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107-636: The Big Apple Circus is a circus based in New York City. Opened in 1977, later becoming a nonprofit organization , it became a tourist attraction. The circus has been known for its community outreach programs, including Clown Care , as well as its humane treatment of animals. Big Apple Circus filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in November 2016 and exited bankruptcy in February 2017 after its assets were bought by Compass Partners. The Circus

214-540: A BA in English, and Harvard Business School , Program for Management Development in 1975. He joined Delta Kappa Epsilon (Beta Chapter) while at UNC. Prior to Chapel Hill, Peter graduated from Hotchkiss School . Currently, Peter Grauer is chairman of the board of Bloomberg L.P. Prior to his time at Bloomberg L.P., Grauer was the managing director and senior partner of the investment bank Donaldson Lufkin & Jenrette from September 1992 to November 2000, when DLJ

321-495: A Parenting Achievement award by Parents magazine , to recognize his work with Clown Care. That same year, an incident occurred when one of the performing horses became entangled in another's reins , and an audience member severed the reins with a Swiss Army knife . Gary Dunning became the Big Circus' executive director in 1994. Also, the coffee brand Chock full o'Nuts began sponsoring the circus. Peter T. Grauer became

428-610: A cage with several big cats in 1833, and is generally considered to be the first wild animal trainer in American circus history. Mabel Stark was a famous female tiger-tamer. Animal rights groups have documented many cases of animal cruelty in the training of performing circus animals. The animal rights group People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) contends that animals in circuses are frequently beaten into submission and that physical abuse has always been

535-409: A center ring, and sometimes a stage. The traditional large tents commonly known as "big tops" were introduced in the mid-nineteenth century as touring circuses superseded static venues. These tents eventually became the most common venue. Contemporary circus is performed in a variety of venues including tents, theatres, casinos, cruise ships, and open-air spaces. Many circus performances are still held in

642-457: A change in the law was needed to protect circus animals. Gale told the BBC, "It's undignified and the conditions under which they are kept are woefully inadequate—the cages are too small, the environments they live in are not suitable and many of us believe the time has come for that practice to end." The group reported concerns about boredom and stress, and noted that an independent study by a member of

749-546: A charter program specializing in bringing standard primary and secondary education to children of performing artists, as well as child performers. Teachers were paid the New York substitute minimum, or negotiated contracts. In 2001, the circus' best-known performer, "Grandma" the clown (played by Barry Lubin ), inducted into the International Clown Hall of Fame . A new seating system was installed in

856-406: A circle and the building as an amphitheatre; these would later be known as a circus. In 1770, Astley hired acrobats , tightrope walkers , jugglers , and a clown to fill in the pauses between acts. Astley was followed by Andrew Ducrow , whose feats of horsemanship had much to do with establishing the traditions of the circus, which were perpetuated by Hengler's and Sanger 's celebrated shows in

963-461: A circus is of a Big Top with various acts providing entertainment therein; however, the history of circuses is more complex, with historians disagreeing on its origin, as well as revisions being done about the history due to the changing nature of historical research, and the ongoing circus phenomenon. For many, circus history begins with Englishman Philip Astley , while for others its origins go back much further—to Roman Empire times. In Ancient Rome,

1070-444: A considerable change in the character of the modern circus. In arenas too large for speech to be easily audible, the traditional comic dialogue of the clown assumed a less prominent place than formerly, while the vastly increased wealth of stage properties relegated to the background the old-fashioned equestrian feats, which were replaced by more ambitious acrobatic performances, and by exhibitions of skill, strength, and daring, requiring

1177-482: A departing circus, collapsed, resulting in minor injuries to many but the death of Fanque's wife. Traveling circus companies also rented the land they set up their structures on sometimes causing damage to the local ecosystems. Three important circus innovators were the Italian Giuseppe Chiarini , and Frenchmen Louis Soullier and Jacques Tourniaire , whose early travelling circuses introduced

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1284-712: A few. In some towns, there are circus buildings where regular performances are held. The best known are: In other countries, purpose-built circus buildings still exist which are no longer used as circuses, or are used for circus only occasionally among a wider programme of events; for example, the Cirkusbygningen (The Circus Building) in Copenhagen, Denmark, Cirkus in Stockholm, Sweden, or Carré Theatre in Amsterdam, Netherlands. Peter Grauer Grauer

1391-543: A later generation. In England circuses were often held in purpose-built buildings in large cities, such as the London Hippodrome , which was built as a combination of the circus, the menagerie, and the variety theatre, where wild animals such as lions and elephants from time to time appeared in the ring, and where convulsions of nature such as floods, earthquakes, and volcanic eruptions were produced with an extraordinary wealth of realistic display. Joseph Grimaldi ,

1498-461: A more natural look. Daredevil stunt acts , freak shows , and sideshow acts are also parts of some circus acts, these activities may include human cannonball , chapeaugraphy , fire eating , breathing , and dancing , knife throwing , magic shows , sword swallowing , or strongman . Famous sideshow performers include Zip the Pinhead and The Doll Family . A popular sideshow attraction from

