Contemporary Circus Research Articles

‘Soft Rebellion’: Flow art, critical play, and wellbeing in the city

This article discusses the intersections between flow art, critical play, and wellbeing in urban contexts in Finland. Flow art as an art form sits at the intersection of several movement-based creative disciplines, including contemporary circus, dance, and the underground electronic music scene. It is based on DIY in terms of making one's own props and choreographies and peer teaching/learning. The flow artists make use of several props familiar to the circus arts, including contact sticks, poi, hula hoops, diabolos, dragon staffs, and fans. The article explores how urban artistic take-overs can be understood as critical play, including the potential for political subversion and changing the meanings of urban spaces. Further, the article discusses how wellbeing is understood holistically, relationally, and interconnected to the concept of flow. The article is a result of ethnographic research conducted with flow art communities in 2021–2023.

Anna-Sophie Jürgens and Mirjam Hildbrand, eds. Circus and the Avant-Gardes: History, Imaginary, Innovation

This book engages with circus and the experimentation of avant-garde artists. Tracing the correlations and interconnections between two distinctive forms that shaped the performance cultures of the twentieth century, Circus and the Avant-Gardes offers a meticulous study of the approaches and aesthetics envisioned by the avant-gardes and their influence on contemporary circus.

Realism, Postmodernism, and Authenticity in the Contemporary Circus Novel

ABSTRACT In the late 20th and early 21st century, European circus has become embroiled in public debates about the inclusion of live animal acts, some of which have recently been replaced with hologram alternatives. I ask what such replacements of live bodies with technically mediated one's does to the sense of risk and sensation which has always defined live circus acts and their claim to authenticity through the threat of live danger. I investigate recent revaluations (Schulze, Funk, and Vermeulen) in Theatre Studies of the concept of authenticity after postmodernism to reflect on how the complex mix of loss, assertion, and compensation in these debates can be deployed in analyzing two distinct narrative representations of the circus (Sara Gruen’s Water for Elephants and Angela Carter’s Nights at the Circus); the first exemplifies classic realism, the second a version of postmodernism. I ask how the texts negotiate and interrogate the ongoing problem of circus’s relationship to authenticity, where authenticity is at once an impossible imperative against which circus strives to measure itself, a condition and guarantee of its danger and immediacy, and a performative promise which disappears in the moment of its delivery.

Review of _Contemporary Circus_

Review of _Contemporary Circus_

‘Dresse-toi!’ Perspectives on the (Re)Valorisation of Nonhuman Animal Performers in Contemporary Circus

‘Dresse-toi!’ Perspectives on the (Re)Valorisation of Nonhuman Animal Performers in Contemporary Circus

Perfecting the Imperfect: Parallels Between the Contemporary Circus Artist’s Embodiment and the Westernized Wabi Sabi Concept

Summary Wabi Sabi is a Japanese concept that, despite lacking a universal definition, comprises three principles: nothing is perfect, nothing is finished and nothing lasts forever.1 While in 2018, an adapted version of Wabi Sabi started to become trendier in the Western world2, this Westernized concept accidentally starts to have parallels with the way in which contemporary circus artists experience their embodiment. The research showed that contemporary circus artists are constantly trying to focus more on what a body can do and how it can do instead of body appearance, they are accepting that bodies are not perfect and share an understanding of the importance of embracing this imperfection. Moreover, contemporary circus artists are having in mind constant bodily changes and reflecting it correspondingly by developing positive relationships with their bodies. This article will be a sociological outlook of interconnections among the already existing beliefs in the contemporary circus field and the new trend of Westernized Wabi Sabi ideas.

A Matter of Relationships: Dramatising, Staging and Planning Ecological Performances


 
 
 This article aims to explore patterns of the creative process in which performance faces ecological thought, placing about sustainability strategies. Many scholars have investigated the relationship between theatre and ecology since the end of the XXth century. Two positions have emerged strongly: ecology as a metaphor (Marranca) or as a performative tool (Chaudhuri). We will reflect on more recent points of view (Giannachi Stewart, Theresa J May, Baz Kershaw) and try to relate them to sustainability science (Bologna). Then, it will be important to focus on two phases of the creative process, dramatization, and staging, to understand the evolution of artistic practices about environmental issues. Finally, we are going to apply the methodological pattern outlined by the theoretical and practical analysis to two case studies: weLAND (2021), a contemporary circus show that staged climate migration, and La möa (2022), a choreographic work in nature that embodied the relationships in the river habitat.
 
