Acircus is a company of performers who put on diverse entertainment shows that may includeclowns,acrobats, trained animals,trapeze acts,musicians,dancers,hoopers,tightrope walkers,jugglers,magicians,ventriloquists, andunicyclists as well as otherobject manipulation and stunt-oriented artists. The term "circus" also describes the field of performance, training, and community which has followed various formats through its 250-year modern history. Although not the inventor of the medium, Newcastle-under-Lyme bornPhilip Astley is credited as the father of the modern circus.[1][2][3]
In 1768, Astley, a skilled equestrian, began performing exhibitions oftrick horse riding in an open field called Ha'penny Hatch on the south side of theThames River, England.[4] 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 50 years, with large-scale theatrical battle reenactments becoming a significant feature. The format in which aringmaster introduces a variety of choreographed acts set to music, often termed "traditional" or "classical" circus, developed in the latter part of the nineteenth 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 venue where these circuses have performed. The earliest modern circuses were performed in open-air structures with limited covered seating. From the late eighteenth to late nineteenth century, custom-made circus buildings (often wooden) were built with various types of seating, a center ring, and sometimes a stage. The traditional large tents commonly known as "big tops" were introduced in the mid-nineteenth century as touring circuses superseded static venues. These tents eventually became the most common venue. Contemporary circus is performed in a variety of venues including tents, theatres, casinos, cruise ships, and open-air spaces. Many circus performances are still held in a ring, usually 13 m (43 ft) in diameter. This dimension was adopted by Astley in the late eighteenth century as the minimum diameter that enabled an acrobatic horse rider to stand upright on a cantering horse to perform their tricks.
A shift in form 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. Circus companies and artistes within this movement, often termed "new circus" or "cirque nouveau", 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. Since the 1990s, a more avant-garde approach to presenting traditional circus techniques or "disciplines" in ways that align more closely to performance art, dance or visual arts has been given the name "contemporary circus". This labelling can cause confusion based upon the other use of the phrase contemporary circus to mean "circus of today". For this reason, some commentators have begun using the term "21st Century Circus" to encompass all the various styles available in the present day. 21st Century Circus continues to develop new variations on the circus tradition while absorbing new skills, techniques, and stylistic influences from other art forms and technological developments. For aesthetic or economic reasons, 21st Century Circus productions may often be staged in theaters rather than in large outdoor tents.
The word "circus" is aborrowing fromLatincircus,[5] itself a borrowing fromAncient Greekκίρκος (kirkos), compare the variantHomeric Greekκρίκος (krikos)'circle, ring'.[6] In his bookDe spectaculis, early Christian writerTertullian claims that the first circus games were staged by the Greek goddessCirce in honor of her fatherHelios, the sun god.[7]
The modern and commonly held idea of a circus is of a Big Top with various acts providing entertainment therein; however, the history of circuses is more complex, with historians disagreeing on its origin, as well as revisions being done about the history due to the changing nature of historical research, and the ongoing circus phenomenon. For many, circus history begins with EnglishmanPhilip Astley, while for others its origins go back much further—to the time of the Roman Empire.