1605-472: A national tour would take place. In September 2018, Big Apple Circus announced Bindlestiff Family Cirkus owner Stephanie Monseu as the new ringmaster for the 41st season. The "high flying" season included a group of female-led acts that would be joining Monseu at the Big Apple Circus. These included Duo Fusion, Spicy Circus, and The Flying Tunizianis. It also introduced a VIP experience called

1712-631: A new Bill to ban the use of wild animals in travelling circuses. The Wild Animals in Circuses Act 2019 came into effect on 20 January 2020. A bill to ban the use of wild animals in travelling circuses in Wales was introduced in June 2019, and subsequently passed by the Welsh Parliament on 15 July 2020. Over 6,500 responses were made by the people of Wales, to the public consultation on

1819-545: A new tent and seating system added. Topping the celebrations was a prestigious silver crown, which the circus won at the International Circus School competition in Monte Carlo , Monaco , where six of the circus' acrobats and jugglers showcased their talent. In 1989, NYNEX started to sponsor metropolitan New York tours to residents of the area and tourists as well. The tour included a trip to

1926-591: A performance there later that season. In the Americas during the first two decades of the 19th century, the Circus of Pepin and Breschard toured from Montreal to Havana, building circus theatres in many of the cities it visited. Victor Pépin , a native New Yorker, was the first American to operate a major circus in the United States. Later the establishments of Purdy, Welch & Co., and of van Amburgh gave

2033-803: A reserve. On 1 February 1992 at the Great American Circus in Palm Bay, Florida , an elephant named Janet (1965 – 1 February 1992) went out of control while giving a ride to a mother, her two children, and three other children. The elephant then stampeded through the circus grounds outside before being shot to death by police. Also, during a Circus International performance in Honolulu, Hawaii , on 20 August 1994, an elephant called Tyke (1974 – 20 August 1994) killed her trainer, Allen Campbell , and severely mauled her groomer, Dallas Beckwith, in front of hundreds of spectators. Tyke then bolted from

2140-444: A ring, usually 13 m (43 ft) in diameter. This dimension was adopted by Astley in the late eighteenth century as the minimum diameter that enabled an acrobatic horse rider to stand upright on a cantering horse to perform their tricks. A shift in form has been credited with a revival of the circus tradition since the late 1970s, when a number of groups began to experiment with new circus formats and aesthetics, typically avoiding

2247-595: A structured program of learning and performing the circus arts." Founded in 2001 as a spin-off of the Clown Care program, the Vaudeville Caravan brings clowns to nursing homes. The Circus for All program provides Big Apple Circus tickets to low-income and disadvantaged children, families, and the elderly. Started in October 2008, Circopedia is an online circus encyclopedia. Circus A circus

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2354-503: A televised promotion concert on Good Morning America at the Big Apple Circus. The Big Apple Circus went on to become the opening act on her phenomenally successful The Circus Starring Britney Spears world tour. In the 2008–2009 season, PBS filmed a documentary about the Big Apple Circus. The documentary, titled "Circus", portrays the lives of not only the performers but the crew as well. The six-part event aired starting November 2, 2010, in chronological order. The 2010–2011 season show

2461-497: A variety of other routines. Juggling is one of the most common acts in a circus; the combination of juggling and gymnastics that includes acts like plate spinning and the rolling globe come under the category equilibristics , along with more classical balance disciplines such as tightwire, slackline and unicycle. Acts like these are some of the most common and the most traditional. Clowns are common to most circuses and are typically skilled in many circus acts; "clowns getting into

2568-417: A wider popularity to the circus in the United States. In 1825, Joshuah Purdy Brown was the first circus owner to use a large canvas tent for the circus performance. Circus pioneer Dan Rice was the most famous pre- Civil War circus clown, popularising such expressions as "The One-Horse Show" and " Hey, Rube! ". The American circus was revolutionised by P. T. Barnum and William Cameron Coup , who launched

2675-489: Is a company of performers who put on diverse entertainment shows that may include clowns , acrobats , trained animals, trapeze acts, musicians , dancers , hoopers , tightrope walkers , jugglers , magicians , ventriloquists , and unicyclists as well as other object manipulation and stunt-oriented artists. The term "circus" also describes the field of performance, training, and community which has followed various formats through its 250-year modern history. Although not

2782-627: Is a member of the board of the Prostate Cancer Foundation. He also serves as president of the board of trustees of the Inner City Scholarship Fund in New York City. In June 2013, Grauer was appointed an Independent Non-Executive Director of Glencore plc , later rising to Senior Independent Non-Executive Director in May 2014. He retired from the board in 2018. In 2014, Grauer became the founding chairman of

2889-426: Is run by the Big Apple Circus. Started in 2017, upon the circus entering new ownership after bankruptcy, Embracing Autism performances have a reduced running time, as well as sensory adaptations. Several community programs were originally started and run by the Big Apple Circus, and were not included in Big Apple Circus' bankruptcy sale, and have since been taken over by various local organizations. Founded in 1986,

