When is International Circus Day in the year? General information about the holiday
The third Saturday in April annually takes over world holiday, International Circus Day. The history of the celebration includes European Circus Day, founded in 2008. Two years later, the date received international status and since 2010, specialists involved in the production of positive mood have their own professional holiday.
The obvious similarity of the words compass, circus, circulation is dictated by the same Latin root, circus, literally translated as “circle”. Indeed, in terms of shape, circus buildings evoke round associations. Although the very first arenas were not strictly circles in plan, they were elongated, closer to oval, because they had a slightly different purpose than now. Back then, when these buildings were called circuses, they were used as hippodromes, stands for gladiatorial competitions or baiting of animals.
In the Middle Ages, the spectacles presented to the people in circuses were supplanted by theaters. Round buildings fell into disrepair, were neglected, abandoned and broken down, ceasing to serve an entertainment function. After all, it was impossible to adapt them for any other activity, the premises for theatrical performances and the mysteries suggested a completely different structure, markets did not take root here, and these buildings were also not suitable for housing.
Only at the end of the 18th century, around 1777 (according to other sources, 1768), the English rider Philip Astley came up with the idea of making money from the art of horse riding. Being a balancing jockey, he was fond of vaulting (acrobatics in equestrian sports) and decided to popularize this spectacle. He opened a school and built an entertainment venue for viewing. Very quickly Astley realized that the track along which the horses were galloping must be closed.
Empirically, the optimal diameter of the arena obtained inside this circle was determined. It depended on the average dimensions of the horses and their speed of movement. This achieved certain angle tilt required for acrobatic equestrian performances. Since the average performance of circus animals and their speed characteristics are the same all over the world, the radius of the circus arena calculated in this way is used everywhere.
A little later, jugglers, mimes, trainers, clowns and aerialists. This was done later by another family, the Italians Franconi. It is in this form that the classic has come down to us. circus art. Nevertheless, Philip Astley is still considered the father of the modern revived circus.
Now circus art is international and it has its own headquarters. It is located in the Principality of Monaco, in the Monte Carlo region. The patronage of the World Circus Federation is carried out by the royal family of this dwarf state.
On International Circus Day, it is customary to organize the most spectacular programs consisting of the most successful acts, conduct master classes and interactive shows in which everyone can feel involved in the empire of good mood, positive spirit and celebration.
With the initiative of holding an annual world day circus performed by European circus association(European Circus Association) and the World Circus Federation (Federation Mondiale Du Cirque).
The World Circus Federation, headquartered in Monte Carlo, was founded in 2008 under the patronage of Princess Stephanie of Monaco. Federation is non-profit organization, created to promote the development of circus art and culture throughout the world, as well as to represent the interests of the circus at the international level.
The first circus was opened in London in 1777 (according to other sources in 1768) by Philip Astley. It was the first theatrical performance in Europe in a building with a round arena and a dome-shaped roof. Initially, the round arena in the circus existed exclusively for horses. Astley's circus was dominated by equestrian acts: figure riding, training, acrobat jockeys, living pyramids of riders, which were built at full gallop. Astley was the first to show vaulting - a complex gymnastic exercises on a horse moving at a walk, trot and gallop in a circle. He is also responsible for determining the diameter of the circus arena - 13 meters, which was chosen in such a way that the optimal centrifugal force of a galloping horse was created for the rider. In addition to horse shows, Astley's circus staged story shows. musical performances, extravaganzas and melodramas on historical topics, which included fencing and equestrian battle scenes. Philip Astley became the founder of the first circus dynasty. In 1782, a branch of his theater opened in Paris. Astley's Amphitheater existed until 1895 and was one of the most popular entertainment venues in London during the first century. half of the 19th century century.