In Ancient Rome, thecircus was a roofless arena[8]: 2 for the exhibition of horse and chariot races, equestrian shows, staged battles, gladiatorial combat, and displays of (and fights with) trained animals. The circuses of Rome were similar to the ancient Greekhippodromes, although circuses served varying purposes and differed in design and construction, and for events that involved re-enactments of naval battles, the circus was flooded with water; however, the Roman circus buildings were not circular but rectangular with semi-circular ends. The lower seats were reserved for persons of rank; there were also various state boxes for the giver of the games and his friends. The circus was the only public spectacle at which men and women were not separated.[9] Circus historianGeorge Speaight has stated that "these performances may have taken place in the great arenas that were called 'circuses' by the Romans, but it is a mistake to equate these places, or the entertainments presented there, with the modern circus".[10] Others have argued that the lineage of the circus does go back to the Roman circuses (even if they may not be plainlyequated with the modern circus) and a chronology of circus-related entertainment can be traced to Roman times, continued by theHippodrome of Constantinople, which operated until the 13th century, through medieval and renaissance jesters, minstrels and troubadours to the late 18th century and the time of Astley.[11][12]
The first circus in the city of Rome was theCircus Maximus, in the valley between the Palatine and Aventine hills.[9] It was constructed during the monarchy[13] and, at first, built completely from wood. After being rebuilt several times, the final version of the Circus Maximus could seat 250,000 people; it was built of stone and measured 400m in length and 90m in width.[14] Next in importance were theCircus Flaminius and theCircus Neronis, from the notoriety which it obtained through the Circensian pleasures of Nero. Afourth circus was constructed byMaxentius;[9] its ruins have helped archaeologists reconstruct the Roman circus.
For some time after thefall of the Western Roman Empire, large circus buildings fell out of use as centres of mass entertainment. Instead, itinerant performers, animal trainers, and showmen travelled between towns throughout Europe, performing at local fairs, such as theBartholomew Fair in London during theMiddle Ages.[8]: 4–6
The origin of the modern circus has been attributed toPhilip Astley, who was born 1742 in Newcastle-under-Lyme, England. He became a cavalry officer who set up the first modern amphitheatre for the display of horse riding tricks in Lambeth, London, on 4 April 1768.[15][16][17] Astley did not originate trick horse riding, nor was he first to introduce acts such as acrobats and clowns to the English public, but he was the first to create a space where all these acts were brought together to perform a show.[18] Astley rode in a circle rather than a straight line as his rivals did, and thus chanced on the format of performing in a circle.[19] Astley performed stunts in a 42 ft diameter ring, which is the standard size used by circuses ever since.[18] Astley referred to the performance arena as a circle and the building as an amphitheatre; these would later be known as a circus.[20] In 1770, Astley hiredacrobats,tightrope walkers,jugglers, and a clown to fill in the pauses between acts.[18]
Elephant trainer (1903)
Astley was followed byAndrew Ducrow, whose feats of horsemanship had much to do with establishing the traditions of the circus, which were perpetuated by Hengler's andSanger's celebrated shows in a later generation. In England circuses were often held in purpose-built buildings in large cities, such as theLondon 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 were produced with an extraordinary wealth of realistic display.[21]Joseph Grimaldi, the first mainstreamclown, had his first major role as Little Clown in the pantomimeThe Triumph of Mirth; or, Harlequin's Wedding in 1781.[22] TheRoyal Circus was opened in London on 4 November 1782 byCharles Dibdin (who coined the term "circus"),[23] aided by his partner Charles Hughes, an equestrian performer.[24] In 1782, Astley established theAmphithéâtre Anglais in Paris, the first purpose-built circus in France, followed by 18 other permanent circuses in cities throughout Europe.[25][26] Astley leased his Parisian circus to the ItalianAntonio Franconi in 1793.[27] In 1826, the first circus took place under a canvas big top.[28]
Trapeze artists, in lithograph by Calvert Litho. Co., 1890
The EnglishmanJohn Bill Ricketts brought the first modern circus to the United States. He began his theatrical career with Hughes Royal Circus in London in the 1780s, and travelled from England in 1792 to establish his first circus inPhiladelphia. The first circus building in the US opened on 3 April 1793 in Philadelphia, where Ricketts gave America's first complete circus performance.[29][30]George Washington attended a performance there later that season.[31]
