Like every art form, the circus has practitioners who profess a wide range of philosophies, beliefs, and approaches. Those that hold onto tradition, those consciously aiming to break tradition, and everyone in between.
To find out what's happening with circus in 2014, a great place to start is Circus Now, a website devoted to bringing the circus community together in one central place. Their National Director is Duncan Wall, whose book The Ordinary Acrobat was the first thing I picked up when I was offered the job of Guest Director for The Big Apple Circus. It's an excellent resource and an entertaining read.
From there, I wanted to learn more about the possibilities of the art form - from the biggest names to the tiniest companies. I've seen the juggernauts in North America - Ringling Bros., Cirque Du Soleil - as well as many international circus artists, thanks to the great programming of The New Victory Theater, BAM, and The Skirball Center here in NYC. But what was I missing?
Start with an act we would all recognize: juggling. A performer with some clubs, balls, perhaps a diablo. This one juggles 7 balls, this one does 9. That's juggling, right?
Take a look at this video, from juggler Jay Gilligan. It's a TED Talk, so you'll have to invest some time. But you won't think of juggling the same way ever again.
Are there other artists challenging the perceived limitations of circus? Yes. Pick up Duncan's book and you'll learn about a lot of them.
Here's one of my favorites: Taras Pozdnyakov, founder of Raw Art. Taras has coined the term "post-circus" and he pushes his artists to think beyond their "tricks" in order to create exceptional art.
The city of Montreal seems to be exploding with new and exciting circus artists. From The 7 Doigts de le Main, to Cirque Eloize, to THROW2CATCH, the number of forward-thinking artists there is amazing.
You can also look at the Cirque de Demain Festival in Paris, which highlights circus artists from around the world, all under the age of 25. To get a taste, here's our friend and Parallel Exit performer Spencer Novich performing at their 2012 Festival:
Now that's all well and good, but are there circuses that are preserving, rather than challenging the art form? Absolutely. And many doing it exceptionally well. Some of my favorites are Circus Roncalli in Germany, Cirque D'Hiver Bouglione in France, and The Zoppe Family Circus right here in the USA.
And where does The Big Apple Circus fit into all of this? I think they lean towards the traditional, while including some of the most exciting new artists in the field. No secrets revealed here, but I'll tell you this - one of those exciting new artists will be part of our 2015-16 tour, and I can't wait.
