Salon.com: Goodbye to death-defying feats — daring young men (and women) on the flying trapeze, whip-wielding lion tamers, human cannonballs. Goodbye to the scent of peanuts and popcorn, the thrill of three rings, the jaunty bum-bum-dadadada of circus music.
Send out the clowns. The Big Top is coming down — for good.
2 comments:
No matter your argument, it can be said that the circus is a true feat of performance. There is something to admire about its 146 year run. I agree with the article, I think that the way the world is changing its focus and values has greatly affected the Circus and its ability to reach audiences. I can't imagine how hard it was to continue to try to gain audiences among the publicity of lawsuits and being accused of mistreatment. Even after all was settled, their main pull- the elephants- were gone. With the growing restrictions and guidelines in different states and cities, it was just one battle after the other. It is sad to see something that many people consider a staple of american society turn irrelevant. I an glad to hear that there are elements of the circus in many traveling shows today. Although the Circus will be no more, hopefully the spirit of performance it brought to America will continue to entertain in these shows.
Although to all rational thought closing the The Ringling Brothers Circus makes sense, there is something very bittersweet about the Big Top coming down one last time. I think it's because the idea of the circus, an idealized version where there is no animal cruelty and crowds flock to gigantic red and white striped tents wherever they pop up, represents everything that is magical about show business. The circus is the last refuge for the misfits and the misunderstood, the place every small child of a certain dreamy disposition planned their escape to at some point. There is an air of wonderful impermanence: traveling around the country, bringing joy to small towns but never stopping or staying. Of course the reality is harsher than our fantasy and animal rights activists are applauding the closing of this show. And it feels like the right time for it to be closing. In our hyper-aware culture, people scrutinize the ethical practices of businesses, such as the treatment of animals in a way we didn’t decades earlier. We no longer can enjoy blissful ignorance. And that is a good thing, I believe we can create performances that are both wondrous and politically conscious. I don’t mean to suggest that the two are mutually exclusive at all. My hope is that while this circus may be closing, the spirit of the traveling circus remains.
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