2996-404: The circus was a roofless arena for the exhibition of horse and chariot races, equestrian shows, staged battles, gladiatorial combat, and displays of (and fights with) trained animals. The circuses of Rome were similar to the ancient Greek hippodromes , although circuses served varying purposes and differed in design and construction, and for events that involved re-enactments of naval battles,

3103-750: The Bartholomew Fair in London during the Middle Ages . The origin of the modern circus has been attributed to Philip Astley , who was born 1742 in Newcastle-under-Lyme, England. He became a cavalry officer who set up the first modern amphitheatre for the display of horse riding tricks in Lambeth, London, on 4 April 1768. Astley did not originate trick horse riding, nor was he first to introduce acts such as acrobats and clowns to

3210-591: The Boston Pops teamed up with Big Apple Circus for what was touted as an extraordinary collaboration and live performance. Also, in 1985 and for the next few years, BAC performers appeared as guest artists with the Metropolitan Opera at Lincoln Center . In 1986, the organization opened the Clown Care unit. The circus celebrated its tenth anniversary in 1987 with a big celebration, as well as

3317-645: The Guinness Book of World Records when, in 2003, they set records, at the same moment, in their different specialties: Carrillo skipped a rope on the high wire 1,323 times in a row, and Gulevich twirled 99 hula hoops at the same time. Another show, "Circus to Go," allowed Big Apple Circus to reach new communities, specifically in Western states. In 2005, Barry Lubin helped produce a show entitled "Grandma Goes To Hollywood." On December 2, 2008, Britney Spears performed her hits Circus and Womanizer in

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3424-761: The Pickle Family Circus , founded in San Francisco in 1975; Ra-Ra Zoo in 1984 in London ; Nofit State Circus in 1984 from Wales ; Cirque du Soleil , founded in Quebec in 1984; Cirque Plume and Archaos from France in 1984 and 1986 respectively. More recent examples include: Cirque Éloize (founded in Quebec in 1993); Sweden's Cirkus Cirkör (1995); Teatro ZinZanni (founded in Seattle in 1998);

3531-628: The Wildlife Conservation Research Unit at Oxford University "found no evidence that circuses contribute to education or conservation."; however, in 2007, a different working group under the UK Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs , having reviewed information from experts representing both the circus industry and animal welfare, found an absence of "scientific evidence sufficient to demonstrate that travelling circuses are not compatible with meeting

3638-628: The 13th century, through medieval and renaissance jesters, minstrels and troubadours to the late 18th century and the time of Astley. The first circus in the city of Rome was the Circus Maximus , in the valley between the Palatine and Aventine hills. It was constructed during the monarchy and, at first, built completely from wood. After being rebuilt several times, the final version of the Circus Maximus could seat 250,000 people; it

3745-668: The 1970s in Australia, Canada, France, the West Coast of the United States, and the United Kingdom. New Circus combines traditional circus skills and theatrical techniques to convey a story or theme. Compared with the traditional circus, this genre of circus tends to focus more attention on the overall aesthetic impact, on character and story development, and on the use of lighting design , original music, and costume design to convey thematic or narrative content. Music used in

3852-466: The 1980s with a special holiday celebration in honor of the circus and its staff. In 1981, the circus began performing at Damrosch Park of Lincoln Center for the first time, continuing until 2015. In 1982, the circus won a silver medal at a circus performing competition held in Paris . The circus began to arrange tours across New England in 1983. They also received an Obie award that year. In 1985,

3959-622: The American chapter of the 30% Club, an international organization aimed at increasing women's representation on corporate boards. Previously, Grauer served on the global advisory board of Out Leadership, which partners with senior executives to advance LGBT equality . OutStanding and the Financial Times named Grauer #4 in their 2015 list of Leading LGBT & Ally Executives, citing his active commitment to LGBT workplace inclusion in Bloomberg LP's global offices. Grauer sits on

4066-460: The Barnum & Bailey Greatest Show On Earth, where it toured from 1897 to 1902, impressing other circus owners with its large scale, its touring techniques (including the tent and circus train), and its combination of circus acts, a zoological exhibition, and a freak show. This format was adopted by European circuses at the turn of the 20th century. The influence of the American circus brought about

4173-778: The Big Apple Circus Clown Care program is composed of over 80 professional clowns, trained extensively in hospital procedures, circus skills, and improvisation, who make rounds as 'clown doctors' at various pediatric hospitals around the U.S. It is estimated that the clowns make more than 225,000 visits to children every year "in both inpatient and outpatient units, including intensive care , emergency room, physical therapy , bone marrow transplant , pediatric AIDS , and hematology / oncology ." Big Apple Circus' Circus After School program gives opportunities for "at-risk youth to develop life-enhancing skills such as teamwork, commitment, and responsible risk-taking through

4280-532: The Big Apple Circus following the European style "one ring" circus. In 1977, they located and secured an open ground area, in Battery Park , courtesy of founding chairman Alan B. Slifka, where the Big Apple Circus debuted. Headlining the early shows was a single trapeze , a dog act, tight rope walking , jugglers and clowns, double trapeze artists, and a host of other performers. The Big Apple Circus began