By the beginning of the 20th century, the structure of the circus performance was changing dramatically. In the stationary circus, carpet clowns and clown trainers appear. After the introduction of a safety net, it becomes possible to make tricks more difficult. aerial gymnastics, where a new role appeared - “catcher” (an artist who belays and catches flying partners), and the “cross flight” number is performed for the first time. In the art of tightrope walking, the hemp rope is replaced with a stronger metal cable, which makes it possible to perform complex acrobatic pyramids on the rope. With the technical revolution of the early 19th century, performances and attractions based on the use of technology multiplied - from racing along a vertical wall to “flying from a cannon to the moon,” from extravaganzas on the water to new possibilities of illusion.
The origins of the Russian circus were in the performances of traveling buffoon artists, known since the 11th century. In the 18th century, fairground booths became increasingly widespread. folk festivals, where acrobats, gymnasts, and jugglers perform. IN early XIX century, circus performances were held in the arena of Count Zavadovsky in St. Petersburg, a special building was built for equestrian performances on Krestovsky Island. In 1849, a state-owned imperial circus was opened in St. Petersburg with a special department for training circus personnel. In 1853, a stationary circus was built in Moscow on Petrovka. There were traveling circuses in the provinces. In December 1877, a meeting took place in St. Petersburg Grand opening first in Russia stone building, built taking into account circus specifics. The initiative to build the circus belonged to the Italian rider and trainer Gaetano Ciniselli, the head of a large circus family.
Currently, there are stationary circuses in almost all regional and major cities Russia.
After October revolution The Main Directorate of Circuses (GUTs), a self-supporting organization that existed within the system of the Committee for Arts Affairs under the Council of People's Commissars of the USSR, was created. In addition to stationary ones, the State Center included traveling circuses and attractions under common name Circus association.
In 1957, the State Center was transformed into the All-Union Association state circuses- SoyuzGoscircus, which led the circus business in the USSR. Soyuzgoscircus provided economic activity circuses; supervised the production work of stationary circuses and circus groups, conducted training and retraining of artists of various genres.
After the collapse of the USSR there was "Rosgostsirk", which became the successor to "Soyuzgostsirk". This is the largest circus company not only in Europe, but also in the world, unites 42 stationary circuses in Russia. The Russian State Circus system, based on the so-called circus conveyor, presents almost 500 original circus acts and programs. Its artistic cadre consists of almost three thousand people, which are replenished by graduates State school circus and pop art named after M.N. Rumyantsev (Karandash), as well as members of amateur circus groups from 70 regions of the country. Almost two thousand animals take part in circus performances.
The program for celebrating World Circus Day over the years - on this day, circus troupes organize open days for spectators and charity events, hold street performances, exhibitions, carnivals and processions with the participation of clowns, gymnasts, acrobats, jugglers and others circus performers.
The material was prepared based on information from RIA Novosti and open sources
Spectacular performances by acrobats, funny jokes clowns, gymnasts flying under the dome and trainers with pets - all this is a circus. To world society was able to fully appreciate the contribution of this type of art to culture, a holiday was dedicated to it.
International Circus Day is celebrated on the third Saturday of April every year. In 2019 it falls on April 20.
Story
The initiator and creator of the celebration is the World Circus Federation. This idea was supported by the European Circus Association. The circus performers themselves were the most happy about the new holiday. In 2010, they celebrated their professional day at the international level for the first time.
Two years earlier, European Circus Day was celebrated on the third Saturday in April. In order not to break tradition, the date of the new holiday was left unchanged.
The first circus that was built in Ancient Rome, bore little resemblance to what is considered classic entertainment, with clowns and trained bears. The Romans used the circus as a venue for horse racing and chariot racing. Fights between gladiators were also held there. Entertaining people is the only similarity between the circus that existed in the Roman Empire and the one familiar to contemporaries.
After the collapse of the Empire, circuses lost popularity and ceased to operate until XVIII century. The circus craft owes its resurrection and new look, which resembled the one familiar in the 20th century, to the English Astley. Father and son held their first performance in Paris. In the built round arena they showed performances with horses and acrobatic exercises.
In the German city of Stuttgart, a circus bear was issued a driver's license.