 

Shapes of water—A multidisciplinary composing project visioning an eco-socially oriented approach to music education

This article presents a project, Shapes of Water, funded by the Finnish Cultural Foundation, which gave music education students the opportunity to compose children’s songs about climate change with the help of artists from two fields (contemporary circus and music) and a scientist (chemistry). The article outlines the ways in which the composing project challenged students’ attitudes toward composing as a method for educating children about climate change, and brings together the experiences of the artists and scientist during the project. Finally, three focus areas are presented with recommendations for a sustainable eco-socially oriented approach to music education.

Formats and Potentials of Local Small Arts (Kleinkunst)

The article focuses on the phenomena, developments and potentials of small arts (Kleinkunst) in the Slovenian space. Small arts are a form of artistic response that, through diverse performance genres – such as cabaret, new burlesque, improvisational theatre, stand-up, interventions in public space, contemporary circus, drag, queer and LGBTQI+ stage events – provides a social commentary on the existing traditionalist, heteronormative, patriarchal and capitalist society. The article elaborates the term small arts and its artistic and social elements and tries to identify it concretely in the local space. This broad umbrella term is characterised by the heterogeneity of its themes and aesthetics. In Slovenia, it has an even more specific undertone and position, as its development and influence are hampered by a small population. When selecting the creators of small arts, the author focused mainly on those working in the sphere of the non-governmental sector, who create continuously, have artistic credibility and are not market-oriented.

THE SPECIFICS OF CIRCUS COMPLEX TECHNICAL TRAINING WHEN WORKING WITH CIRCUS PROPS AND APPARATUS TODAY

The article analyzes and defines the specifics of circus complex technical training when working with contemporary circus props and apparatus. Safety rules in the circus structure, as well as general technical requirements when working with circus apparatus and special props are being specified. Provides a clear description of technological devices and grids. Also, it is specified of production, technical and auxiliary premises. The conclusions of the study testify to the importance and clarity of knowledge of the specifics of circus complex and technical training for circus performers in specific structures in this area.Kеуwоrds:circus,contemporary circus props and apparatus, circus technical equipment, safety equipment in the circus.

Spaces and technologies of the circus spectacle

Contemporary circus is a complex, interdisciplinary form of performing arts. The new circus was built on the basis of the traditional one, but it is more complex than it and brings a combination of elements of acrobatics, dance and drama theater, shadow theater, puppet theater, as well as contemporary visual arts and digital technologies. The circus spectacle, its architectural concept and its content, have changed over the centuries, following social events and the cultural framework of the time. Although the spectacle is still adapting and changing, we ask the question, whether stationary circuses have managed to adapt and transform for the needs of modern society. In this paper, through a brief history of the circus spectacle and important typological characteristics of the objects, one of the most significant objects of this spectacle will be analysed.

Fraying Parachutes: Costume agency and convivencia in contemporary circus performance making

Fraying Parachutes explores from a choreographer/facilitator’s perspective the agency found in the costume making processes during Femme de Feu’s Circus Sessions 2019, in which three abandoned parachutes were upcycled and transformed into circus costumes. It traces the journey from conceptualization to ad hoc design, involving de-construction and much physical entanglement, to the eventual wear and non-wearability of the costumes in performance. Bringing together fourteen artists from South America, North America and Europe, the embodied research that informed this work took as its foci: positive receptivity, hospitality and fascination as qualities and modes of creating collectively. The experimental circus costume making processes provided an opportunity to physically expand upon theories of agential realism and entanglement, in relation to the material and the social. The re-purposed parachutes served as constant reminders of flight, suspension, risk and rescue, qualities that are innately present in circus technique and performance. In ‘rescuing’ the parachutes from landfill, the work also gave visibility to an ecological ethic in performance making, or what Tanja Beer refers to as a practice of ecoscenography, where issues of waste and sustainability may be addressed. Underscoring this essay will be the notion of convivencia or a literal ‘living with’ other and the non-human as essential to process and performance. Distinct to a co-labouring of ideas, in Circus Sessions, convivencia encompassed our creative entanglements, the friction and flow in artistic decision making, our discussions, reflections and laughter. It would also attune our listening to epistemologies of the South, to the diverse cultural perspectives and sensibilities that the different performers from three continents brought to the project. In this visual essay, costume agency is understood as a tensile potentiality that generates creative energy informed by the serendipitous opportunities found in the sensory binding of costume making processes.

