The Cambridge Companion to the Circus

Description

The Cambridge Companion to the Circus provides a complete guide for students, scholars, teachers, researchers, and practitioners who are seeking perspectives on the foundations and evolution of the modern circus, the contemporary extent of circus studies, and the specialised literature available to support further enquiries. The volume brings together an international group of established and emerging scholars working across the multi-disciplinary domain of circus studies to present a clear overview of the specialised histories, aesthetics and distinctive performances of the modern circus. In sixteen commissioned essays, it covers the origins in commercial equestrian performance during the late-eighteenth century to contemporary inflections of circus arts in major international festivals, educational environments, and social justice settings. Frontmatter Contents Figures Contributors Acknowledgements Timeline Introduction The Circus: Reflecting and Mediating the World PART I Transnational Geographies oft he Modern Circus 1 The Origins and Growth of the Modern Circus 2 Reconstruction, Railroads, and Race 3 Circus, Colonialism, and Empire 4 The Criollo Circus (Circus Theatre) in Argentina 5 The Past and Present of Czech Circus 6 Catching On: Chinese Acrobatics from China to the West in the Twenty-First Century PART II Circus Acts and Aesthetics 7 The Equestrian Circus 8 Animals, Circus, and War Re-enactment 9 Circus Clowns 10 Aerial Performance: Aerial Aesthetics PART III Circus A Comtantly Evolving Form 11 Circus and Somatic Spectacularity on Stage in the Variety Era 12 Becoming an Art Form: From ‘Nouveau Cirque’ to Contemporary Circus in Europe 13 Risky Play and the Global Rise in Youth Circus 14 Social Circus PART IV Circus Studies Scholarship 15 Methodologies in Circus Scholarship 16 Through the Looking Glass Bibliography Index