The circus arena has a strict size. Its diameter is 13 m. This value is optimal for horses galloping in a circle.
In circus jargon, throwing sharp objects is called the “picket fence art.”
Perhaps one of the most vivid memories of every person from childhood is going to the circus. Aerial acrobats, dancing animals, as well as clumsy and extremely funny clowns allow you to forget about the real gray world and be transported to a world of colors, smiles and eternal fun. However, the work of circus performers is very difficult, and often involves significant risk to life. Therefore, the world annually celebrates International Circus Day on the third Saturday of April.
The history of the holiday
The idea to establish World Circus Day belongs to several well-known companies– European Circus Association, International Federation circus So, in 2010, this wonderful professional holiday of circus artists appeared. The date chosen to celebrate such an event was the date of European Circus Day, introduced in 2008. Thus, the date of the celebration of Circus Day in Europe passed to a new holiday, which was insisted on by many countries of the world, including Russia.
The purpose of founding such a holiday is to attract public attention to the importance of the development of circus art. This is really extremely important, since circus art is one of the most ancient, and the main task of any circus is to give the audience maximum quantity pleasure, joy and surprise. It turns out that all circuses work only for the smiles and entertainment of spectators, improving their mood. Therefore, Circus Day is aimed at supporting a circus that can move spectators to Magic world, full of colors, unusual animals and funny clowns, preserving such an ancient and useful art.
On the third Sunday of this month, everyone can join in the celebration International Day circus At this time, many circuses give traveling performances, and masters of circus art conduct unique master classes for spectators, allowing everyone to try themselves as acrobats, jugglers or tightrope walkers. At Circus Day celebrations ordinary people have the opportunity to enter the circus arena and feel like actors, clowns and even trainers, and therefore appreciate the incredible skill and titanic work of such specialists.
Many people don't even realize that the circus has its headquarters located in the mini-kingdom of Monte Carlo. The famous patron of the circus is the Princess of Monaco. She personally monitors the work of the Circus Federation and the development similar art. At the same time, such a crowned lady is one of the initiators of the creation of such a Federation, which is engaged in popularizing the activities of the circus, as well as attracting public attention to the problems of the circus.
In Russia, many measures are also being taken to support the circus art. There is even a specialized State Circus Company of Russia, dedicated to supporting the Russian circus, as well as attracting public attention to the main problems of this area. Similar main company Russia, dealing with the problems and development of the circus, is an association of the largest circuses in the country. It provides for the presentation of an unusual prize to people who have achieved great success in circus activities. The prize is a specific figurine of a laughing harlequin clown holding on to a circus ball with one hand.
How did the circus appear?
The first circuses are considered to be funny performances in ancient Hellas dedicated to the glorification of pagan deities. Such festivities were attended by costumed actors, who are the prototype of modern clowns. In the Roman Empire, even more attention was paid to the circus, because there were many full-fledged circuses, where artists regularly delighted the audience with complex and interesting acts. One of the main circus arenas in Rome is the legendary Colosseum, which is the most popular ancient Roman building that has survived many eras. It is noteworthy that in Russia circus art also developed rapidly, which is confirmed by buffoonery performances, as well as fun fairs where various actors and masters who tamed wild animals performed. Moreover, even the harsh Middle Ages, which was the era of the birth of the first cultural entities, is also distinguished by the presence of circus performances. At that time, merry games and feasts were organized, the entertainment of which was jesters and trainers, acrobats and dancers.
The first professional circus, featuring performances by trainers of predatory animals, aerial acrobats, tightrope walkers and skilled jugglers, appeared only several centuries later in Europe. However, such a circus was not held in pavilions, but simply on the street or in pre-prepared places. If we talk about the first circus under a dome with a round arena, it arose only in London (18th century). Since then, circus art has been constantly improved, and the fame and popularity of the circus has grown rapidly. With the advent of the Internet, as well as films with spectacular special effects, the popularity of the circus has decreased significantly. But there are many people who respect the genuine performance of real artists who know how to bring smiles, give joy and instill in children a belief in real miracles.