4387-532: The Big Apple Circus' grounds. The circus and some of its performers were showcased in the Woody Allen movie Alice . In 1991, the circus appeared in a special from HBO, commemorating its 15th anniversary. By 1996, there was increased interest in Big Apple Circus and its performers in cities outside the New York/ New England area. This popularity was in part due to the circus' exposure in

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4494-407: The English public, but he was the first to create a space where all these acts were brought together to perform a show. Astley rode in a circle rather than a straight line as his rivals did, and thus chanced on the format of performing in a circle. Astley performed stunts in a 42 ft diameter ring, which is the standard size used by circuses ever since. Astley referred to the performance arena as

4601-776: The Italian Antonio Franconi in 1793. In 1826, the first circus took place under a canvas big top. The Englishman John Bill Ricketts brought the first modern circus to the United States. He began his theatrical career with Hughes Royal Circus in London in the 1780s, and travelled from England in 1792 to establish his first circus in Philadelphia . The first circus building in the US opened on 3 April 1793 in Philadelphia, where Ricketts gave America's first complete circus performance. George Washington attended

4708-491: The Mirror Room, which allowed ticket-holders to gain access to a wooden Spiegeltent with food, beverages, photo opportunities, and one-on-one interactions with performers. In 2021, the circus was sold again, with Nik Wallenda as a minority owner. Following the circus' emergence from bankruptcy in 2017, community programs "for low-income children and those with special needs as well as other programs geared toward helping

4815-496: The Netherlands, Norway, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Poland, Portugal, Singapore, Slovenia, Sweden, Switzerland, and Turkey. Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Germany, Spain, the United Kingdom, and the United States, have locally restricted or banned the use of animals in entertainment. In response to a growing popular concern about the use of animals in entertainment, animal-free circuses are becoming more common around

4922-465: The Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus came to an end in 2014 when The Humane Society of the United States and a number of other animal rights groups paid a $ 16 million settlement to Feld Entertainment; however, the circus closed in May 2017 after a 146-year run when it experienced a steep decline in ticket sales a year after it discontinued its elephant act and sent its pachyderms to

5029-608: The Soviet gymnastics programme. When the Moscow State Circus company began international tours in the 1950s, its levels of originality and artistic skill were widely applauded. Circuses from China, drawing on Chinese traditions of acrobatics , like the Chinese State Circus are also popular touring acts. New Circus (originally known as cirque nouveau ) is a performing arts movement that originated in

5136-647: The UNC Global Research Institute Board. Additionally, Grauer is the former president of the Pomfret School board of trustees. In 2015, Grauer voted against changing the name of Saunders Hall at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill when an objection was raised concerning William Saunders's prominent Ku Klux Klan activity. Grauer also serves as an advisor to multiple global business institutions. Grauer sits on

5243-779: The United States, bringing with him a circus tent. At this time, itinerant circuses that could be fitted-up quickly were becoming popular in Britain. William Batty 's circus, for example, between 1838 and 1840, travelled from Newcastle to Edinburgh and then to Portsmouth and Southampton. Pablo Fanque , who is noteworthy as Britain's only black circus proprietor and who operated one of the most celebrated travelling circuses in Victorian England, erected temporary structures for his limited engagements or retrofitted existing structures. One such structure in Leeds, which Fanque assumed from

5350-566: The West African Circus Baobab (late 1990s); and Montreal's Les 7 doigts de la main (founded in 2002). The genre includes other circus troupes such as the Vermont-based Circus Smirkus (founded in 1987 by Rob Mermin ) and Le Cirque Imaginaire (later renamed Le Cirque Invisible, both founded and directed by Victoria Chaplin , daughter of Charlie Chaplin ). The most conspicuous success story in

5457-461: The Woody Allen film. In 1996, BAC traveled to both Chicago and Columbus, Ohio . Michael Christensen received two more awards, including one named after Red Skelton . In 1991, Big Apple Circus' performers participated in a collaboration between American and Russian circus performers. In 1993, the circus set a new attendance record. A new tent was purchased, and Michael Christensen was given

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5564-574: The act" is a very familiar theme in any circus. Famous circus clowns have included Austin Miles , the Fratellini Family , Rusty Russell, Emmett Kelly , Grock , and Bill Irwin . The title clown refers to the role functions and performance skills, not simply to the image of red nose and exaggerated facepaint that was popularised through 20th Century mass media. While many clowns still perform in this styling, there are also many clowns who adopt

5671-409: The advisory board of McKinsey & Company , a global management consulting firm. He is a member of the international advisory board of BritishAmerican Business, a transatlantic business network connecting leaders in New York and London. In June 2016, multinational investment firm Blackstone Group appointed Grauer to its board of directors. Grauer left Blackstone board in February 2018 because of

5778-458: The appearance and potential of a conflict posed by Blackstone's $ 17.3bn deal for the financial terminals and data unit of Bloomberg rival Thomson Reuters . Grauer met the founder of Bloomberg L.P., Michael Bloomberg , during equestrian shows both their daughters participated in. It was not until 1996 that Grauer was asked to become a member of the Bloomberg L.P. board of directors where he

