Contemporary circus, or
nouveau cirque (as it was originally known in French-speaking countries), is a genre of performing art developed in the later 20th century in which a story or a theme is conveyed through traditional
circus skillsCircus skills are a group of pursuits that have been performed as entertainment in circus, sideshow, busking or variety/vaudeville/music hall shows. Most circus skills are still being performed today. Many are also practiced by non-performers as a hobby....
. Animals are rarely used in this type of
circusA circus is commonly a travelling company of performers that may include clowns, acrobats, trained animals, trapeze acts, musicians, hoopers, tightrope walkers, jugglers, unicyclists and other stunt-oriented artists...
, and traditional circus skills are blended with a more character-driven approach. Compared with the traditional circuses of the past, the contemporary approach tends to focus more attention on the overall aesthetic impact, on character and story development, and on the use of lighting design, original music, and costume design to convey thematic or narrative content.
Although the literal English translation of
nouveau cirque is "new circus", the term
contemporary circus is generally preferred.
History
The
nouveau cirque movement originated in the 1970s in France, Australia, the West Coast of the United States and the United Kingdom.
Early examples of
nouveau cirque companies include:
Circus OzCircus Oz was founded in December 1977, with its first performance season in March 1978. Circus Oz was the amalgamation of two already well-known groups - Soapbox Circus, a roadshow set up by the Australian Performing Group in 1976, and the New Ensemble Circus, a continuation of the New Circus,...
, forged in Australia in 1977 from SoapBox Circus and New Circus, both founded in the early 1970s; the
Pickle Family CircusThe Pickle Family Circus was a small circus founded in 1974 in San Francisco, California, USA. The circus formed an important part of the renewal of the American circus. They also influenced the creation of Cirque du Soleil in Montreal...
, founded in
San FranciscoSan Francisco , officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the financial, cultural, and transportation center of the San Francisco Bay Area, a region of 7.15 million people which includes San Jose and Oakland...
in 1975;
Nofit State CircusNoFit State Circus is a contemporary circus company based in Cardiff, Wales.Formed in 1986, NoFit State Circus have been a mainstay of new and contemporary circus in the United Kingdom since their inception, and have toured tented and theatrical shows at home and abroad...
in 1984 from
WalesWales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
;
Cirque du SoleilCirque du Soleil , is a Canadian entertainment company, self-described as a "dramatic mix of circus arts and street entertainment." Based in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, and located in the inner-city area of Saint-Michel, it was founded in Baie-Saint-Paul in 1984 by two former street performers, Guy...
, founded in
QuebecQuebec or is a province in east-central Canada. It is the only Canadian province with a predominantly French-speaking population and the only one whose sole official language is French at the provincial level....
in 1984;
Cirque PlumeCirque Plume is an internationally renowned contemporary circus company founded in 1984 by Bernard Kudlak in the Franche-Comté region of France....
and Archaos from France in 1984 and 1986 respectively.
More recent examples include:
Cirque ÉloizeCirque Éloize is a Quebec-based nouveau cirque troupe. It was founded in 1993 by Jeannot Painchaud, Daniel Cyr and Julie Hamelin. Having created seven original productions so far, it has presented more than 3000 performances in more than 375 cities and 30 countries...
, founded in Quebec (1993); NY's
Bindlestiff Family CirkusThe Bindlestiff Family Cirkus was founded in 1995 By Keith Nelson and Stephanie Monseu. Since then, they have toured the world with their mix of circus and sideshow...
(1995); Sweden's
Cirkus CirkörCirkus Cirkör is a Swedish circus company, and is today Scandinavia's leading performing circus company within the art form of contemporary circus. Cirkus Cirkör has toured the world with a number of successful and praised circus shows...
(1995);
Teatro ZinZanniTeatro ZinZanni is a circus dinner theater that began in the neighborhood of Lower Queen Anne in Seattle, Washington. It has since expanded to a site on the waterfront at Pier 29 on the San Francisco, California The Embarcadero....
, founded in Seattle (1998); the West African Circus Baobab (late 1990s); and American
cirque noir companies
Lucent Dossier ExperienceLucent Dossier Experience is an interactive, avant-garde circus, electronic rock band, performance troupe and entertainment company...
, PURE Cirkus (2004), and Boise, Idaho's Red Light Variety Show (2009).
The genre includes other circus troupes such as the Vermont-based
Circus SmirkusCircus Smirkus is a non-profit, award-winning, international youth circus founded in 1987 by Rob Mermin. Based in Greensboro, Vermont, the mission of Circus Smirkus is to promote the skills, culture and traditions of the traveling circus and to inspire youth to engage in life-changing adventures in...
(founded in 1987 by
Rob MerminRob Mermin is the founder of the award-winning international touring youth circus Circus Smirkus.Rob Mermin ran off to join the circus in 1969...
