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Evolution of Circus Performance History

A circus is a performance that brings together diverse acts such as clowns, acrobats, animal trainers, musicians, and more. Philip Astley is considered the father of the modern circus, starting in 1768 when he began combining equestrian performances with other acts like jugglers. Over the next two centuries, circuses developed standard formats involving tents, rings, and a ringmaster introducing choreographed acts. Contemporary circuses now perform in various venues and some focus exclusively on human performances, combining circus arts with music and storytelling.

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Stelian Hudea
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88 views1 page

Evolution of Circus Performance History

A circus is a performance that brings together diverse acts such as clowns, acrobats, animal trainers, musicians, and more. Philip Astley is considered the father of the modern circus, starting in 1768 when he began combining equestrian performances with other acts like jugglers. Over the next two centuries, circuses developed standard formats involving tents, rings, and a ringmaster introducing choreographed acts. Contemporary circuses now perform in various venues and some focus exclusively on human performances, combining circus arts with music and storytelling.

Uploaded by

Stelian Hudea
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd

A circus is a company of performers who put on diverse entertainment shows that may include clowns, acrobats,

trained animals, trapeze acts, musicians, dancers, hoopers, tightrope walkers, jugglers, magicians, unicyclists, as


well as other object manipulation and stunt-oriented artists. The term circus also describes the performance
which has followed various formats through its 250-year modern history. Although not the inventor of the
medium, Philip Astley is credited as the father of the modern circus. In 1768 Astley, a skilled equestrian, began
performing exhibitions of trick horse riding in an open field called Ha'Penny Hatch on the south side of
the Thames River.[1] In 1770 he hired acrobats, tightrope walkers, jugglers and a clown to fill in the pauses
between the equestrian demonstrations and thus chanced on the format which was later named a "circus".
Performances developed significantly over the next fifty years, with large-scale theatrical battle reenactments
becoming a significant feature. The traditional format, in which a ringmaster introduces a variety of
choreographed acts set to music, developed in the latter part of the 19th century and remained the dominant
format until the 1970s.
As styles of performance have developed since the time of Astley, so too have the types of venues where these
circuses have performed. The earliest modern circuses were performed in open-air structures with limited
covered seating. From the late 18th to late 19th century, custom-made circus buildings (often wooden) were built
with various types of seating, a centre ring, and sometimes a stage. The traditional large tents commonly known
as "big tops" were introduced in the mid-19th century as touring circuses superseded static venues. These tents
eventually became the most common venue. Contemporary circuses perform in a variety of venues including
tents, theatres and casinos. Many circus performances are still held in a ring, usually 13 m (42 ft) in diameter.
This dimension was adopted by Astley in the late 18th century as the minimum diameter that enabled an
acrobatic horse rider to stand upright on a cantering horse to perform their tricks.
Contemporary circus has been credited with a revival of the circus tradition since the late 1970s, when a number
of groups began to experiment with new circus formats and aesthetics, typically avoiding the use of animals to
focus exclusively on human artistry. Circuses within the movement have tended to favor a theatrical approach,
combining character-driven circus acts with original music in a broad variety of styles to convey complex themes
or stories. Contemporary circus continues to develop new variations on the circus tradition while absorbing new
skills, techniques and stylistic influences from other performing arts.

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