“History Now!”: The circus has always been a reflection of society

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You’ve probably already been to the circus. Did you also have mixed feelings? Funny clowns and exciting rope routines, brilliant costumes and breathtaking animal routines, and the smell of the ring. At the same time, questions arise about the welfare of circus animals and circus people. Why is the circus such an ambivalent institution?

The first circus was not a circus at all. The Romans held chariot races in the Circus Maximus. There was no bread, but games for all the people. When Rome fell, the empire and its circus continued to live in the East. The Emperor in Constantinople liked it: he liked to be honored in the circus. But the bishop complained that his contemporaries knew everything about circus stars but nothing about the Bible. Competition between the church and open to everyone, at the same time a political arena for the imperial cult – the circus was already complex in ancient times.

In the modern circus, everything looked different, but the situation remained ambivalent: the British Philip Astley loved trick riders. At the end of the 18th century, he first imitated their horse tricks in a circular ring. They were quickly joined by clowns, jugglers and mimes. The artists amazed the audience with their bold performances in the high sky. But whoever fell was thrown and shot – there was no net or double bottom for the circus performers.

Astley’s business model spread throughout the world along with the British Empire. Something also returned from there: exotic animals. At the end of the 19th century, they became the stars of the ring: menacing big cats that stood on their hind legs and elephants that fell to their knees. The Tamer demonstrated the power of humans over animals, as well as the dominance of the West over distant countries of origin. Colonial behavior did not particularly bother contemporaries; even people from the colonies were paraded around like circus animals. Resistance only provoked cruelty to animals. The circus was a reflection of modernity: colonial and controversial.

The circus also transported ideological messages to the Soviet Union. The clowns praised socialist progress and explained to the audience why prosperity was still a long way off: the enemy in the West was to blame, of course. At the state circus, performers were trained using professional training methods, and special effects were introduced into the circus tents. Innovation and propaganda went hand in hand.

The old circus couldn’t stand it and reinvented itself in the 1970s. Without animals – thank you very much to all the tigers – and with people in the center. Through a combination of sports, performing arts and live music, circuses have become global entertainment events. At the same time, the social circus entered the scene: the circus circle became a safe place for children from refugee camps, youth from socially disadvantaged areas and victims of sexual violence. They defined the rules of the game, and circus teachers helped them, sponsored by Cirque du Soleil, a commercial circus that thereby bought itself a clear conscience.

The circus is like a chameleon: exploitative and social, artistic and colonial, a propaganda machine and a refuge from the harshness of everyday life. Will you feel different the next time you step into the ring?

Source: Blick