World Circus Day. Circus Day celebration

Spectacular performances of acrobats, funny jokes clowns, gymnasts flying under the dome and animal trainers - all this is a circus. To world society was able to fully appreciate the contribution of this art form to culture, a holiday was dedicated to it.

International Circus Day is celebrated on the third Saturday of April every year. In 2019, it falls on April 20.

Story

The initiator and creator of the celebration is the World Circus Federation. This idea was supported by the European Circus Association. Most of all, the circus performers themselves were delighted with the new holiday. In 2010, they celebrated their professional day at the international level for the first time.

Two years earlier, European Circus Day was celebrated on the third Saturday of April. In order not to break the tradition, the date of the new holiday was left unchanged.

The first circus that was built in Ancient Rome, bore little resemblance to what is considered classic entertainment, with clowns and trained bears. The Romans used the circus as a place for horse racing and chariot racing. There were also fights between gladiators. Entertaining people is the only similarity between the circus that was in the Roman Empire and the one that is familiar to contemporaries.

After the collapse of the Empire, circuses lost popularity and ceased to operate until the 18th century. Resurrection and a new look, which resembled the usual in the XX century, the circus craft is obliged to the British Astley. The first performance of the father and son was held in Paris. On the built round arena they showed numbers with horses and acrobatic exercises.

In the German city of Stuttgart, a circus bear has been issued a driver's license.

The arena in the circus has a strict size. Its diameter is 13 m. This value is optimal for horses running in a circle at a gallop.

In circus jargon, throwing sharp objects is called "palisade art."

The human world is full of entertainment. The origins of many of them are in the distant past. These are, for example, theater, cinema, amusement parks. The same can be said about the circus. The latter was dedicated to a separate holiday:. It is celebrated every third Saturday in April. In 2019, this holiday falls on the 20th day of the specified spring month.

General information about the holiday

International Circus Day appeared in 2010 at the initiative of two organizations: World Federation of the Circus (Federation Mondiale Du Cirque) and the European Circus Association (European Circus Assotiation). At first it was an exclusively European holiday. And, by the way, the solemn date itself was tied to that of the European Circus Day, which has existed since 2008. And in 2010, she by and large, simply acquired an international status, which became possible thanks to the support that the idea received from dozens of European states, including Russia.

International Circus Day is a very emotional holiday. Its goal is quite transparent: development in all countries of the planet circus art. This is very important because the latter is one of the ancient species world art and culture. The circus gives its audience laughter, joy, in a word - positive. Circus performances unfolding in the arena make children experience incomparable pleasure, and adults get distracted from their own problems and troubles for a while. The circus is a place of rest from the hustle and bustle, it's different, fairy world located very close to us. And one of the tasks international day circus is the preservation of this miracle, created by the hands and creative thought of mankind, as well as its improvement.

On every third Saturday of April, anyone can go to the circus of their own or nearby city, see the brightest, colorful shows, as well as participate in master classes held within the framework of the holiday by jugglers, acrobats and other employees of the institution, where an atmosphere of lightness and fun always reigns. In many countries of the world, International Circus Day is a day of carnival processions and street festivities. Another interesting opportunity provided to citizens within the announced solemn date is that, if desired, you can plunge into the world of the circus behind the scenes. What you see will make you fall in love with entertainment that has deep historical roots.

It should be noted that the world circus has its own headquarters. It is located in Monte Carlo - a small kingdom. Princess Stephanie of Monaco herself follows the development and activities of the Circus Federation, being the patron of the organization. She also became in due time the initiator of the creation of this association, the main objective which is the popularization of circus art and the attraction of public interest to it.