In the Americas during the first two decades of the 19th century, theCircus of Pepin and Breschard toured from Montreal to Havana, building circus theatres in many of the cities it visited.Victor Pépin, a native New Yorker,[32] was the first American to operate a major circus in the United States.[33] Later the establishments of Purdy, Welch & Co., and of van Amburgh gave a wider popularity to the circus in the United States.[21] In 1825,Joshuah Purdy Brown was the first circus owner to use a large canvas tent for the circus performance. Circus pioneerDan Rice was the most famous pre-Civil War circus clown,[34] popularising such expressions as "The One-Horse Show" and "Hey, Rube!". The American circus was revolutionised byP. T. Barnum andWilliam Cameron Coup, who launched the travellingP. T. Barnum's Museum, Menagerie & Circus, the firstfreak show, in the 1870s. Coup also introduced the first multiple-ring circuses, and was also the first circus entrepreneur to usecircus trains to transport the circus between towns. By the 1830s,sideshows were also being established alongside travelling circuses.[8]: 9
Circus parade around tents, in lithograph by Gibson & Co., 1874
In 1838, the equestrianThomas Taplin Cooke returned to England from the United States, bringing with him a circus tent.[35] At this time, itinerant circuses that could befitted-up quickly were becoming popular in Britain.William Batty's circus, for example, between 1838 and 1840, travelled from Newcastle to Edinburgh and then to Portsmouth and Southampton.Pablo Fanque, who is noteworthy as Britain's only black circus proprietor and who operated one of the most celebrated travelling circuses in Victorian England, erected temporary structures for his limited engagements or retrofitted existing structures.[36] One such structure in Leeds, which Fanque assumed from a departing circus, collapsed, resulting in minor injuries to many but the death of Fanque's wife.[37][38] Traveling circus companies also rented the land they set up their structures on sometimes causing damage to the local ecosystems.[39] Three important circus innovators were the ItalianGiuseppe Chiarini, and FrenchmenLouis Soullier andJacques Tourniaire, whose early travelling circuses introduced the circus to Latin America, Australia, Southeast Asia, China, 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 Ranga, where it became extremely popular.
After an 1881 merger withJames Anthony Bailey and James L.[40] Hutchinson's circus and Barnum's death in 1891, his circus travelled to Europe as the Barnum & 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 its combination of circus acts, a zoological exhibition, and a freak show.[41]This format was adopted by European circuses at the turn of the 20th century.
The influence of the American circus brought about a considerable change in the character of the modern circus.[42] In arenas too large for speech to be easily audible, the traditional comic dialogue of the clown assumed a less prominent place than formerly, while the vastly increased wealth of stage properties relegated to the background the old-fashioned equestrian feats, which were replaced by more ambitious acrobatic performances, and by exhibitions of skill, strength, and daring, requiring the employment of immense numbers of performers, and often of complicated and expensive machinery.[21]
Painting by VenezuelanArturo Michelena, c. 1891, depicting a backstage area at the circus
From the late 19th century through the first half of the 20th century, travelling circuses were a major form of spectator entertainment in the US and attracted huge attention whenever they arrived in a city.[43] After World War II, the popularity of the circus declined as new forms of entertainment (such as television) arrived and the public's tastes changed.[44] From the 1960s onward, circuses attracted growing criticism fromanimal rights activists.[45] Many circuses went out of business or were forced to merge with other circus companies. Nonetheless, a good number of travelling circuses are still active in various parts of the world, ranging from small family enterprises to three-ring extravaganzas. Other companies found new ways to draw in the public with innovative new approaches to the circus form itself.
In 1919,Lenin, head ofSoviet Russia, expressed a wish for the circus to become "the people's art-form", with facilities and status on par with theatre, opera and ballet. The USSR nationalised Russian circuses. In 1927, theState University of Circus and Variety Arts, better known as theMoscow Circus School, was established; performers were trained using methods developed from the Soviet gymnastics programme. When the Moscow State Circus company began international tours in the 1950s, its levels of originality and artistic skill were widely applauded.