5885-570: The arena and ran through the streets of Kakaako for more than thirty minutes. Police fired 86 shots at Tyke, who eventually collapsed from the wounds and died. In December 2018, New Jersey became the first state in the U.S. to ban circuses, carnivals and fairs from featuring elephants, tigers, and other exotic animals. In 1998 in the United Kingdom, a parliamentary working group chaired by MP Roger Gale studied living conditions and treatment of animals in UK circuses. All members of this group agreed that

5992-475: The beginning of a private school for the children who lived and traveled with the circus, titled "The One Ring School House," or "ORSH." The name is a play on " one room schools " and "one ring circus" (the Big Apple Circus branding itself via its traditional single performing ring in contrast to multiple-ring circuses such as Ringling Brothers and Barnum and Bailey ). It was officially chartered by New York State , with teachers supplied by On-location Education ,

6099-608: The boards of several prominent educational institutions. He serves as the Founding Board Chair of College Advising Corps, a national nonprofit organization that supports low-income, first generation students on the path to college. He is also a member of both the board of trustees of Rockefeller University , a global center for scientific research and education, and the Emeritus Board of literacy and education nonprofit Room to Read . Grauer currently serves as

6206-571: The broad categories of juggling, equilibristics, acrobatics, aerial and clowning. These disciplines can be honed into individual acts, which can be performed independently and marketed to many different prospective circus employers, and also used for devising solo or collaborative work created specifically for a single project. Common acts include a variety of acrobatics , gymnastics (including tumbling and trampoline ), aerial acts (such as trapeze , aerial silk , corde lisse , Lyra or Ariel hoop , circus hammok ), contortion , stilt-walking , and

6313-746: The case, brought against Feld Entertainment International by the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals et al., the Court ruled that evidence against the circus company was "not credible with regard to the allegations". In lieu of a USDA hearing, Feld Entertainment Inc . (parent of Ringling Bros.) agreed to pay an unprecedented $ 270,000 fine for violations of the Animal Welfare Act that allegedly occurred between June 2007 and August 2011. A 14-year litigation against

6420-557: The chairman emeritus of Big Apple Circus , an award-winning New York circus performing company and community outreach organization. Grauer is a former member of the board of trustees of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and chairman of the external advisory board of the Undergraduate Honors Program, as well as a member of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Foundation Board and

6527-471: The circus big top, and, after the September 11, 2001 attacks , the circus opened its "Dreams of a City" show, which was dedicated to the City of New York . New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg proclaimed November 1, 2002, as "Big Apple Circus Day". The circus celebrated its 25th anniversary with a documentary film about the creation and production of that year's show. In "Carnevale!", actors and circus performers Pedro Carrillo and Alesya Gulevich entered

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6634-474: The circus to Latin America, Australia, Southeast Asia, China, South Africa, and Russia. Soullier was the first circus owner to introduce Chinese acrobatics to the European circus when he returned from his travels in 1866, and Tourniaire was the first to introduce the performing art to Ranga, where it became extremely popular. After an 1881 merger with James Anthony Bailey and James L. Hutchinson's circus and Barnum's death in 1891, his circus travelled to Europe as

6741-451: The circus was flooded with water; however, the Roman circus buildings were not circular but rectangular with semi circular ends. The lower seats were reserved for persons of rank; there were also various state boxes for the giver of the games and his friends. The circus was the only public spectacle at which men and women were not separated. Some circus historians such as George Speaight have stated "these performances may have taken place in

6848-489: The circus' Chairman in 1995, replacing Patricia Rosenwald. In 1996, the circus' Art in Education program began to work in different grade schools. Clown Care continued to develop, opening chapters in Washington, D.C. , and in Connecticut . 1997 saw new attendance records set, as an estimated 170,000 people went to see the circus' "Medicine Show" production over a total of 114 New York City performances. Furthermore, Clown Care completed 150,000 hospital visits in one year for

6955-406: The community" continued. Started in 1987, Circus of the Senses is a circus performance specifically geared towards children and adults with vision or hearing impairments, as well as special needs. Sign language interpreters and sound augmentation for deaf patrons allow the audience to experience the circus as never before. In 1999, over 6,000 children took advantage of these performances. The program

7062-558: The contemporary circus' shift toward more theatrical techniques and its emphasis on human rather than animal performance, traditional circus companies still exist alongside the new movement. Numerous circuses continue to maintain animal performers, including UniverSoul Circus and the Big Apple Circus from the United States, Circus Krone from Munich, Circus Royale and Lennon Bros Circus from Australia, Vazquez Hermanos Circus , Circo Atayde Hermanos, and Hermanos Mayaror Circus from Mexico, and Moira Orfei Circus from Italy, to name just

7169-527: The draft Bill, 97% of which supported the ban. The use of wild animals in travelling circuses has been banned in Scotland. The Wild Animals in Travelling Circuses (Scotland) Act 2018 came into force on 28 May 2018. There are nationwide bans on using some if not all animals in circuses in Austria, Belgium, Bolivia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Colombia, Costa Rica, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Ecuador, El Salvador, Estonia, Finland, Greece, Hungary, India, Iran, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Malta, Mexico,