If we talk directly about our country, then in Russia a lot is also being done in this area. The solution of organizational issues related to the International Circus Day, as well as the development and maintenance of domestic circus art as such, is the responsibility of representatives of the Russian State Circus Company. The latter is nothing more than an association of the largest circuses in the country. This organization has established its own award, awarded for special merits in the circus arts. It is also the personification, a kind of emblem of the International Circus Day in Russia. This award is a figurine of a cheerful Harlequin standing on one arm on a circus ball.

circus art

When did circus art begin? This question is easy enough to answer if we recall antiquity. In ancient Hellas, holidays were often organized dedicated to pagan gods. These celebrations were accompanied by bright performances of actors - why not a prototype of the modern circus? In ancient Rome, this trend was developed even more, because the great power had numerous circuses, in the arena of which real circus numbers. One of the famous ancient Roman circuses is rightfully considered the notorious Colosseum. Our country has also excelled in this regard. From time immemorial, buffoon booths and fairs have existed here, charging the people with enduring fun for a long time. Even the gloomy Middle Ages were marked by numerous scenes in which funny jesters participated.

A full-fledged circus with tightrope walkers, jugglers, acrobats and trained wild animals appeared already in later Europe. However, at first the performances took place on the street or in specially designated places, and the circus, as a rule, was nomadic. And only in XVIII century Finally, a real stationary circus appeared, settling in a building with round arena and domed roof. It opened in London in 1777 (according to other sources in 1768). The author and owner of the circus was Philip Astley. Initially, the round arena was intended for theatrical performances with the participation of mainly horses. Later, one could see performances in other genres here: historical melodramas, plot musical performances, extravaganzas. By the way, it is Philip Astley who is credited with determining the diameter circus arena(13 m). He also became the founder of the first circus dynasty. In 1782, a branch of the Astley Amphitheater opened in the French capital. In general, the resourceful British circus lasted until 1895 and was considered a very popular entertainment institution in London.

At the beginning of the 20th century, the circus performance dramatically changed its structure. The stationary circus has acquired clowns: carpet and trainers. The tricks of aerial gymnasts have become qualitatively more complicated due to the introduction of a safety net into the practice of circus. As a result, a number called "cross flight" was performed for the first time, and the role of "catcher" also appeared.

The art of tightrope walkers has undergone some changes. In particular, the hemp rope was replaced with a metal cable, which had greater strength. This allowed tightrope walkers to master complex acrobatic pyramids. technical revolution of those years gave the green light to the introduction of various mechanisms into the circus art. As a result, absolutely incredible performances such as "fairy tales on the water" or "racing on a vertical wall" began to be demonstrated in the arena. Subsequently, this trend has been further improved, and today we have the opportunity to enjoy circus performances, designed with all the latest technical innovations.

Each country has its own leaders in the field of circus arts, but only a few of them managed to become famous throughout the world. Earth. What world circuses are included in the list of the best? This is, no doubt, Cirque du Soleil (Canadian "Circus of the Sun"), "Paradise show from the Middle Kingdom", the Australian circus "Oz". It is worth including the Great Moscow Circus on Vernadsky Avenue, famous for its incredible performances with trained animals. Go to the circus more often - and life will seem brighter!

The third Saturday in April annually hosts a worldwide holiday, International Circus Day. The European Circus Day, founded in 2008, appears in the history of the formation of the celebration. Two years later, the date received international status and since 2010, the specialists involved in the field of production positive mood, appeared its professional holiday.

The obvious relationship of the words compasses, circus, circulation is dictated by the same Latin root, circus, literally translated as "circle". Indeed, in terms of the shape of the circus buildings, they evoke round associations. Although the very first arenas were not strict circles in plan, they were elongated, closer to oval, because they had a slightly different purpose than now. Then, when these buildings were called circuses, they were used as hippodromes, stands for gladiator competitions or baiting animals.

In the Middle Ages, the spectacles given to the people in circuses were supplanted by theaters. Round buildings dilapidated, started up, abandoned and broken, ceasing to perform an entertainment function. After all, it was impossible to adapt them for any other activity, premises for theatrical performances and the mysteries assumed a completely different arrangement, the markets did not take root here, as these buildings were also not suitable for dwellings.