), Le Cirque Imaginaire (later renamed Le Cirque Invisible, both founded and directed by
Victoria ChaplinVictoria Chaplin is an Anglo-American actress, the daughter of actor/comedian Charlie Chaplin and Oona O'Neill Chaplin, and the granddaughter of playwright Eugene O'Neill....
, daughter of
Charlie ChaplinSir Charles Spencer "Charlie" Chaplin, KBE was an English comic actor, film director and composer best known for his work during the silent film era. He became the most famous film star in the world before the end of World War I...
), the
Tiger LilliesThe Tiger Lillies are a three-piece band, formed in 1989 and based in London. They have toured worldwide and won acclaim with their opera Shockheaded Peter....
, and Dislocate, while
The Jim Rose CircusThe Jim Rose Circus is a modern-day version of a circus sideshow. It was founded in Seattle by Jim Rose in the early 1990s. The sideshow came to prominence as a second stage show at the 1992 Lollapalooza festival, then called the Jim Rose Circus Sideshow...
is an interesting take on the circus
sideshowIn America, a sideshow is an extra, secondary production associated with a circus, carnival, fair or other such attraction.- Types of attractions :There are four main types of classic sideshow attractions:...
. In
Northern EnglandNorthern England, also known as the North of England, the North or the North Country, is a cultural region of England. It is not an official government region, but rather an informal amalgamation of counties. The southern extent of the region is roughly the River Trent, while the North is bordered...
, Skewed Circus combines punk, rap, dance music, comedy, and stunts to deliver "pop-circus" entertainment to young urban audiences.
It could be argued that the blending of traditional circus arts with contemporary aesthetic sensibilities and theatrical techniques has revitalized the general public's interest in and appetite for the circus. Certainly the most conspicuous success story has been that of
Cirque du SoleilCirque du Soleil , is a Canadian entertainment company, self-described as a "dramatic mix of circus arts and street entertainment." Based in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, and located in the inner-city area of Saint-Michel, it was founded in Baie-Saint-Paul in 1984 by two former street performers, Guy...
, the Canadian circus company whose estimated annual revenue now exceeds US$810 million, and whose
nouveau cirque shows have been seen by nearly 90 million spectators in over 200 cities on five continents.
Characteristics
Contemporary circus combines traditional circus skills and theatrical techniques to convey a story or theme. Such acts include acrobatics,
jugglingJuggling is a skill involving moving objects for entertainment or sport. The most recognizable form of juggling is toss juggling, in which the juggler throws objects up to catch and toss up again. This may be one object or many objects, at the same time with one or many hands. Jugglers often refer...
,
trapezeA trapeze is a short horizontal bar hung by ropes or metal straps from a support. It is an aerial apparatus commonly found in circus performances...
,
actingActing is the work of an actor or actress, which is a person in theatre, television, film, or any other storytelling medium who tells the story by portraying a character and, usually, speaking or singing the written text or play....
, music and aerial silk. For aesthetic or economic reasons, contemporary circus productions may be staged in theaters rather than in large outdoor tents. Music used in the production is often composed exclusively for that production, and aesthetic influences are drawn as much from contemporary culture as from circus history. Animal acts appear less frequently in contemporary circus than in traditional circus.
Extreme Circus is a genre of contemporary circus that often encompasses forms of sport and stunts with acts such as fire-dancing and synchronized trapeze, and playing music chosen to blend with each act.
Below is a table comparing several aspects of traditional and contemporary circus performances.
|
Traditional circus |
Contemporary circus |
| Typically performed by |
Circus families |
Conservatory-trained artists |
| Typical staging format |
Tiered seating around an oval or circular arena called a ring, under a large tent called the big top |
Auditorium seating in front of proscenium A proscenium theatre is a theatre space whose primary feature is a large frame or arch , which is located at or near the front of the stage...
stage, although some companies perform in the roundTheatre-in-the-round or arena theatre is any theatre space in which the audience surrounds the stage area...
and/or under a tent |
| Typical production format |
Series of spectacle-oriented acts presided over by a ringmaster The ringmaster is the most visible performer in the modern circus, and among the most important, since he stage-manages the performance, introduces the various acts, and guides the audience through the entertainment experience. In smaller circuses, the ringmaster is often the owner and artistic...
, who has a role similar to a master of ceremoniesA Master of Ceremonies , or compere, is the host of a staged event or similar performance.An MC usually presents performers, speaks to the audience, and generally keeps the event moving....
|
Series of theatrical, character-driven acts tied together by a central narrative or theme |
| Typical music |
Uptempo marches A screamer is a descriptive name for a circus march, in particular, an upbeat march intended to stir up the audience during the show.- History :...