7276-529: The early 19th century was the flea circus , where fleas were attached to props and viewed through a Fresnel lens . A variety of animals have historically been used in acts. While the types of animals used vary from circus to circus, big cats (namely lions , tigers , and leopards ), foxes , wolves , polecats , minks , weasels , camels , llamas , elephants , zebras , horses , donkeys , birds (like parrots and doves ), sea lions , bears , monkeys , and domestic animals such as cats and dogs are

7383-450: The ears, under the chin and on their legs with metal tipped prods, called bullhooks. Feld stated that these practices are necessary to protect circus workers. Feld also acknowledged that an elephant trainer was reprimanded for using an electric shock device, known as a hot shot or electric prod, on an elephant, which Feld also stated was appropriate practice. Feld denied that any of these practices harm elephants. In its January 2010 verdict on

7490-430: The employment of immense numbers of performers, and often of complicated and expensive machinery. From the late 19th century through the first half of the 20th century, travelling circuses were a major form of spectator entertainment in the US and attracted huge attention whenever they arrived in a city. After World War II, the popularity of the circus declined as new forms of entertainment (such as television) arrived and

7597-409: The equestrian demonstrations and thus chanced on the format which was later named a "circus." Performances developed significantly over the next 50 years, with large-scale theatrical battle reenactments becoming a significant feature. The format in which a ringmaster introduces a variety of choreographed acts set to music, often termed "traditional" or "classical" circus, developed in the latter part of

7704-524: The financial and business community.” In July 2011, Daniel L. Doctoroff was promoted to Bloomberg L.P.’s chief executive officer and assumed majority responsibility of the company from Grauer, who remained chairman and to whom Doctoroff continued to report. Following Doctoroff's departure from the company in September 2014, Mike Bloomberg resumed overall leadership of Bloomberg L.P., with support from Grauer and Tom Secunda . In 2019, Grauer ranked in

7811-537: The first European country to ban any animal from performing in any circus in its territory in February 2012, following a campaign by Animal Defenders International and the Greek Animal Welfare Fund (GAWF). On 6 June 2015, the Federation of Veterinarians of Europe adopted a position paper in which it recommends the prohibition of the use of wild animals in travelling circuses. Despite

7918-711: The first mainstream clown , had his first major role as Little Clown in the pantomime The Triumph of Mirth; or, Harlequin's Wedding in 1781. The Royal Circus was opened in London on 4 November 1782 by Charles Dibdin (who coined the term "circus"), aided by his partner Charles Hughes, an equestrian performer. In 1782, Astley established the Amphithéâtre Anglais in Paris, the first purpose-built circus in France, followed by 18 other permanent circuses in cities throughout Europe. Astley leased his Parisian circus to

8025-685: The first time in the program's history. During 1998, the circus was able to break attendance records again, as it celebrated twenty years of operation with engagements at New York's Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts and in Boston . TJ Maxx began to sponsor Big Apple Circus appearances in Chicago and in Atlanta by bringing the "Circus of the Senses" to those cities. In 1999, Christensen

8132-407: The funds needed were raised. The circus filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection on November 11, 2016. An auction of the assets of Big Apple Circus was announced on January 13, 2017. On February 14, 2017, Big Apple Circus announced that the U.S. Bankruptcy Court had approved the sale of their assets to Big Top Works, an affiliate of Compass Partners, for $ 1.3 million. As part of the sale, the circus

8239-575: The graduating class of the French circus school Le Centre National des Arts du Cirque (CNAC), directed by Joseph Nadj. In contrast to New Circus, Contemporary Circus (as a genre) tends to avoid linear narrative in favour of more suggestive, interdisciplinary approaches to abstract concepts. This includes a strong trend for developing new apparatus and movement languages based on the capacities, experience and interests of individual performers, rather than finding new ways to present traditional repertoire. Beyond

8346-563: The great arenas that were called 'circuses' by the Romans, but it is a mistake to equate these places, or the entertainments presented there, with the modern circus". Others have argued that the lineage of the circus does go back to the Roman circuses and a chronology of circus-related entertainment can be traced to Roman times, continued by the Hippodrome of Constantinople that operated until

8453-462: The inventor of the medium, Newcastle-under-Lyme born Philip Astley is credited as the father of the modern circus. In 1768, Astley, a skilled equestrian, began performing exhibitions of trick horse riding in an open field called Ha'penny Hatch on the south side of the Thames River , England. In 1770, he hired acrobats, tightrope walkers, jugglers, and a clown to fill in the pauses between

8560-449: The keeping of animals for circuses. A survey confirmed that on average, wild animals spend around 99 to 91 percent of their time in cages, wagons, or enclosure due to transportation. This causes a huge amount of distress to animals and leads to excessive amounts of drooling. City ordinances banning performances by wild animals have been enacted in San Francisco (2015), Los Angeles (2017), and New York City (2017). Greece became