New Circus (originally known ascirque nouveau) is a performing arts movement that originated in the 1970s in Australia, Canada, France,[46] the West Coast of the United States, and the United Kingdom. New Circus combines traditional circus skills and theatrical techniques to convey a story or theme. Compared with the traditional circus, this genre of circus tends to focus more attention on the overall aesthetic impact, on character and story development, and on the use oflighting design, original music, andcostume design to convey thematic or narrative content. 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 rarely appear in new circus, in contrast to traditional circus, where animal acts have often been a significant part of the entertainment.
The most conspicuous success story in the new circus genre has been that ofCirque du Soleil, the Canadian circus company whose estimated annual revenue exceeds US$810 million in 2009,[50] and whosecirque nouveau shows have been seen by nearly 90 million spectators in over 200 cities on five continents.[51]
The genre of contemporary circus is largely considered to have begun in 1995 with 'Le Cri du Caméléon', an ensemble performance from the graduating class of the French circus school Le Centre National des Arts du Cirque (CNAC), directed by Joseph Nadj. In contrast to New Circus, Contemporary Circus (as a genre) tends to avoid linear narrative in favour of more suggestive, interdisciplinary approaches to abstract concepts. This includes a strong trend for developing new apparatus and movement languages based on the capacities, experience and interests of individual performers, rather than finding new ways to present traditional repertoire.
Beyond the performance aspect of circus, is the Social Circus field, catalysed by Reg Bolton. Social Circus engages communities through circus practice and activity to provide health and well-being benefits.[52]
A traditional circus performance is often led by aringmaster who has a role similar to aMaster of Ceremonies. The ringmaster presents performers, speaks to the audience, and generally keeps the show moving. The activity of the circus traditionally takes place within a ring; large circuses may have multiple rings, like the six-ringedMoscow State Circus. A circus often travels with its own band, whose instrumentation in the United States has traditionally includedbrass instruments, drums,glockenspiel, and sometimes the distinctive sound of thecalliope. Performers have been traditionally referred to as artistes, although in recent years the term artists has also come into regular use. To some performers from multi-generational circus families, the term artiste is still preferred as it is considered to confer higher status than artist. Conversely, some performers from the circus school training route taken by many of the newer generations prefer the term artist as it is considered to be less pretentious than artiste. The physical and creative skills that circus artist/es perform are known as disciplines, and are often grouped for training purposes into the broad categories of juggling, equilibristics, acrobatics, aerial and clowning. These disciplines can be honed into individual acts, which can be performed independently and marketed to many different prospective circus employers, and also used for devising solo or collaborative work created specifically for a single project.
^certain animals are excluded or the laws vary internally
Common acts include a variety ofacrobatics,gymnastics (includingtumbling andtrampoline), aerial acts (such astrapeze,aerial silk,corde lisse,Aerial Hoop andaerial straps)contortion,stilt-walking, and a variety of other routines.Juggling is one of the most common acts in a circus; the combination of juggling and gymnastics that includes acts likeplate spinning and therolling globe come under the categoryequilibristics, along with more classical balance disciplines such as tightwire, slackline and unicycle. Acts like these are some of the most common and the most traditional.Clowns are common to most circuses and are typically skilled in many circus acts; "clowns getting into the act" is a very familiar theme in any circus. Famouscircus clowns have includedAustin Miles, theFratellini Family, Rusty Russell,Emmett Kelly,Grock, andBill Irwin. The title clown refers to the role functions and performance skills, not simply to the image of red nose and exaggerated facepaint that was popularised through 20th Century mass media. While many clowns still perform in this styling, there are also many clowns who adopt a more natural look.
Femalelion tamer and leopardElephants from Cole Brothers Circus parade through downtown Los Angeles, 1953Circushorse act
The earliest involvement of animals in circus was just the display of exotic creatures in amenagerie. Going as far back as the early eighteenth century, exotic animals were transported to North America for display, and menageries were a popular form of entertainment.[55] The first true animals acts in the circus were equestrian acts. Soon elephants and big cats were displayed as well.Isaac A. Van Amburgh entered a cage with several big cats in 1833, and is generally considered to be the first wild animal trainer in American circus history.[33]Mabel Stark was a famous female tiger-tamer.
