Hey all -
My novel's MC is going to be, for lack of a better word, an acrobat. My initial leaning in style was towards Cirque du Soleil, but the way my setting has progressed, I feel like that kind of thing is a little too polished for the novel.
Basically, I'm looking for something in the realm of Cirque du Soleil, but rougher around the edges in terms of style - the acrobats are definitely excellent performers, but the mood should be more like a sideshow at a fair or one of those old school tent circuses.
Does anyone know of any troupes or groups that do anything like this? I'd also appreciate any tidbits, anecdotes, theories, etc., about the general topic....
Thanks :-)
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Eeyore was saying to himself, "This writing business. Pencils and what-not. Over-rated, if you ask me. Silly stuff. Nothing in it."
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Oct 9, 2008 - 13 57
You might look at Yard Dogs Road Show and Circus Contraption, both of which have some of that edgy-yet-old-school feel. I haven't yet seen either group perform except in video clips and via the excellent book Freaks and Fire-- if you can get your hands on a copy, I recommend it-- so I can't say for sure whether they have that same virtuoso quality as Cirque du Soleil. For that, I recommend looking up the Seven Fingers (Sept Doigts de la Main... I think; my French is patchy on good days). Most if not all of the performers have worked with Cirque du Soleil in the past, so they are very talented, but the performance is definitely more like a dance performance than a sideshow.
Incidentally, I'm not sure how many of these kinds of circuses use actual tents: it's still done, but the trend seems to be to put the shows in small theaters or other buildings. I imagine there are all kinds of additional burdens involved in using a tent. But that's your characters' problem :)
I could go on, obviously (I'm a circus fan...), but I think if you poke around on YouTube with the above names you should be able to find something that resonates. Good luck!
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Oct 12, 2008 - 02 31
I belong to a circus society (www.circusoc.com) Try looking up acrobalance on the net. If you have a couple of keen friends, you could probably even give it a go. The main thing with acrobatics, in my experience, is confidence. You have to be confident that you know what you're doing. If you're working with someone else, you have to be confident that they aren't going to drop you, or that they'll be in the right place at the right time. Otherwise, you will hurt yourself.
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Oct 25, 2008 - 18 12
My MC is a clown in a circus about 50 years in the future, but I'd like some info about present day circuses. I've done some research, but I'd really like some personal experience. If anyone could help me out, that'd be awesome.
How do circuses travel? I've read about circuses that use trains in books, but they were usually set in the past (like Water for Elephants). Do they use big trucks? Do circus people sleep in trailers or do they get hotel rooms?
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Oct 26, 2008 - 06 34
Most small circuses today travel by truck and trailer. Performers generally have their own trailers or RV and live in them. These days those trailers can be quite plush, complete with satellite TV and internet.
Ringling Bros still travels by train, but a lot of performers will travel in their own RVs or pull their own trailers so that they can plan their own routes and have a little independence from the train.
While there are fewer circuses traveling these days, there are still quite a few tented shows (aka "mud shows") -- Big Apple Circus, Kelly-Miller Circus, Carson and Barnes, and Cole Brothers to name a few.
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Nov 9, 2008 - 05 41
Who ever said Cirque du Soleil was polished behind the scenes? There's tons of stories and gossip in the circus world regarding them. There's plenty of catty people, divas, absurd or demanding leaders. My favorite nitty-gritty group is Bindlestiff, but the people who run it are actually fairly normal and sane in real life. So, just to sum up: the shows that look normal on the outside can be full of freaks in real life and the shows that look rougher can be full of normal people. If you think your story lacks credence I'm here to tell you that it sounds perfectly normal to me. Also, you might enjoy the book Geek Love.