Gravity Matters: Circus as a Device. An Approach on Staging the Relationship between Human Beings and Gravity

This article aims at understanding Circus as a creative device in order to provide an alternative approach to the study of contemporary circus creation. To this effect and from a plural, multidisciplinary perspective, the article will be organised in four main parts. Justifying Circus as a device for staging the relationship between the human beings and the force of gravity; specifying why this relationship is indeed at the very core of human beings’ experience and identity matters; contextualising nouveau cirque within the evolution of artistic avant-gardes from post-modern currents to our days; and providing a series of practical examples of these first two points by studying selected works from a series of contemporary artists. Such approach evidences Circus’ aesthetics of risk as a convergence point for researches in corporeality and performativity, while allowing a parallel study on the problematic of gravity as an essential condition for human identity. From both its physical and poetic aspects, this subject evolves radically through the late 20th century to the paradigms of our present, as it is visible in the work of active artists such as Aurélien Bory, Kitsou Dubois, Maria Donata D’Urso, Chloé Moglia, Yoann Bourgeois or Inbal Ben Haim.

Not just clowning around: Investigating psychological mechanisms underlying accidents in a heterogeneous group of contemporary circus artists.

Safety is paramount to nurture artists’ creative growth and performance. In several contemporary circus arts disciplines, the consequences of accidents may involve severe injuries or death. In this article, we explore perceived risks, personality, experiences of sensation, emotion regulation, and agency in relation to accidents and near misses in contemporary circus arts (N = 248). A pathway analysis revealed that perceived risk, personality, and emotion regulation covary and together affect the likelihood of accidents and near misses in contemporary circus arts. A multivariate analysis of variance showed that contemporary circus arts consist of a heterogeneous group of discipline categories. Floor acrobats experienced significantly more accidents than aerial acrobats and object manipulators, and aerial acrobats experienced significantly more emotion regulation and agency than object manipulators. Further, aerial acrobats scored significantly higher on the personality traits conscientiousness and agreeableness than object manipulators. Our study reinforces the centrality of emotion regulation to safe performance in contemporary circus arts. Practitioners in performing arts, and circus in particular, are recommended to tailor safety interventions to the circus category and the artists’ personality-specific needs. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2019 APA, all rights reserved)

Field study of audience experience in contemporary circus: An exploratory study on the impact of audience's expertise.

This study took place during a contemporary circus festival to investigate the audience experience of contemporary circus street performances. Specifically, we explored the impact of expertise on audience experience (emotion, intellect, novelty, place, interaction, and technique) and performance evaluation (liking and self-perceived understanding). Based on the participants' self-report frequency of previous attendance of contemporary circus and current skill level in contemporary circus, we divided a sample of 349 adult audience members into three groups: low expertise, medium expertise, and high expertise. Expertise had a significant effect on audience experience; the high-expertise participants were more intellectually stimulated than both the medium- and low-expertise participants. Expertise had negligible effect on performance evaluation, but we note that performance reception could have been based on different interpretation styles; that is, more literal in participants lower in expertise and more metaphoric in participants higher in expertise. Finally, we found a clear positive association between audience experience and performance evaluation.

Du cirque pour tous les publics ? Représentations et enjeux de programmation dans le cadre d’une Capitale européenne de la culture

Focusing on the case of Marseille-Provence 2013, European Capital of Culture, this article investigates the importance placed on the audience in the scheduling of circus events. Based on a field study combining interviews, observations, and documentary analysis, its central theme is cultural actors’ representations of the circus and circus audiences, and the ways in which these actors justify the scheduling of events. A study of the speech of circus professionals shows that, while sharing an idealized vision that circus attracts a wide audience, they draw on references to this “popular art” strategically to give substance to an event that is intended to be fun and to bring people together. Contemporary circus is thus seen as a means of broadening the audience, which takes various forms depending on the context. While the real impact in terms of social diversification of audiences remains difficult to assess, high attendance at the event has made the existence of a contemporary circus audience visible at the local level.