Circus baby elephant trainingElephant act at a 2009 circus inPachuca,Hidalgo, Mexico. In December 2014, as a response to reports of animal mistreatment, theMexican Congress passed a law banning the use of animals in any circus in the country.[56] The law set fines for violations and required circuses to submit lists of the wildlife they possessed, which would then be made available to zoos interested in taking the animals.[56]
Animal rights groups have documented many cases ofanimal cruelty in the training of performing circus animals.[57][58] The animal rights groupPeople for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) contends that animals in circuses are frequently beaten into submission and that physical abuse has always been the method for training circus animals. It is also alleged that the animals are kept in cages that are too small and are given very little opportunity to walk around outside of their enclosure, thereby violating their right to freedom.
According to PETA, although the USAnimal Welfare Act does not permit any sort of punishment that puts the animals in discomfort,[59] trainers will still go against this law and use such things as electric rods andbullhooks.[60] According to PETA, during an undercover investigation of Carson & Barnes Circus, video footage was captured showing animal care director Tim Frisco training endangered Asian elephants with electrical shock prods and instructing other trainers to "beat the elephants with abullhook as hard as they can and sink the sharp metal hook into the elephant's flesh and twist it until they scream in pain".[60]
On behalf of the Ministry of Agriculture, Nature and Food Quality of the Netherlands,Wageningen University conducted an investigation into the welfare of circus animals in 2008.[61] The following issues, among others, were found:
71% of the observed animals had medical problems.
33% of tigers and lions did not have access to an outdoor enclosure.
Lions spend on average 98% of their time indoors.
An average enclosure for tigers is only 5 m2.
Elephants are shackled in chains for 17 hours a day on average.
Based on these findings, the researchers called for more stringent regulation regarding the welfare of circus animals. In 2012, the Dutch government announced a ban on the use of wild circus animals.[62]
In testimony inU.S. District Court in 2009,Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus CEOKenneth Feld acknowledged that circus elephants are struck behind the ears, under the chin and on their legs with metal tipped prods, called bullhooks. Feld stated that these practices are necessary to protect circus workers. Feld also acknowledged that an elephant trainer was reprimanded for using an electric shock device, known as a hot shot or electric prod, on an elephant, which Feld also stated was appropriate practice. Feld denied that any of these practices harm elephants.[63] In its January 2010 verdict on the case, brought against Feld Entertainment International by the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals et al., the Court ruled that evidence against the circus company was "not credible with regard to the allegations".[64] In lieu of aUSDA hearing,Feld Entertainment Inc. (parent of Ringling Bros.) agreed to pay an unprecedented $270,000 fine for violations of the Animal Welfare Act that allegedly occurred between June 2007 and August 2011.[65]
A 14-year litigation against the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus came to an end in 2014 whenThe Humane Society of the United States and a number of other animal rights groups paid a $16 million settlement to Feld Entertainment; however, the circus closed in May 2017 after a 146-year run when it experienced a steep decline in ticket sales a year after it discontinued its elephant act and sent itspachyderms to a reserve.[66][67]
On 1 February 1992 at the Great American Circus inPalm Bay, Florida, an elephant named Janet (1965 – 1 February 1992) went out of control while giving a ride to a mother, her two children, and three other children. The elephant then stampeded through the circus grounds outside before being shot to death by police.[68] Also, during a Circus International performance inHonolulu, Hawaii, on 20 August 1994, an elephant calledTyke (1974 – 20 August 1994) killed her trainer,Allen Campbell, and severely mauled her groomer, Dallas Beckwith, in front of hundreds of spectators. Tyke then bolted from the arena and ran through the streets ofKakaako for more than thirty minutes. Police fired 86 shots at Tyke, who eventually collapsed from the wounds and died.[69]
In December 2018, New Jersey became the first state in the U.S. to ban circuses, carnivals and fairs from featuring elephants, tigers, and other exotic animals.[70]
