New York Theater: Like many a performer, Jan Damm has been climbing the walls during the pandemic, but he did it literally. After live performances dried up, he started creating at-home skits for the Bindlestiff Open Stage Variety Show in his German clown persona as Hans Liebedich, and in one of them he demonstrated his acrobatic skills by ascending to the ceiling in his hallway.
4 comments:
It’s interesting that circus workers were left out of the most recent funding. As vibrant and exciting as the circus is, there is not much work and I’ve repeatedly been seeing things about the bindlestiff family circus. Circus will continue to exist in little ways, but as a massive industry, it’s already taken a hit. One can argue that shows like Cirque do or do not count as circus. Hopefully this letter is able to make its way to the executive branch so performers can afford to continue creating during this time. The article noted that there are 45 different companies that bought into this organization which surprised me, but the 133 individuals seems a bit low. The article also noted that in times of historic economic downturn, circus has done okay because of it’s cheap business model. In this day and age it’s difficult to keep anything cheap, especially because audiences have such high expectations for what a show should be.
There were so many things in this article that shocked me. First, since when is circus art not considered art? Seriously, look at clowning which is very similar to acting and I think people at our school even have to learn about it. Then there's these incredible skills such as aerial arts, acrobatics, trapeze and more. How is that any different from dance, except for the fact it might be even more extreme? I also thought that we have moved past the perspective that it is a “low” art form especially since companies like Cirque du Soleil are extremely profitable. As someone who is a huge fan of circus arts, it’s really upsetting to hear about the lack of support circus performers are receiving during this difficult time. They deserve funding and shouldn’t have to worry about if they will be able to continue their art once this is all over.
It’s crazy to see the progression of the circus industry over the past few years and what it meant to American life. The circus used to be so prominent at the beginning of the last century and as the years have gone on large circuses have been declining and closing down. I find it particularly sad that the Circus workers have been left out of the last wave of funding. Also since when is circus art not considered art, I find that absolutely absurd. The amount of skill that goes into putting on a circus is so large and also expensive. I feel like the decline of the circus industry has to do with the advents in technology that have come over the past few decades and how the American audience expectations have changed since they need to be entertained by larger and more exciting things. Hopefully the letter does go through and make some change up down in Washington so these performers can continue their artistry.
It’s crazy to see the progression of the circus industry over the past few years and what it meant to American life. The circus used to be so prominent at the beginning of the last century and as the years have gone on large circuses have been declining and closing down. I find it particularly sad that the Circus workers have been left out of the last wave of funding. Also since when is circus art not considered art, I find that absolutely absurd. The amount of skill that goes into putting on a circus is so large and also expensive. I feel like the decline of the circus industry has to do with the advents in technology that have come over the past few decades and how the American audience expectations have changed since they need to be entertained by larger and more exciting things. Hopefully the letter does go through and make some change up down in Washington so these performers can continue their artistry.
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