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The Great International Circus at Olympia
Whilst traditional circus may be in decline, alternative circus has drawn on traditional skills and presented them in a more contemporary style. Circuses such as Circus Oz, Cirque du Soleil, Ra Ra Zoo and Archaos tour internationally and have attracted new audiences to circus. Gerry Cottle’s ‘Circus of Horrors’, is billed as a ‘darkly comical show’, and presents circus skills in a more theatrical framework.
Circus Oz, the Australian circus based in Melbourne, Australia opened in 1978. Its performers are all multi-disciplined; they include acrobats who play musical instruments and musicians who juggle. Their style is humorous, political and bizarre. Acts include the new and the eccentric such as a man trapped in a hamster wheel. Other acts draw on more traditional circus skills but are given a contemporary twist. Mr Sands’ 1853 feat of walking upside down is reinvented with the addition of a glass of water.
Archaos, the punk circus which came from France in the late 1980s specialises in thrilling its audiences with dangerous acts, juggling with chainsaws, jumping motorbikes and creating tension through speed, noise and a high-tech style.
Cirque du Soleil’s performances combine acrobatics with contemporary music. Founded in 1984 by Guy Laliberté, Cirque du Soleil grew from a group of performers who came together at a street festival in Canada. The original aims of the company were to use the inspiration of the heyday of circus and add to it the best of contemporary practice. The style that they have developed draws on theatre as much as circus. Set, costumes and music are an integral part of the show and performers are often characters in a story.
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The Flying Volarez |
