owner to introduce Chinese acrobatics to the European circus when he returned from his travels in 1866 and Tourniaire was the first to introduce the performing art to Russia where it became extremely popular. Bailey "Greatest Show On Earth" where it toured from 1897 to 1902, impressing other circus owners with its large scale, its touring techniques including the tent and circus train and the combination of circus acts, zoological exhibition and the freak-show.
The influence of the American circus brought about a considerable change in the character of the modern circus.
The Russian circus underwent an interesting development in 1919 when Vladimir Lenin nationalised the circus and in 1927 the State University of Circus and Variety Arts, better known as the Moscow Circus School was established where performers were trained using methods developed from the Soviet gymnastics program.
Contemporary circus
In the 1960s and 1970s, the circus began to lose popularity as people became more interested in animal rights and alternative forms of entertainment. There are numerous circuses that maintain a mix of animal and human performers, these include Ringling Brothers and Barnum and Bailey Circus, the Moscow State Circus, Circus Krone from Munich, Circus Royale from Australia and the Big Apple Circus. Circus Circus is a Las Vegas circus themed casino and the largest permanent big top in the world also presents human and animal performances.
The Cirque Nouveau is a performing arts movement that developed in France in the 1970's and uses the physical theatre aspects of circus to tell a story; Examples include the Cirque du Soleil founded in 1984, Circus Oz founded in 1977 and the West African Circus Baobab. There are also "experimental" circus troupes such as the Cirque Invisible and Cirque Imaginaire, directed by Victoria Chaplin, granddaughter of Charlie Chaplin and the punk Tiger Lillies Circus.
The International Circus Festival has been held in Monte Carlo since 1974 and was the first of many international awards for circus performers.
The circus performance
A circus performance is led by a ringmaster who has a role similar to a Master of Ceremonies, the ringmaster presents performers, speaks to the audience, and generally keeps the show moving.
Circus acts
The scope and variety of human performance in circus is immense.
Clowns are common to most circuses and are typically skilled in many circus acts;
Daredevil stunt acts and sideshow acts are also parts of some circus acts, these activities may include human cannonball, chapeaugraphy, fire eating, breathing and dancing, knife throwing, magic shows, sword swallowing or strongman.
Animal acts
A variety of animals have historically been used in circus acts. While the types of animals used varies from circus to circus, big cats, elephants, horses, birds and domestic animals are the most common.
The use of animals in the circus has been a matter for controversy, as animal welfare groups have discovered many instances of cruelty used in the training of performing animals.
Circus music, films and plays
The atmosphere of the circus has served as a dramatic setting for many musicians and writers.
Plays set in a circus include the 1896 musical The Circus Girl by Lionel Monckton, Polly of the Circus written in 1907 by Margaret Mayo, He Who Gets Slapped written by Russian Leonid Andreyev 1916 and later adapted into on of the first circus films, Caravan written in 1932 by Carl Zuckmayer, the revue Big Top written by Herbert Farjeon in 1942, Top of the Ladder written by Tyrone Gutheris in 1950 and Stop the World, I Want to Get Off written by Anthony Newley in 1961.
Following the First World War circus films became popular, in 1924 He Who Gets Slapped was the first film released by MGM, in 1925 Sally Sawdust (remade 1930), Variety, and Vaudeville were produced, followed by The Devil's Circus in 1926 and The Circus starring Charlie Chaplin, Circus Rookies, Four Devils, Laugh Clown Laugh in 1928. Films about the circus made since 1959 include B-movie Circus of Horrors, musical Billy Rose's Jumbo, A Tiger Walks a Disney film about a tiger that escapes from the circus and Circus World starring John Wayne.
Circus Buildings
In some towns, there are circus buildings.
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