Circus
Whilst the traditional version of circus acts appearing in a circus show, mounted in a tent by a group of travelling circus performers still very much exists (all be it without animals), circus work can be found everywhere nowadays, from huge Cirque du Soleil spectacular shows in custom made venues in Vegas to something about social circus e.g. a kid in a workshop in Alloa...
Circus, in its broadest sense, marks the various points at which athletic prowess intersects the world of performing arts. It marks the tipping point when the athlete becomes more concerned with entertaining the audience than winning the competition. While the world of competitive sports is concerned with extending the limits of the human body, circus is concerned with celebrating the joy that can occur on that journey, as a goal in itself. Circus is the game for its own sake, for both the performer and the audience to enjoy.
Traditional circus skills such as acrobatics, flying trapeze and juggling are still alive and well, but there is now an increasing interest from circus artists in extending the range of skills, settings and apparatus that circus can create its games from. In this way, we can increasingly see the presence of instillation art, new technologies and experimental theatre in the many performance settings that circus now inhabits.
Circus, in its broadest sense, marks the various points at which athletic prowess intersects the world of performing arts. It marks the tipping point when the athlete becomes more concerned with entertaining the audience than winning the competition. While the world of competitive sports is concerned with extending the limits of the human body, circus is concerned with celebrating the joy that can occur on that journey, as a goal in itself. Circus is the game for its own sake, for both the performer and the audience to enjoy.
Traditional circus skills such as acrobatics, flying trapeze and juggling are still alive and well, but there is now an increasing interest from circus artists in extending the range of skills, settings and apparatus that circus can create its games from. In this way, we can increasingly see the presence of instillation art, new technologies and experimental theatre in the many performance settings that circus now inhabits.
