Circus has always had a fascination in many cultures throughout history. It can take place in the street to a very good standard; Covent Garden in London is a good example. There are small travelling Circus’s and there are the very large tenting shows that can still be found in most places around the world. There are also the Circus buildings in Moscow, Paris and Blackpool to name a few. These building give great scope to enhance a performance, take Blackpool as an example. They have a Circus floor that is lowered to reveal a swimming pool where acts can utilise the water to add interest to their show.
From the jesters and street performers of olden days some of the very big shows have lost contact with the audience. In the USA there are the famous three rings shows like Ringling Brothers and Barnum and Bailey. You get three similar acts performing at the same time to different sections of the audience. These days the top Circus in the world is the Cirque du Soliel which encompasses traditional Circus acts along with dance and singers. Each show is a separate theme and tells a story throughout the whole show.
Although there is a common perception that Circus is on the decline, nothing can be further from the truth. Even now in the UK there are more shows than there have ever been touring the country. Circus Schools like Circus Space in London and Circo media in Bristol run courses to feed new artistes into the various shows. There are also smaller Schools like Blackpool Circus School that have provided young people for these large schools and even performers for the Tower Circus and on tour with "Take That"
Most of the work that the smaller schools carry out is in the education sector and work with all ages of children from reception to University. This is also responsible for the interest that there is now in Circus. Children following a school visit may join a local Juggling club or Circus school and then graduate to the larger school on diploma courses. They may then move on to teaching or performing or maybe just busking in the streets or just as a hobby.
Circus is also gaining ground as an alternative to sports and PE. The reason for this is the workout you get in a juggling training session is very intensive. Unicycling is a very good exercise for the legs as is stilt walking. Acrobatics are equal to Gymnastics and for the Trapeze a high level of fitness is required. There is also no direct competitive element, although there is the striving to become the best at any particular discipline. Sports and PE have failed to keep our Children fit and healthy as so many have become disengaged and disaffected with the traditional methods of keeping fit. Circus is fun and children can progress at their own level and they are constantly surprised at how out of breath they can become just juggling three scarfs.
A typical Circus workshop for beginners can include Balancing on; Tightrope, Rolla Bola, Stilts and balance boards. Balancing an object; Peacock feathers, balancing a plate on a stick and flower sticks that can also be thrown. Thrown items; Juggling Balls, Scarf’s and the Diabolo. Manipulation; Poi and Chinese ribbons. Movement; Unicycling and Acrobatics. To sum up, a child that only does Circus will have all the body disciplines for any activity that will be required through life. It can also help them to achieve any of the traditional sports that they may have been disaffected with.
![[Valid RSS feed]](http://www.look4articles.com/images/icon_Rss.png "XML Feed For RSS"){kind=icon}
Category Rss Feed
Print This Article
Add To Favorites
![[Valid RSS feed]](http://www.look4articles.com/images/rss.jpg "XML Feed For RSS")