Unique Circus Images.

 Here are some rare images that have been taken of unique acts through the 1800's.

Lady and the Serpent  

Russian Contortionist 

Lion Tamer 

Hippopotamus Trainer

Lion Trainer 

Clown with Hippopotamus Trainer

Knife Thrower with Assistant 

Knife Juggler 

Unicycle Rider. 

These images are treasured in the circus world as they reflect the life and atmosphere of what once was the age of a life time. Before WHS (Workplace Health & Safety) was brought into the picture, acts would perform amazing death defying tricks that would aww an audience to silence, this makes it harder for performers these days to impress the audiance to the standards that where set by the 1800's acts. 

DareDevil Circus

DareDevil Circus perform death defying stunts and tricks all over the world, they are based in Michigan, USA. Their performances contain fire twirlers, areal apparatus routines and more. These type of promotional videos are the best way in order for companies to promote their show.

Not only do they perform all over the world, they teach their tricks to anyone who is willing to pay. Through these two videos you can see the difference between the beginners and the professionals only those who are starting out have a lot to strive for.

The more videos you watch the more you will understand the way in which you need to move your body in order to achieve the tricks, and the more you will want to practice. 

Circus tricks are not just about doing, its about watching and perfecting the techniques in order to perform them with elegance and grace. Making the tricks look natural and organic is one of the hardest tricks to learn. 

Interview With a Circus Beginner.

How did you hear about Aerialize?
When I was younger my mother places me in circus school as a way of learning unique skills, at the time I was also doing gymnastics, doing both at the same time helped me with my balance on both the trapeze and the balancing beam in gymnastics. And later in live i decided to go back and try it out again to see if i still loved it, so with a ten year gap of learning circus I went back and tried again.

What was your favourite apparatus?
My favourite was always the trapeze. It clicked best with my understanding of balance and moment, now don't get me wrong I love the silk as well but it doesn't have the same stability that trapeze offers and I enjoy the freedom that static trapeze gives.

What was the first thing you learnt at Aerialize?
Ha on the first day they got us to do the real basics, it was all bout the fundamental that we will have to lean to be able to do the more advances tricks. So we learnt how to juggle, keep a hula hoop up and we learnt to basic stretches that we where going to have to practice.

Do you enjoy the performance aspects of Aerialize? or do you just do it for leisure?
Oh I defiantly love the performing, it is what we work all year on some times, perfecting the tricks and learning new ones to impress the crowd. Its not just the performing that I love, its the whole environment that is created when everyone works together on one project and everything falls into place at the final moment. And after the final show is over everyone comes together in a momentous occasion to celebrate what once was.

What is your practice schedule?
Well I mostly attend the classes for the fitness and leisure and rarely participate in the performances, so my schedule consists of stretching every morning, attending class once a week and generally staying heathy.

Would you encourage others to attend the classes?
Oh yes defiantly, I have made some of my best friends during these classes and it is a great alternitive to  going to the gym every morning and you learn unique tricks and skills that you would not necessarily learn anywhere else.

Thank you, Sonia Hart for answering my questions.

Circus Street Performers

Street performances such as "The Secret Circus" perform on a public platform to entertain large audiences in areas such as farmers markets and festivals. Most street performances follow themes, for example, this duo combines both circus acts and Mission Impossible music to create a interesting environment and engulfs the audience's attention. Circus performers must have something that sets them apart from all over street performers, for example, their style or particular trick.

Street performers don't always have such big audiences or crowd. Some work on a smaller scales such as: card illusionists, mimes, ventriloquists, jugglers and contortionists. 

Small scale acts, such as card illusionists and ventriloquists, rely on the audience to be engulfed by the trick.

Circus Costumes.

Circus costumes have evolved over time with emaculate detail, designers have continued to create magnificent bold costumes that truly identify the role off the performers. Each performer has usually got a costume like outfit that translates through each circus. For example, Ringleaders traditionally wear a red tail-coat jacket with a top hat. Many traditional circus' continue with this tradition on a very literal scale but some circus' like to mix things up a bit and create a similar look but a little bit more creative. There is the traditional clown with the big red nose but these days the class clown is dresses in much more realistic ideas of what clown humour is.
The acrobats usually wear leotards that are skin tight with excellent detain that shines off the bright circus spotlights, these costumes usually relate to the act, for example if the performance is about two frogs that fall in love the costumes will reflect that, they would be different shades of green with a silver reflective surfaces to resemble the frog like simmer.
Costumes designers work very hard to make the costumes beautiful and spectacular as the audience is drawn in by the spectacular performance. The costumes help them engage into the story that the acrobats are portraying.