In 1998 in the United Kingdom, a parliamentary working group chaired by MPRoger Gale studied living conditions and treatment of animals in UK circuses. All members of this group agreed that a change in the law was needed to protect circus animals. Gale told the BBC, "It's undignified and the conditions under which they are kept are woefully inadequate—the cages are too small, the environments they live in are not suitable and many of us believe the time has come for that practice to end." The group reported concerns about boredom and stress, and noted that an independent study by a member of theWildlife Conservation Research Unit atOxford University "found no evidence that circuses contribute to education or conservation."; however, in 2007, a different working group under the UKDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, having reviewed information from experts representing both the circus industry and animal welfare, found an absence of "scientific evidence sufficient to demonstrate that travelling circuses are not compatible with meeting the welfare needs of any type of non-domesticated animal presently being used in the United Kingdom.[71]" According to that group's report, published in October 2007, "there appears to be little evidence to demonstrate that the welfare of animals kept in travelling circuses is any better or any worse than that of animals kept in other captive environments."[72]
A ban prohibiting the use of wild animals in circuses in England was due to be passed in 2015, but Conservative MPChristopher Chope repeatedly blocked the bill under the reasoning that "The EU Membership Costs and Benefits bill should have been called by the clerk before the circuses bill, so I raised a point of order". He explained that the circus bill was "at the bottom of the list" for discussion.[73] TheAnimal Defenders International non-profit group dubbed this "a huge embarrassment for Britain that 30 other nations have taken action before us on this simple and popular measure".[74] On 1 May 2019 Environmental Secretary Michael Gove announced a new Bill to ban the use of wild animals in travelling circuses.[75] TheWild Animals in Circuses Act 2019 came into effect on 20 January 2020.[76]
Abill to ban the use of wild animals in travelling circuses inWales was introduced in June 2019, and subsequently passed by theWelsh Parliament on 15 July 2020.[77] Over 6,500 responses were made by the people of Wales, to the public consultation on the draft Bill, 97% of which supported the ban.
The use of wild animals in travelling circuses has been banned in Scotland. The Wild Animals in Travelling Circuses (Scotland) Act 2018 came into force on 28 May 2018.
There are nationwide bans on using some if not all animals in circuses in Austria, Belgium, Bolivia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Colombia, Costa Rica, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Ecuador, El Salvador, Estonia, Finland, Greece, Hungary, India, Iran, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Malta, Mexico, the Netherlands, Norway, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Poland, Portugal, Singapore, Slovenia, Sweden, Switzerland, and Turkey.[78][79][80] Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Germany, Spain, the United Kingdom, and the United States, have locally restricted or banned the use of animals in entertainment.[79] In response to a growing popular concern about the use of animals in entertainment, animal-free circuses are becoming more common around the world.[81] In 2009, Bolivia passed legislation banning the use of any animals, wild or domestic, in circuses. The law states that circuses "constitute an act of cruelty." Circus operators had one year from the bill's passage on 1 July 2009 to comply.[82] In 2018 in Germany, an accident with an elephant during a circus performance prompted calls to ban animal performances in circuses. PETA called the German politicians to outlaw the keeping of animals for circuses.[83]
A survey confirmed that on average, wild animals spend around 99 to 91 percent of their time in cages, wagons, or enclosure due to transportation. This causes a huge amount of distress to animals and leads to excessive amounts of drooling.[84]
Greece became the first European country to ban any animal from performing in any circus in its territory in February 2012, following a campaign byAnimal Defenders International and the Greek Animal Welfare Fund (GAWF).[88]
Despite the contemporary circus's shift toward more theatrical techniques and its emphasis on human rather than animal performance, traditional circus companies still exist alongside the new movement. Numerous circuses continue to maintain animal performers, includingUniverSoul Circus and theBig Apple Circus from the United States,Circus Krone from Munich,Circus Royale andLennon Bros Circus from Australia,Vazquez Hermanos Circus, Circo Atayde Hermanos, and Hermanos Mayaror Circus[91] from Mexico, andMoira Orfei Circus[92] from Italy, to name just a few.