8667-637: The method for training circus animals. It is also alleged that the animals are kept in cages that are too small and are given very little opportunity to walk around outside of their enclosure, thereby violating their right to freedom. According to PETA, although the US Animal Welfare Act does not permit any sort of punishment that puts the animals in discomfort, trainers will still go against this law and use such things as electric rods and bullhooks . According to PETA, during an undercover investigation of Carson & Barnes Circus, video footage

8774-437: The most common. The earliest involvement of animals in circus was just the display of exotic creatures in a menagerie . Going as far back as the early eighteenth century, exotic animals were transported to North America for display, and menageries were a popular form of entertainment. The first true animals acts in the circus were equestrian acts. Soon elephants and big cats were displayed as well. Isaac A. Van Amburgh entered

8881-683: The name "contemporary circus." This labelling can cause confusion based upon the other use of the phrase contemporary circus to mean "circus of today." For this reason, some commentators have begun using the term "21st Century Circus" to encompass all the various styles available in the present day. 21st Century Circus continues to develop new variations on the circus tradition while absorbing new skills, techniques, and stylistic influences from other art forms and technological developments. For aesthetic or economic reasons, 21st Century Circus productions may often be staged in theaters rather than in large outdoor tents. First attested in English fourteenth century,

8988-470: The new circus genre has been that of Cirque du Soleil , the Canadian circus company whose estimated annual revenue exceeds US$ 810 million in 2009, and whose cirque nouveau shows have been seen by nearly 90 million spectators in over 200 cities on five continents. The genre of contemporary circus is largely considered to have begun in 1995 with 'Le Cri du Caméléon', an ensemble performance from

9095-444: The nineteenth century and remained the dominant format until the 1970s. As styles of performance have developed since the time of Astley, so too have the types of venue where these circuses have performed. The earliest modern circuses were performed in open-air structures with limited covered seating. From the late eighteenth to late nineteenth century, custom-made circus buildings (often wooden) were built with various types of seating,

9202-462: The performance aspect of circus, is the Social Circus field, catalysed by Reg Bolton. Social Circus engages communities through circus practice and activity to provide health and well-being benefits. A traditional circus performance is often led by a ringmaster who has a role similar to a Master of Ceremonies . The ringmaster presents performers, speaks to the audience, and generally keeps

9309-451: The production is often composed exclusively for that production, and aesthetic influences are drawn as much from contemporary culture as from circus history. Animal acts rarely appear in new circus, in contrast to traditional circus, where animal acts have often been a significant part of the entertainment. Early pioneers of the new circus genre included: Circus Oz , forged in Australia in 1977 from SoapBox Circus (1976) and New Circus (1973);

9416-597: The public with innovative new approaches to the circus form itself. In 1919, Lenin , head of Soviet Russia , expressed a wish for the circus to become "the people's art-form", with facilities and status on par with theatre, opera and ballet. The USSR nationalised Russian circuses. In 1927, the State University of Circus and Variety Arts , better known as the Moscow Circus School , was established; performers were trained using methods developed from

9523-415: The public's tastes changed. From the 1960s onward, circuses attracted growing criticism from animal rights activists. Many circuses went out of business or were forced to merge with other circus companies. Nonetheless, a good number of travelling circuses are still active in various parts of the world, ranging from small family enterprises to three-ring extravaganzas. Other companies found new ways to draw in

9630-463: The show moving. The activity of the circus traditionally takes place within a ring; large circuses may have multiple rings, like the six-ringed Moscow State Circus . A circus often travels with its own band, whose instrumentation in the United States has traditionally included brass instruments , drums, glockenspiel , and sometimes the distinctive sound of the calliope . Performers have been traditionally referred to as artistes, although in recent years

9737-524: The term artists has also come into regular use. To some performers from multi-generational circus families, the term artiste is still preferred as it is considered to confer higher status than artist. Conversely, some performers from the circus school training route taken by many of the newer generations prefer the term artist as it is considered to be less pretentious than artiste. The physical and creative skills that circus artist/es perform are known as disciplines, and are often grouped for training purposes into

9844-473: The travelling P. T. Barnum's Museum, Menagerie & Circus , the first freak show , in the 1870s. Coup also introduced the first multiple-ring circuses, and was also the first circus entrepreneur to use circus trains to transport the circus between towns. By the 1830s, sideshows were also being established alongside travelling circuses. In 1838, the equestrian Thomas Taplin Cooke returned to England from

9951-520: The use of animals to focus exclusively on human artistry. Circus companies and artistes within this movement, often termed "new circus" or "cirque nouveau," have tended to favor a theatrical approach, combining character-driven circus acts with original music in a broad variety of styles to convey complex themes or stories. Since the 1990s, a more avant-garde approach to presenting traditional circus techniques or "disciplines" in ways that align more closely to performance art, dance or visual arts has been given

10058-479: The welfare needs of any type of non-domesticated animal presently being used in the United Kingdom. " According to that group's report, published in October 2007, "there appears to be little evidence to demonstrate that the welfare of animals kept in travelling circuses is any better or any worse than that of animals kept in other captive environments." A ban prohibiting the use of wild animals in circuses in England

