Circus History The word circus usually evokes several images: a company of acrobats, jugglers and clowns, or the arena where gladiators used to fight, or the big top where shows are staged. Circus began during the Han Dynasty in China with the “Hundred Entertainments”, ancestors of the modern Olympic Games, featuring acrobatics, juggling and other disciplines. It further evolved during the Ancient Greece period during which figures similar to our modern clowns used to entertain people with dances, songs and juggling. Circus was of great importance in Ancient Rome. The Roman circus was born when chariot racing and gladiatorial fights occurred. The symbol of the Roman circus was the Circus Maximus, built in 329 B.C. This is where the “ludi circenses” (circus games) took place during religious or political ceremonies. During the Middle Ages the new character of jester was born. Jesters used to travel from court to court, entertaining their audiences with stories, songs, acrobatics and juggling. The modern meaning of circus goes back to the XVIIIth century. In 1770 the Astley’s Amphitheatre was built in London by Philip Astley, an equestrian who introduced the circus ring. As Astley created the modern-­‐day circus, Antonio Franconi, an Italian tightrope walker, consolidated the European circus. Circus also evolved on the American continent. Its popularity was revived when the American entrepreneur Phineas Taylor Barnum associated circus shows with the exhibition of “freaks” (such as the bearded lady, the midget, the Siamese twins). The XIXth century was the golden age for circus. Circus shows were performed all over Europe. However, around the middle of the XXth century, the invention of television and cinema brought the spread of circus to a halt. Circus was replaced by a new kind of entertainment. It’s only in the 1970’s that a new circus movement – the contemporary circus – arose. This movement mixes dance and theatre elements with circus performances. The major leader of contemporary circus is Cirque du Soleil, born in 1982 in Quebec, Canada. Social Circus Simultaneously with the evolution of contemporary circus, the social circus came into being. Social circus is a specific circus movement directed towards a public with particular needs and fewer opportunities, regardless where they come from. Its main objective is the personal growth of its participants, by developing their individual qualities and social skills such as open-­‐mindedness, self-­‐esteem, tolerance, respect, responsibility, autonomy, perseverance and self-­‐confidence as well as collaboration and cooperation. In Europe Social circus is at work throughout the world. In Europe, the majority of social circus projects are under the umbrella of Caravan, an international association supported by the Youth in Action Program of the European Commission. Caravan represents 12 European social circus schools: 2
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Circus Elleboog (Netherland)/ www.elleboog.nl -­‐
Ateneu popular 9 Barris (Spain)/ www.ateneu9b.netù -­‐
Belfast Community Circus school (Northern Ireland) / www.belfastcircus.org -­‐
Ecole de Cirque de Bruxelles (Belgium) / www.ecbru.be -­‐
Parada Foundation (Romania)/ www.paradaromania.ro -­‐
Galway Community Circus (Republic of Ireland)/ www.galwaycommunitycircus.com -­‐
Zaltimbanq’ (Luxemburg) / www.zaltimbanq.lu -­‐
Le plus petit cirque du monde (France)/ www.lepluspetitcirquedumonde.fr -­‐
Cirqueon (Chech Republic)/ www.cirqueon.cz -­‐
Upsala Circus (Germany/Russian Federation) / www.upsala-­‐zirk.org -­‐
Cirkus Cirkor (Sweden)/ www.cirkor.se -­‐
Sorin Sirkus (Finland)/ www.sorinsirkus.fi In Africa In recent years, circus arts have also been spreading in some African countries. However, despite its cultural, social, and economic importance, circus is still poorly recognized on the continent. Studies and information about social circus projects in Africa are sparse. The first organization interested in social circus in Africa was Cirque du Monde, a satellite organization of Cirque du Soleil that focuses on social circus projects all over the world. Cirque du Monde realized a Social Circus Map available on http://apps.cirquedusoleil.com/social-­‐circus-­‐map/ which shows the location of the majority of social circus projects, including the African ones. The main existing social circus projects in Africa are the following: -­‐
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Aleas des Possibles (Madagascar)/ www.aleadespossibles.fr Cirque jeunesse en équilibre ( Burkina Faso)/ www.cirquejeunesseenequilibre.ca Cirque Tokpa (Guiné)/ www.cirque.tokpa.over-­‐blog.com Debre Berhan (Ethiopia)/ www.circusdb.com Faso Cirque (Burkina Faso)/ www.fasocirque.org -­‐
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Fekat Circus (Ethiopia) www.fekatcirucs.com Hiccup Circus (Uganda) www.hiccupcircusuganda.org Red Tomato (Egypt) www.outahamra.blogspot.ca Sarakasi (Kenya) www.sarakasi.org Sencirk (Senegal) www.sencirk.jimdo.com Vertical Circus (Kenya) www.verticalcircus.org Zip Zap Circus School (South Africa) www.zip-­‐zap.co.za 3
Most African circus projects were born from the initiative and passion of people with a background in circus arts and with the objective of promoting circus arts as a social tool for education and change. Their existence depends on the resources available in terms of human and economic resources. Beneficiaries are various: street children, orphans, people affected by HIV or other diseases, patients in hospitals. Circus in Africa has an immense potential because it: •
combines multiple art forms (music, dance, theatre, costumes); •
develops youngsters’ creativity & preserves their cultural identity; • involves marginalized youth lacking work opportunities; • represents a new business sector, thereby promoting sustainable development. Investing in the capacity-­‐building process of the staff involved in African social circus projects is important, especially considering that there are few persons specialized in the social circus sector in Africa. Another main trait of the African social circus is the absence of a communication network among the circuses. Networking among African social circus projects would be of great help to spread circus arts in Africa, thereby promoting dialogue, relationships, and respect among people belonging to different ethnicities and cultures. 4