Only at the end of the 18th century, around 1777 (according to other sources, 1768), the English rider Philip Astley came up with the idea of ​​making money on the art of riding. As a balancing jockey, he was fond of vaulting (acrobatics in equestrian sports) and decided to popularize this spectacle. He opened a school and built an entertainment facility for viewing. Astley quickly realized that the track on which the horses galloped must be closed.

Empirically, the optimal diameter of the arena obtained inside this circle was determined. It depended on the average dimensions of the horses, the speed of their movement. Thus, a certain angle of inclination was achieved, which was necessary for acrobatic equestrian performances. Since the average performance of circus animals and their speed characteristics are the same all over the world, the radius of the circus arena calculated in this way is used everywhere.

A little later, jugglers, mimes, animal trainers, clowns and aerialists joined the acrobats of equestrian balancing act. This was done later by another surname, the Franconi Italians. It is in this form that classical circus art has come down to us. Nevertheless, Philip Astley is considered to be the father of the modern revived circus.

Now circus art is international and has its own headquarters. It is located in the Principality of Monaco, in the Monte Carlo region. The patronage of the World Circus Federation is carried out by the royal family of this dwarf state.

On International Circus Day, it is customary to arrange the most spectacular programs, consisting of the most successful numbers, to hold master classes and interactive shows in which everyone can feel involved in the empire good mood, positive spirit and holiday.

Today, the circus is one of the most unusual and revered art forms. Demonstration of fun and original in circus programs had an impact on the development of modern spectacular art, because the circus is always relevant.

Circus performances reached grandiose proportions. Each new production surprises and shows something unusual to the modern viewer. Therefore, the performances contain not only the performances of the theater group, but also tricks, dangerous stunts, skills of trained animals.

Story

Circus Day celebration was held in 2010 for the first time. Two major international organizations offered to patent and hold this holiday:

1. European Circus Association.
2. International Circus Federation.

The proposal to create a holiday was justified by the almost complete lack of interest of young people in the circus as an art form. In addition, the holiday includes an acquaintance of curious spectators with the inner world of the circus, the life of actors, their rehearsals.

In the first year of the celebration, the idea was supported by no more than 30 countries, and Russia was among the celebrating states, whose circus school has an international level. By the next year, about 40 countries have already decided to take part in the celebration, and this is more than 100 thematic productions. In general, about two hundred circus troupes organized events to celebrate the day of the circus. Already in 2012, the number of celebrating countries increased to 47. The organizers are young teams of cultural cities and industry meters, demonstrating their skills.

April 16 was not chosen by chance as the celebration of International Circus Day. This day has gone down in history since 2008, when Europe first celebrated this holiday, pursuing the same goals.

Traditions

Considering that the holiday was patented recently, professionals and spectators have already managed to reward it with special traditions.

To attract spectators and young professionals, many circuses on this day invite everyone to a special program that attracts visitors not only to holidays to visit them, but also to get acquainted with the planned performances of artists. Circus troupes hold festive festivals, in most cases - charitable ones.

The mood of the public is supported by clowns and carnival participants who took to the streets of the cities of the world. Performances that cheer up the residents of the city create an atmosphere of joy and carelessness on this day.

It was established not only to show the circus in all its splendor and to please fans this art new programs and performances, but also called to pay tribute to the contribution of circus art to culture. After all, the circus is loved not only by children, but also by adults, and in different parts of the world.

The initiators of the establishment of this holiday were in 2009 the European Circus Association (European Circus Assotiation) and the World Circus Federation (Federation Mondiale Du Cirque), operating under the patronage of Princess Stephanie of Monaco. Then the President of the European Circus Association, which today includes 21 circuses, Urs Pils and Princess Stefania invited all circuses to support the initiative of the annual celebration of the International Circus Day, which was first celebrated in 2010 and has since become an annual event for many countries.