In other countries, purpose-built circus buildings still exist which are no longer used as circuses, or are used for circus only occasionally among a wider programme of events; for example, theCirkusbygningen (The Circus Building) in Copenhagen, Denmark,Cirkus in Stockholm, Sweden, orCarré Theatre in Amsterdam, Netherlands.
The atmosphere of the circus has served as a dramatic setting for many musicians. The most famous circus theme song is called "Entrance of the Gladiators", and was composed in 1904 byJulius Fučík. Other circus music includes "El Caballero", "Quality Plus", "Sunnyland Waltzes", "The Storming of El Caney", "Pahjamah", "Bull Trombone", "Big Time Boogie", "Royal Bridesmaid March", "The Baby Elephant Walk", "Liberty Bell March", "Java", Strauss's "Radetsky March", and "Pageant of Progress". A poster forPablo Fanque's Circus Royal, one of the most popular circuses of Victorian England, inspiredJohn Lennon to writeBeing for the Benefit of Mr. Kite! onThe Beatles' album,Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band. The song title refers toWilliam Kite, a well-known circus performer in the 19th century. ProducerGeorge Martin andEMI engineers created the song's fairground atmosphere by assembling a sound collage of collected recordings of calliopes and fairground organs, which they cut into strips of various lengths, threw into a box, and then mixed up and edited together randomly, creating a long loop which was mixed into the final production.[95] Another traditional circus song is theJohn Philip Sousa march "Stars and Stripes Forever", which is played only to alert circus performers of an emergency.
Plays set in a circus include the 1896 musicalThe Circus Girl byLionel Monckton,Polly of the Circus written in 1907 byMargaret Mayo,He Who Gets Slapped written by RussianLeonid Andreyev 1915 and later adapted into one of the first circus films,Katharina Knie written in 1928 byCarl Zuckmayer and adapted for the English stage in 1932 asCaravan by playwright Cecily Hamilton, the revueBig Top written byHerbert Farjeon in 1942,Top of the Ladder written byTyrone Guthrie in 1950,Stop the World, I Want to Get Off written byAnthony Newley in 1961, andBarnum with music byCy Coleman and lyrics and book byMark Bramble,Roustabout: The Great Circus Train Wreck written by Jay Torrence in 2006.
Following World War I, circus films became popular. In 1924He Who Gets Slapped was the first film released byMGM; in 1925Sally of the Sawdust (remade 1930),Variety, andVaudeville were produced, followed byThe Devil's Circus in 1926 andThe Circus starringCharlie Chaplin,Circus Rookies,4 Devils; andLaugh Clown Laugh in 1928. German filmSalto Mortale about trapeze artists was released in 1931 and remade in the United States and released asTrapeze starringBurt Lancaster in 1956; in 1932Freaks was released;Charlie Chan at the Circus,Circus (USSR) andThe Three Maxiums were released in 1936 andAt the Circus starring theMarx Brothers andYou Can't Cheat an Honest Man in 1939. Circus films continued to be popular during the Second World War; films from this era includedThe Great Profile starringJohn Barrymore (1940), the animatedDisney filmDumbo (1941),Road Show (1941),The Wagons Roll at Night (1941) andCaptive Wild Woman (1943).
The TV seriesCircus Humberto, based on the novel byEduard Bass, follows the history of the circus family Humberto between 1826 and 1924. The setting of the HBO television seriesCarnivàle, which ran from 2003 to 2005, is also largely set in a travelling circus. The circus has also inspired many writers. Numerous books, both non-fiction and fiction, have been published about circus life. Notable examples of circus-based fiction includeCircus Humberto by Eduard Bass,Cirque du Freak byDarren Shan, andSpangle byGary Jennings. The novelWater for Elephants bySara Gruen tells the fictional tale of a circus veterinarian and was made into amovie with the same title, starringRobert Pattinson andReese Witherspoon. Science fiction writer Barry B. Longyear wrote a trilogy about a circus of the future: City of Baraboo;Elephant Song; andCircus World.