Circus for All? The Stakes of Event Programming in the Context of a European Capital of Culture

Focusing on the case of Marseille-Provence 2013, European Capital of Culture, this article investigates the importance placed on the audience in the scheduling of circus events. Based on a field study combining interviews, observations, and documentary analysis, its central theme is cultural actors’ representations of the circus and circus audiences, and the ways in which these actors justify the scheduling of events. A study of the speech of circus professionals shows that, while sharing an idealized vision that circus attracts a wide audience, they draw on references to this “popular art” strategically to give substance to an event that is intended to be fun and to bring people together. Contemporary circus is thus seen as a means of broadening the audience, which takes various forms depending on the context. While the real impact in terms of social diversification of audiences remains difficult to assess, high attendance at the event has made the existence of a contemporary circus audience visible at the local level.

Esperienze musicali nel Circo Paniko

The project on music in contemporary circus, with a focus on the Circo Paniko, started in 2018, when the nomadic collective arrived in Cagliari. This research followed the methodology of ethnomusicological field research, using the audiovisual recording and then the writing of an article in order to understand the way in which the company develops their artistic creations - with particular interest on the musical sphere - to investigate the existence of one or more characteristic musical styles and to analyze the performance as a collective and shared event. The latter has been deconstructed through the frame by frame analysis of an aerial dance number on fabrics which was present both in the Cabaret (performed in Cagliari, 2018/2019) and in Panikyuuri (staged in Assemini, 2019/2020).

Circus Training in the Time of Coronavirus

This paper looks at contemporary circus as a physical, artistic practice that cultivates utopia, through reshaping values, dreams, subjectivities and socio-cultural logics in dedicated training and performing places. Circus training cultivates a community of bodies and generates tensions and discrepancies between the vision and values it predicates and their implementation in a neoliberal world. The present and future, personal and political sides of life intertwine in shaping and unsettling circus utopia. The lockdown due to the COVID-19 pandemic provided circus practitioners with time and new lenses to consider hopes, fears, doubts and certainties. The circus training utopia is explored drawing on the meanings, representations and definitions circulating among a diversity of actors and sites involved in processes of learning, participation and identity building through circus practices. Data were generated before the lockdown through interviews and participant observation conducted mainly in and around the city of Turin, Italy, and during the lockdown through analysis of specialized media and online conversations within the Italian circus scene. Insights are presented into how the lockdown reinforced and disrupted ideals about the appearance, skills and learning capacity of the circus body; the creative and disciplined character of circus practitioners; the alternative circus life of passion, fun, freedom, challenges and achievements; and the circus community resisting dominant culture and mainstream within the cultural field. Tensions emerged towards and against consistent, structured and widespread dialogue among actors and organizations, stronger public advocacy and claims for institutional recognition and support. These shed light on the fragmented character of the contemporary circus field in Italy, but also placed emphasis on and raised awareness about the need to build a stronger and more cohesive circus community, able to raise a common voice, empowering enough to stay on the utopic course while navigating COVID-19 society and its future.

Lógica interna de los “crescendos” en los números de los espectáculos de Cirque du Soleil (1986-2005)

El objetivo es analizar cómo la compañía de circo contemporáneo Cirque du Soleil aumenta progresivamente la intensidad dramática de las escenas en sus creaciones para poder trasladar su forma de composición a otras creaciones, y asimismo llegar a proponer los criterios utilizados, en un contexto pedagógico que utilice el circo como recurso educativo. La metodología utilizada es la observacional, mediante la aplicación de un formato de campo, aplicado al estudio de los diez espectáculos de la compañía estrenados entre 1986-2005. Este instrumento se realizó aplicando las lentes de la ciência de la acción motriz, la praxiología motriz. Resultados y discusion: Los resultados muestran diversas formas de acentuación de la intensidad dramática, vinculadas a los componentes de la lógica interna del espectáculo circense: a los compañeros y compañeras, aumentando el número de personas implicadas en la realización de acciones motrices; al espacio, variando las figuras, aumentando la dificultad y riesgo de las mismas, elevando la altura en la que se realizan, o disminuyendo la superficie de apoyo; al tiempo, prolongando los tiempos de vuelo, manteniendo el tiempo de ejecución de diversas figuras, o incrementando la velocidad de ejecución; y a los objetos, aumentando el número de objetos implicados en los números. Las conclusiones señalan que el conocimiento exhaustivo de los componentes de la lógica interna del circo permitirá recrear crescendos en la dramaturgia de los números de circo. Como consideraciones finales indicar que estas formas de crescendo se utilizan en la progresión de los números de una compañía profesional, pero son igualmente aplicables a la composición de escenas de circo en un contexto educativo.