10165-511: The welfare of circus animals in 2008. The following issues, among others, were found: Based on these findings, the researchers called for more stringent regulation regarding the welfare of circus animals. In 2012, the Dutch government announced a ban on the use of wild circus animals. In testimony in U.S. District Court in 2009, Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus CEO Kenneth Feld acknowledged that circus elephants are struck behind

10272-615: The word "circus" derives from Latin circus , which is the romanization of the Greek κίρκος ( kirkos ), itself a metathesis of the Homeric Greek κρίκος ( krikos ), meaning "circle" or "ring." In the book De Spectaculis , early Christian writer Tertullian claimed that the first circus games were staged by the goddess Circe in honor of her father Helios , the Sun God. The modern and commonly held idea of

10379-537: The world. In 2009, Bolivia passed legislation banning the use of any animals, wild or domestic, in circuses. The law states that circuses "constitute an act of cruelty." Circus operators had one year from the bill's passage on 1 July 2009 to comply. In 2018 in Germany, an accident with an elephant during a circus performance prompted calls to ban animal performances in circuses. PETA called the German politicians to outlaw

10486-404: Was acquired by Credit Suisse First Boston . He was also the founder of DLJ Merchant Banking Partners and DLJ Investment Partners. Grauer serves as a director or trustee on a range of professional and charitable boards. He has served on the boards of more than 25 public and private companies. He has been a director of DaVita Inc. since 1994 and the lead independent director since 2003. Grauer

10593-657: Was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania , in 1945 to Frederick M. Grauer and Frances Grauer (née Thacher; d. 2006). His father, Frederick, was a retiree who previously served as the vice president of the Provident National Bank in Philadelphia . Peter's maternal grandfather, Frank W. Thacher, was the president of the Florence Thread Co. in Riverside , New Jersey . He graduated from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 1968 with

10700-868: Was built of stone and measured 400m in length and 90m in width. Next in importance were the Circus Flaminius and the Circus Neronis , from the notoriety which it obtained through the Circensian pleasures of Nero. A fourth circus was constructed by Maxentius ; its ruins have helped archaeologists reconstruct the Roman circus. For some time after the fall of the Western Roman Empire , large circus buildings fell out of use as centres of mass entertainment. Instead, itinerant performers, animal trainers, and showmen travelled between towns throughout Europe, performing at local fairs, such as

10807-506: Was captured showing animal care director Tim Frisco training endangered Asian elephants with electrical shock prods and instructing other trainers to "beat the elephants with a bullhook as hard as they can and sink the sharp metal hook into the elephant's flesh and twist it until they scream in pain". On behalf of the Ministry of Agriculture, Nature and Food Quality of the Netherlands, Wageningen University conducted an investigation into

10914-591: Was due to be passed in 2015, but Conservative MP Christopher Chope repeatedly blocked the bill under the reasoning that "The EU Membership Costs and Benefits bill should have been called by the clerk before the circuses bill, so I raised a point of order". He explained that the circus bill was "at the bottom of the list" for discussion. The Animal Defenders International non-profit group dubbed this "a huge embarrassment for Britain that 30 other nations have taken action before us on this simple and popular measure". On 1 May 2019 Environmental Secretary Michael Gove announced

11021-430: Was inducted into Miami 's Ambassador David A. Walters pediatric Hall of Fame, for his "contributions to pediatrics" by way of the circus and its different programs. "Circus of the Senses" attracted a large number of special needs children, with 9,000 participating. The circus dropped plans for a second unit that was to play in theaters after less than successful financial results during a trial run. The 1990s also marked

11128-518: Was later named chairman of the board in March 2001, succeeding Michael Bloomberg . Despite the economic downturn in 2007, Grauer has been credited with bolstering the workforce at Bloomberg L.P. , adding nearly 1,000 employees in 2009. Additionally, while chairman of Bloomberg L.P, Grauer led the company to purchase Bloomberg BusinessWeek from McGraw-Hill being quoted as saying he would like Bloomberg to become, ‘the most influential source of news for

11235-546: Was renewed for its 40th anniversary season. On March 21, 2017, Big Apple Circus announced on Today that acrobat Nik Wallenda of the Wallenda Family of circus performers would be the headline act in the 40th anniversary comeback season at Lincoln Center's Damrosch Park in New York City from October 26, 2017, to January 7, 2018. Additionally, the circus announced that following the New York performances,

11342-521: Was renewed in October 2017 for its 40th anniversary season and returned to start a new season in October 2018 at Lincoln Center, receiving generally positive reviews. Gregory Fedin and his then-wife Nina Krasavina, both born and trained in Russia, started a circus school to train future "first" generation circus performers. They started the small school in a lower Manhattan loft . The circus couple worked with Paul Binder and Michael Christensen to develop

11449-552: Was titled "Dance On", while the 2011–2012 season show was themed "Dream Big" and was the farewell tour for the clown character Grandma , played by Barry Lubin . In 2014, the Big Apple Circus Metamorphosis was released to video. In July 2016, it was announced that for the first time since 1981, the circus would not run for the 2016 holiday season. The Circus set a fundraising goal for $ 2 million in 2016 in an effort to maintain operations, but only half of

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