Quote: "Newcastle under Lyme born Philip Astley is credited as the father of the modern circus."
A study of how the circus evolved over time and its place in cultural history. It covers the origins of circus, the rise of modern circus, and how circus has adapted to changing social and political climates throughout history.
Origins of circus: The earliest forms of circus, their influences and developments over time.
Circus skills and acts: The different types of acts in a circus, such as trapeze, tightrope, juggling, and clowning.
Circus animals: The use of animals in circus performances and welfare concerns.
Circus music: The types of music used in circuses and how they enhance the overall experience.
The circus in popular culture: The portrayal of the circus in movies, books, and other forms of media.
The role of the ringmaster: The importance of the ringmaster in a circus performance.
The business of circus: How circuses are organized, financed and marketed around the world.
Famous circuses: The most popular and successful circuses in history, such as Barnum and Bailey, Cirque du Soleil, and the Moscow State Circus.
Circus architecture and equipment: The design of circus tents and the specialized equipment used in performances.
Evolution of circus costumes and makeup: How costume design and makeup have changed throughout the history of circus.
Circus festivals: The celebration of circus arts and culture at festivals around the world.
The decline of circus: The reasons behind the decline in popularity of traditional circuses and the rise of new circus trends.
The social impact of circus: The role of circus in society, including its effect on gender, class, and diversity.
The future of circus: How the circus industry may evolve and adapt to changing social and cultural trends.
Traditional circus: A type of circus that originated in the 18th and 19th centuries in Europe. The traditional circus involves a ringmaster, animal acts, acrobats, clowns, and other variety acts.
Circus arts: A type of circus that focuses on the physical skills and artistry of performers such as aerialists, contortionists, and acrobats without including animal acts.
Cirque nouveau: A modern form of circus which focuses more on acrobatics, aerial skills, and storytelling than traditional circus acts.
Historical circus: A type of circus that recreates the performances, costumes, and atmosphere of a specific time period in circus history.
Circus sideshow: A separate attraction within the circus that involves "freak" or novelty acts such as bearded ladies or snake charmers.
Traveling circus: A type of circus that travels from town to town, often setting up tents or stages for individual performances.
One-ring circus: A type of circus that features just one main performance ring, as opposed to traditional circuses which often have multiple rings.
Animal-free circus: A newer type of circus that does not include any animal acts, instead focusing on human performance and other circus arts.
Circus school: An institution that teaches circus arts and performance techniques to students, preparing them for careers in circus or other performance industries.
Contemporary circus: A type of circus that includes elements of traditional circus and circus arts while also experimenting with new techniques, technologies, and storytelling methods.
Quote: "In 1768, Astley, a skilled equestrian, began performing exhibitions of trick horse riding."
Quote: "In 1770, he hired acrobats, tightrope walkers, jugglers, and a clown."
Quote: "The earliest modern circuses were performed in open-air structures with limited covered seating."
Quote: "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."
Quote: "The traditional large tents commonly known as 'big tops' were introduced in the mid-19th century as touring circuses superseded static venues."
Quote: "Contemporary circus is performed in a variety of venues including tents, theatres, casinos, cruise ships and open-air spaces."
Quote: "Many circus performances are still held in a ring, usually 13 m (43 ft) in diameter."
Quote: "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."
Quote: "Circus companies and artistes within this movement, often termed 'new circus' or 'cirque nouveau'."
Quote: "Combining character-driven circus acts with original music in a broad variety of styles to convey complex themes or stories."
Quote: "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'."
Quote: "This labelling can cause confusion based upon the other use of the phrase contemporary circus to mean 'circus of today'."
Quote: "For this reason, some commentators have begun using the term 21st Century Circus to encompass all the various styles available in the present day."
Quote: "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."
Quote: "For aesthetic or economic reasons, 21st Century circus productions may often be staged in theaters rather than in large outdoor tents."