The Zirkus of Horrors in Germany is starting a tour through Germany with their new show Infernum. On their website, the unusual circus states: Infernum combines hellishly good artistry, weird comedy, and crazy freaks into a unique, spectacular show. And sets new standards in the entertainment sector.
In 2020, after many months of performances halted due to the COVID-19 pandemic, clowns, jugglers, and artists of the Estoril Circus in Rio de Janeiro found a way to go back to the stage. They created a drive-in circus to keep being able to entertain a populace which, these days, needs uplifting creative performances more than ever in their lives.
France has just opened a unique retirement home and sanctuary for circus and zoo elephants. Two former Flemish zookeepers, Sofie Goetghebeur and Tony Verhulst, created the sanctuary in response to a ban on employing wild animals in circuses. The ban is currently in place in 23 European countries and will soon be adopted in France.
Social Circus refers to the growing movement toward the use of circus art as a medium for social justice and social good. It uses alternative pedagogical tools to work with youth who are marginalized or at social or personal risk. The transformative power of circus connects education, physical art and social development. Social Circus is more than teaching circus skills. It is a tool for transformation, discipline, creativity, and artistic expression.
If you are Circus Professional or a Circus Fan, there are many reasons to come join the Entertainment & Performing Arts Industry Conference (EPIC). The 24 hour event will be held on January 10, 2022 and here are 6 EPIC reasons for you to come along!
Working for Cirque du Soleil is a dream many of us working for contemporary circus shows secretly (or not so secretly) harbor. I have dreamt about it for thirty years. Not just dreamt about it but worked towards it as well. However, as of now, my love affair still seems to be rather one-sided. This is a frank look at how the journey has been for me. Where it will lead is of course still an open book… and, as they say, it’s not the goal but the journey that matters in the end…
The origin of modern circus has been attributed to Philip Astley. He was an Englishman and former cavalry Sergeant-Major turned showman who set up the first modern amphitheatre for the display of horse-riding tricks in Lambeth, London, on 4 April 1768. Astley did not invent trick horse riding. Nor was he the first to introduce acts such as acrobats and clowns to the English public. But he was the first individual to create a space where all these acts were brought together to perform a show.
Dimitri is a Swiss and international legend. And you’ll be hard pressed to find anyone in Switzerland who hasn’t heard of him. Dimitri preferred performing solo in theatres with only a few props and no scenery. Besides Switzerland, he also performed in many other countries across the globe. In 1995, he was inducted into the International Clown Hall of Fame.
Looking more closely into socially engaged circus, and into Clowns in particular, there is one person who stands out. Many of you might be aware of him due to Robin Williams portraying him in a Hollywood movie in 1998: Patch Adams. A man who is best known for his work as a medical doctor and a clown. He is also a social activist who has devoted forty years to changing health care.
The CircusDanceFestival was initiated by the company label Overhead Project to further the promotion of young talent in circus and dance. The festival is a three-year model project with nationwide broadcasting in Germany. It’s run time is from 2020 to 2022. A combination of festival, sector-specific residency, and co-production program.
Clowns Without Borders was founded in 1993. Best to say it in the words of the Clowns themselves: “We bring laughter where it is needed most. Clowns Without Borders offers joy and laughter to relieve the suffering of all persons, especially children, who live in areas of crisis including refugee camps, conflict zones and territories in situations of emergency.”
Popcorn. Who here hasn’t munched on it at some point in their lives? It is inextricably linked to entertainment. Not all kinds of course. Connoisseurs of classical music and opera would most likely be aghast at all the crunching and rustling of paper bags during a performance. But, in circus, cinema, as well as during a myriad of other entertainment events, the iconic scent of popcorn will waft through the venue… and, most likely, you won’t be able to resist and will get yourself a bag, too.
We feel it. We live it. And we read, write, hear about it. We discuss the latest developments in the performing arts. In our industry, the entertainment industry, many make theatre their life, dedicating their heart and soul, their energy and precious time to it. Often to an extent so it absorbs us entirely. So, what is this thing called theatre? Going back to the basics, what does it entail and where does it come from?
The International Theater festival “Zurich Theater Spektakel”, has been delighting a colorful mix of spectators for over 40 years. In a stunning location directly on the shores of Lake Zurich. Each summer, the Landiwiese park near Wollishofen is transformed into a fabulous backdrop for performance and theatre. With international ensembles performing on various stages. Some of these stages are even built over the water.
Clowns… they have been called tricksters and jesters as well. We’ve all seen them. In the circus, on the streets, at children’s birthdays, in hospitals… Besides providing excellent entertainment, clowns are an important figure due to the influence they have on us. Amazingly, they bring us far more than just laughter. Instead, they trigger a whole range of emotions. Joyful amazement. Sadness. And, sometimes, even irrational fear. This is a brief look into their history and mythology.
Michelle Eve Wuthrich worked as an acrobat for some of the greatest circus shows on the globe. Her skillset is so versatile that for a while she worked as a house troupe member for the aquatic show The House of Dancing Water in Macau. There she did everything from dance choreographies to aerial to high diving. Then, about 4 years ago, Michelle decided to leave the world onstage. Now she is building an outdoor adventure business together with her husband in Guatemala. In this interview, Michelle tells us about her new home, her motivations and vision.
Working backstage thoroughly absorbs you. And, as every activity and experience which challenges you profoundly, it teaches you more in a year than you’d otherwise learn in ten. I treasure all backstage work experience I’ve been privileged to accumulate thus far. Often pushed to my very limits, my growth has been exponential during all those times helping to rock and balance the stage. So, what are the key lessons gained you might ask?
In the beginning of 2021s Pride Month, major corporations in Switzerland signed what they call the LGBTIQ Agreement. In this beautiful one-pager they basically state that everyone is the sum of their experiences and that they will not ever judge anyone on anything other than their competence, experience, work ethic, and capacity to grow and learn.
The Moscow Cat Theatre is the only place in the world that engages street cats as actors in professional stage performances. In an interview with the Anadolu Agency in 2019, the renowned Russian artist Dmitry Kuklachev explained how street cats can become famous actors.
Cirque du Soleil have announced the exciting news that Luzia will revisit London’s prestigious Royal Albert Hall in January 2022. The show is scheduled for a month-long run from 12th January – 12th February, and there are new dates to be announced soon for Luzia at the L’Hospitalet de Llobregat venue in Barcelona, as well as Under the Big Top, Plataforma Puerta del Angel in Madrid.
In 1981 our family relocated from Scotland to Beijing, a place we knew virtually nothing about. We soon discovered that leisure activities were mostly those organised by the expat community, including film shows at Embassies, and local television.
Ottavio Gesmundo is a choreographer, stunt coordinator and multifaceted performer with extensive theatre credits that include Broadway, television, cabaret and circus. Ottavio has worked with musicians including Britney Spears, has appeared on The Tonight Show with Conan O’Brien, and he is also the co-author of the award-winning travelogue and circus memoir, The Grand Gypsy.
Mylena Leclercq is as innovative and spirited as they come. She has lived and traveled all over the world, absorbing and learning many different dance styles along the way. At the same time, Mylena is also a gifted artistic swimmer. She loves to experiment and combine different styles of performance. In this interview, she tells us more about her life and career path thus far, as well as about her hopes and inspirations.
Water Shows have a long history. The first documented swimming pool dates back to 2500 B.C in Egypt! They used bricks and wooden planks to hold the pools together and gypsum plaster to make the construction watertight.
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