- Key People:
- Alfredo Codona
- P.T. Barnum
- Guy Laliberté
- Clyde Beatty
- Emmett Kelly
- Related Topics:
- clown
- equestrian act
- one-ring circus
- wild animal act
- sideshow
circus
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What is a circus?
A circus is a theatrical entertainment featuring trained animal acts and displays of human skill and daring. Performances occur in a ring, a circular area typically enclosed by a fence, within an arena, tent, or building.
While circuses commonly showcase trained animals, some, like those in China and Africa, focus on acrobatics rooted in folklore and religion. Circuses may also include street parades, menageries, and sideshows. Some operate in permanent venues, while others travel by various means, performing in tents or sports arenas.
The circus has ancient roots, with traditions like trained animals and preshow parades originating in early Roman circuses. Today, the circus remains a timeless and enduring form of live entertainment.
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What kinds of acts are performed in a circus?
Circuses offer diverse acts, blending ancient traditions with modern entertainment. Equestrian displays feature voltige, trick riding, and high school dressage. Clowns entertain with songs, monologues, and physical comedy, with iconic characters like the whiteface and Auguste.
Acrobats showcase balance and coordination, with Eastern Europeans known for tumbling and Chinese performers for acts like the "Peacock Bicycle". Wild animal acts, featuring trained lions, tigers, elephants, and other exotic species, have been a mainstay, though increasingly controversial due to animal welfare concerns. Some circuses now exclude animal performances. High-wire artists and trapeze performers demonstrate daring feats of skill.
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Who are some of the main performers in a circus?
The circus features a variety of skilled performers. The ringmaster or equestrian director is in charge of performances. Clowns entertain with comedy, songs, and physical skills. Acrobats showcase feats of balance, tumbling, and aerial skills. Animal trainers work with tigers, lions, and polar bears. Daredevil acts, such as human cannonballs and high-wire performers, demonstrate bravery and precision.
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How is the circus different from other forms of theater?
The circus distinguishes itself from other theatrical forms through its unique presentation and focus. Unlike traditional theater, which often relies on a proscenium stage, the circus typically utilizes a ring, a circular performance area that enhances spectator visibility.
While some theatrical productions aim to create a narrative, circuses often emphasize technical virtuosity and spectacle over a structured storyline, showcasing feats of daring, illusion, and skill. This is further amplified by the music and costumes, which contribute to the circus's grandeur.
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What is the purpose of the big top tent in a circus?
The big top tent, or circus tent, was introduced around 1825 and became a standard component of circuses for over a century and a half. The reason J. Purdy Brown started exhibiting shows under canvas tents is unknown, but the innovation allowed him to travel widely with his circus. The circus tent allowed circuses to travel to different locations and exhibit shows. The American circus grew in scale by exhibiting shows under larger tents, or "tops".
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How has the circus changed over time, especially regarding animals and safety?
The circus has evolved significantly over time, particularly in its use of animals and safety measures. Wild animals were introduced around 1831, becoming a mainstay by the mid-19th century. However, by the late 20th century, animal-rights activists challenged circuses, alleging cruelty in animal training.
Consequently, some circuses claimed to have abandoned punitive training methods, adopting more humane techniques. Public concern for animal welfare grew, leading to bans on wild-animal acts and tools like bullhooks in some areas. This shift contributed to the popularity of animal-free circuses like Cirque du Soleil and declining ticket sales for traditional circuses. Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus ceased operations in 2017, but began touring a new show without animals in 2023.
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circus, an entertainment or spectacle usually consisting of trained animal acts and exhibitions of human skill and daring. The word has the same root as circle and circumference, recalling the distinctive environment in which such entertainment is presented—the ring, a circular performance area usually bounded by a short fence (or “curb”). The ring may be enclosed in an arena, in a building designed for circus performances, or in a tent, and it is generally surrounded by tiers of seats for spectators.
Variations to this definition exist, however, and any attempt at a strict, all-inclusive definition reduces the term’s application to a particular nationality, generation, or proprietorship. Some circuses do not use trained animals, for example, such as the circuses of China and Africa, which feature acrobatic acts similar to those elsewhere, albeit with traditions rooted in religion and folklore. At various times circuses have offered supplementary attractions such as street parades, menageries, sideshows, pantomimes, and theatrical presentations. A number of circuses, especially in Europe, have been stationary, occupying permanent, often elegant buildings in larger cities. Others have traveled extensively—originally by horse and wagon and then by railroad, boat, motor vehicle, or even airplane—and exhibited in tents, theatres, and, beginning in the 1960s, huge enclosed sports arenas. Many circus companies, particularly in the United States, exhibit simultaneously in three or more rings, with the building or tent taking on a rectangular or elliptical shape; others retain the one-ring format. Some organizations, such as the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus, could point to a history extending back a century or more; other circuses, such as those sponsored by fraternal organizations (e.g., the Shriners), existed for less than a single season or for only one engagement. Through all the above, however, there runs a common thread: the ring, by which spectators readily recognize the entertainment known as “circus.”
Early history
Origins
The circus is of comparatively recent origin, yet certain elements can be traced back to ancient Rome. The great Roman amphitheatres—called circuses after the Latin word for “circle”—were most often devoted to gladiatorial combats, chariot races, the slaughter of animals, mock battles, and other blood sports. The most spectacular of these arenas, the Circus Maximus, was in operation for more than 1,000 years. It would seem on the surface that these exhibitions of carnage had little in common with modern circuses, yet it is from the early Roman circuses that traditions such as trained animals and the preshow parade derive.
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Elsewhere, ancient peoples performed other acts associated with the modern circus. Acrobatics, balancing acts, and juggling are probably as old as humankind itself, with records of such acts being performed in Egypt as early as 2500 bce. The Greeks practiced ropedancing; early African civilizations engaged in siricasi (a combination of folkloric dances and acrobatics); and the ancient Chinese juggled and performed acrobatic acts for members of the imperial court. Clowns have existed in nearly every period and civilization, both as characters in farces and as individual performers.
For centuries, however, there were no attempts to organize such acts into a distinct entertainment; rather, individuals and small troupes of performers with specialized talents wandered through Europe, Africa, and Asia. Such roving entertainers appeared wherever groups of people gathered: in nobles’ halls, at community celebrations, and at marketplaces. In the 9th century King Alfred the Great of England was said to have been entertained by a wild beast show, and in the 11th century William the Conqueror brought performing troupes of ropedancers, tumblers, and contortionists to England from France.
Fairs played an important role in developing trade throughout Europe from the 7th century until the late medieval period, at which point more-regular channels of marketing were standardized. Fairs then became a place less for trading than for entertainment, providing a showcase for acrobatics, feats of skill, trained animals, and other elements later associated with the circus. By the late 18th century, however, they were regarded as unsavory affairs, as they had become gathering places for pickpockets, thieves, and vagrants.