, waltzes, etc. Music's purpose is to raise the energy level and create a sense of spectacle. |
A variety of genres and moods. Music also assists in dramatizing the show's themes, characters, and/or narrative. |
Schools
Several circus schools have helped and continue to help expand the number of contemporary circus companies. Among them are:
the National Circus School (
Ecole Nationale de CirqueThe National Circus School is a professional circus school located in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. It is a school for higher education in arts; after the great schools of music, dance and theatre, the NCS also offers academic subjects at the secondary and college levels...
, Montreal),
the
Ecole Supérieure des Arts du CirqueThe Ecole Supérieure des Arts du Cirque is a professional circus school located in Brussels, Belgium.In September 2003, the college was officially recognized by the “Communauté française de Belgique” and became the 17th institute of Higher Education in the Arts.ESAC offers 3 year full time courses,...
(Brussels),
the
National Institute of Circus ArtsThe National Institute of Circus Arts is the only government-accredited institution that provides professional training in contemporary circus arts in Australia. It is a subsidiary of Swinburne University of Technology and is based at the university's Prahran campus.NICA is a registered cultural...
(Melbourne, Australia),
the Centre National des Arts du Cirque (Châlons-en-Champagne),
the Lido (Toulouse),
the
New York Circus Arts AcademyThe New York Circus Arts Academy is the educational division of New York Circus Arts. The Academy has a flagship campus in New York City, as well as several smaller seasonal and semi-permanent facilities around the Northeast United States....
,
CircomediaCircomedia is a school for contemporary circus and physical theatre based in Bristol, England. The school offers a variety of training courses and workshops that teach circus skills in the context of physical theatre, performance and creativity....
(Bristol, UK),
The Circus SpaceThe Circus Space in the Hoxton area of London offers the UK's only university degree programme in circus. It supports the professional development of circus performers and circus companies and runs youth and adult evening classes every week...
(London),
Jacksons Lane- Theatre and performance :Jacksons Lane is a multi-arts venue in Highgate, North London. Housed in a striking red-brick gothic church conversion, the building is home to a 160 capacity theatre, a large scale dance and rehearsal studio, a cafe-bar and four other multi-purpose spaces.Jacksons Lane...
(London),
Cirkus CirkörCirkus Cirkör is a Swedish circus company, and is today Scandinavia's leading performing circus company within the art form of contemporary circus. Cirkus Cirkör has toured the world with a number of successful and praised circus shows...
(Stockholm, Sweden),
the
Circus CenterCircus Center is one of the foremost circus schools in the western United States. It was founded in 1984 by Wendy Parkman and Judy Finelli as the San Francisco School of Circus Arts.- History :...
(San Francisco),
Philadelphia School of Circus ArtsThe Philadelphia School of Circus Arts is a contemporary circus school in Philadelphia, and is the only one in the region. It began in June 2008....
(Philadelphia),
Sky Candy (
AustinAustin is the capital of the U.S. state of Texas.Austin may also refer to:-In the United States:*Austin, Arkansas*Austin, Colorado*Austin, Chicago, Illinois*Austin, Indiana*Austin, Minnesota*Austin, Nevada*Austin, Oregon...
),
and the
The Flying Fruit Fly CircusThe Flying Fruit Fly Circus is a full-time children's circus in Australia, on the Murray River in the twin towns Albury-Wodonga on the Victoria New South Wales border. . Many of the children attend their schooling at the Flying Fruit Fly Circus School where they undertake educational studies as...
(Wodonga, Australia).
Collegiate Endeavors
There are a few collegiate circus groups in the United States that are helping spread contemporary circus arts. These collegiate circus groups differ from circus schools because they are programs within degree awarding academic institutions.
Gamma Phi CircusGamma Phi Circus, sponsored by Illinois State University, is the oldest collegiate circus in the United States. It began as the Gamma Phi fraternity, founded in 1929 by ISU gymnastics instructor Clifford "Pop" Horton. The fraternity's first circus performance took place in 1931...
, located at Illinois State University, is the oldest collegiate circus in the country. It is a program that was founded in 1929 and is part of the College of Applied Science and Technology at ISU. Florida State University Flying high circus is another collegiate circus. It was founded in 1947 as an extra curricular activity club. To be a member of this circus, members must be students who are registered and seeking degrees form FSU.
There are also student interest clubs at some colleges and universities in the United States that offer students the chance to train recreationally in contemporary circus arts. For example, Cirque NouveaU: An Aerial Arts Club at
Northwestern UniversityNorthwestern University is a private research university in Evanston and Chicago, Illinois, USA. Northwestern has eleven undergraduate, graduate, and professional schools offering 124 undergraduate degrees and 145 graduate and professional degrees....
is a conditional club sport that offers ground skill workouts in partner balancing and tumbling to undergraduates.