Circus is the central theme in comic books ofSuper Commando Dhruva, an Indian comic book superhero. According to this series, Dhruva was born and brought up in a fictional Indian circus called Jupiter Circus. When a rival circus burnt down Jupiter Circus, killing everyone in it, including Dhruva's parents, Dhruva vowed to become a crime fighter. A circus-based television series calledCircus was also telecast in India in 1989 onDD National, starringShahrukh Khan as the lead actor.
^Marius Kwint, "Astley, Philip (1742–1814)",Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford University Press, 2004; online edn, January 2008accessed 7 January 2014
^The Oxford English Dictionary lists the 1791 bookThe History of the Royal Circus about Philip Astley's troupe as the first written use of the word to describe the modern circus.
^Victoria and Albert Museum (7 March 2011)."Victorian Circus". V&A. Retrieved19 June 2011.
^Bagley, Sherri (2019)."Big Top Or Crops?".The UncommonWealth: Voices from the Library of Virginia.Archived from the original on 18 August 2021. Retrieved18 August 2021.
^(1)Wang, Amy B (15 January 2017)."Animal activists finally have something to applaud at Ringling Bros. circus: Its closure".The Washington Post. Retrieved12 June 2017.In 2015, Ringling Bros. announced it would stop using elephants in its shows. The lumbering mammals delivered their final performances last May — dancing, spinning and standing on pedestals at the command of the ringmaster — and then were retired to a reserve in central Florida. The move exacerbated the show's demise; the elephants' departure ultimately expedited what was a 'difficult business decision'. 'Ringling Bros. ticket sales have been declining, but following the transition of the elephants off the road, we saw an even more dramatic drop', Kenneth Feld said in a statement Saturday. 'This, coupled with high operating costs, made the circus an unsustainable business for the company.' (2)Brulliard, Karin (21 May 2017)."Thunderous applause, tears as the 'greatest show on Earth' takes a final bow".The Washington Post. Retrieved12 June 2017.... Ringling had become the target of animal protection groups that claimed it mistreated its elephants, and the two sides soon locked in a 14-year legal battle so cutthroat it involved secret informants paid by animal groups and a former CIA official who was paid by Ringling's parent company, Feld Entertainment, to spy on activists and a journalist. The litigation ended with several animal groups paying a $16 million settlement to Feld. While the animal activists never prevailed against Ringling in court, they were victorious outside. The allegations of elephant abuse prompted municipalities around the country to ban elephant bullhooks — a sharp metal tool used by handlers — or to prohibit wild animal performances altogether, as Los Angeles recently moved to do. After Ringling retired its last pachyderms to a company-owned elephant conservation center in Florida, ticket sales declined much more than Feld expected, and the company announced in January that Ringling would close for good.
Childress, Micah D.Circus Life: Performing and Laboring Under America's Big Top Shows, 1830-1920 (University of Tennessee Press, 2018), p. 247online review.
Dfening, Fred D. III (November 2007). "The American Circus in the 1870s: An Overview from Newspaper Sources".Bandwagon.51 (6):4–60.ISSN0005-4968. Provides an overview of "low-yield research" into the history of the American Circus as covered in "ragcontent newspapers [and] magazines [such as]White Tops"
Nance, Susan.Entertaining Elephants: Animal Agency and the Business of the American Circus (Johns Hopkins University Press; 2013) 304 pages; elephants as "actors" or creatures of agency in the American circus from 1800 to 1940.
Simon, Linda.The Greatest Shows on Earth: A History of the Circus (Reaktion Books, distributed by University of Chicago Press; 2014); 296 pages;
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