By the way, the World Circus Federation, headquartered in Monte Carlo, was founded in 2008 to promote the development of circus art and culture around the world. It was she who initiated the holiday dedicated to the circus - on April 19, 2008 (on the third Saturday of April) the European Circus Day was held for the first time, and it was decided to continue this tradition with the establishment of the world holiday- International Circus Day. And now the issue is being worked out with UNESCO regarding the inclusion of this holiday in the list of annually celebrated dates.

It must be said that national days there are circuses in many countries. In Russia, ideas about the establishment of such a holiday have been heard for many years, but so far Russian circus performers have not had their own holiday. But there was an international day. Thus, more than 25 countries, including Russia, took part in the celebration of the first International Circus Day in 2010.

Although the circus is considered one of the oldest forms of art, since the mention of all kinds of performances of acrobats, jugglers, riders, clowns ... dates back to the times Ancient World, but in its modern form, the circus appeared only at the end of the 18th century. And its founder is the English rider Philip Astley, who empirically established that it is most convenient for horses to run in full gallop and perform tricks in a circle with a diameter of 13 meters. Today, this diameter of the arena is observed in almost all circuses in the world.

Being a skilled rider, Astley showed various tricks on horseback in the arena, and later other artists entered the arena - acrobats, jugglers, tightrope walkers, clowns, trainers ... Since the middle of the 19th century, the number of circus genres has increased and the technical possibilities of performances and numbers have expanded. For example, after the introduction of a safety net in the rooms aerial gymnastics there was a possibility of complicating tricks.

In Russia, the circus, in its modern sense, appeared much later than in Europe. The oldest circus hospital is the Gaetano Ciniselli circus in St. Petersburg, opened in 1877, which still functions today. But the founders of the Russian National Circus are the Nikitin brothers, who, having given the first performance of the “Russian Circus of the Nikitin Brothers” in Penza, subsequently opened a whole network of good-quality circuses in a number of Russian cities.

The modern circus is clowning, acrobatics, tightrope walking, musical eccentricity, illusionism, pantomime, sideshow and much more. There are thousands of circuses in the world, and a number of them have world fame. For example, one of the oldest circus troupes in the world is the Chinese acrobatic circus "Paradise Show from the Middle Kingdom", or the Canadian "Circus of the Sun" (Cirque du Soleil), the main advantage of which is that it is not just a separate circus organization, but is a huge circus corporation with offices in several countries around the world. And in the French "Circus Fratellini" the main characters- clowns, and the famous American "Circus of the Ringling Brothers and Barnum and Bailey" is considered one of the first in the process of modernizing the circus business.

No less famous is our domestic circus. Big Moscow state circus on Vernadsky Avenue - the largest stationary circus in the world. During his activity, he presented more than 100 different programs, where best artists Russian and foreign circus. And on the arena of the Moscow Circus on Tsvetnoy Boulevard, one of the oldest circuses in the country, world-famous artists performed - these are Anatoly and Vladimir Durovs, Vitaly Lazarenko, Williams Truzzi with their horses, acrobats Okeanos, equilibrist sister Koch, magician Kio, clowns Pencil, Oleg Popov, Yuri Nikulin, Leonid Yengibarov, Mikhail Shuidin. Valentin Filatov's "Bear Circus" was created here...

It should also be noted that there are a lot of dynasties in this profession that continue the best circus traditions. Such famous dynasties as the Durovs, Zapashnys, Kyo, Filatovs, Kantemirovs, Tuganovs, Bagdasarovs, Volzhanskys, Doveiko are inscribed in the Golden Fund of the Russian circus. And the list of masters of the arena can be continued for a long time. A lot of books and pictures have been written about the circus, many films have been shot, international circus festivals, the oldest and most prestigious of which is the Monte Carlo Festival, where their circus Oscars are played.

In honor of today's holiday, many circuses arrange Days open doors, various street actions, special programs, exhibitions, carnivals, charity events and other events. International Circus Day is a special event for all masters and fans of circus art, such a kind, a little naive, but sincere and wonderful miracle, whose name is CIRCUS.