Along with the development of human civilization, entertainment art has progressed and changed. Over time, it managed to become an integral part of people's lives. Therefore, it is not surprising that over the years humanity has come up with more and more new types of art for entertaining people. The circus is rightfully considered one of the most significant, valuable and spectacular types of entertainment art. In many ways, it was circus performances, the purpose of which is to demonstrate the funny and eccentric, that had a huge influence on the development of modern entertainment art.
Now, like many other types of entertainment art, the circus has undergone significant changes. Nowadays, circus performances have become larger, more interesting and unusual than they were before. And this is understandable, because it is much more difficult to surprise a modern viewer. Therefore, in modern circus performances, in addition to the classic performances of clowns and acrobats, there are magic tricks, balancing act and trained animals.
A feature of all modern circus troupes is that they cannot all constantly perform in the same city, since the program of performances changes quite rarely. Residents of the same city are not interested in watching the same program, then circus troupes have to move from place to place. That is, at this point they are no different from a traveling circus.
Today, the programs of all circus troupes differ from each other. These differences can be both dramatic and insignificant. The level of performances demonstrated by certain troupes also differs. Therefore, only a few circus troupes become truly famous throughout the world. Perhaps the most popular circus group today is Cirque du Soleil. Hundreds of thousands of people all over the world want to attend their performances. However, not only this Canadian circus has interesting program, but many other troupes around the world also have interesting and original acts in their stock. It is therefore not surprising that circus, which is one of the most spectacular forms of art, is so popular throughout the world. Looking at such popularity, it becomes clear why International Circus Day was established.
history of the holiday
Like many other forms of art, circus has its origins in Ancient Rome. However, in fairness, it is worth noting that although the ancient Roman circus was very popular, it is completely different from modern performances.
After the collapse of the Roman Empire, the circus did not disappear anywhere. For example, several circuses were built in Paris, in which Parisians were shown certain performances. But all of them were not of interest, since people preferred the theater. Therefore, the circuses were broken down and abandoned.
However, already at the end of the eighteenth century, everyone in the same Paris began to revive interest in circus performances. They began to build new large arenas where unusual performances were shown. These new programs attracted viewers. Therefore, from Paris the circus began to spread to Italy and England, and then to others. European countries. At the same time, the circus came to Russia, where the people fell in love with it.
As you can see, at the circus rich story, which provided big influence on modern culture. Therefore, this type of entertainment art deserves its own holiday, just like theater.
The first International Circus Day took place in 2010, when the European Circus Association, based in Monte Carlo, and the International Circus Federation proposed establishing this holiday. They explained their proposal by the fact that people began to lose interest in such an amazing art form as the circus. In addition, with the help of such a holiday, these two organizations decided to introduce viewers to behind the scenes life circus troupes and rehearsals. They also wanted to draw people's attention to the fact that the circus had a great influence on the development of modern culture.
Initially, only 25 countries supported the idea of the holiday. Russia was no exception, circus school which is one of the best in the world. Already on next year 39 countries already took part in the celebration. As part of the celebration of the second International Circus Day, more than a hundred thematic events took place. More than 150 circus troupes performed at these events. In addition to young groups, real leaders of the industry, for example, the Soleil and Medrano circuses, joined the celebration.
In 2012, the number of countries celebrating this holiday increased to 46 states. That is, every year International Circus Day attracts more and more popularity.
The date of celebration (the third Saturday of April) was not chosen by chance, since it was on this day in 2008 that the European Circus Day took place, which pursued approximately the same goals.
How to celebrate and celebrate International Circus Day
Despite the fact that this professional and cultural holiday was established relatively recently, it managed to acquire certain traditions and customs. So, on this day, circus troupes prepare special festive performances. Some circuses organize open days on this holiday, the purpose of which is to attract attention to the industry. In addition, some arenas host charity performances by circus troupes. On the same day, all over the world great amount street circus performances and carnivals. That is, this holiday is truly fun and joyful.
