Circus Arts
odd: label: Description
content: The modern circus has been a form of public entertainment since the late 18th century; President George Washington attended John Bill Ricketts' circus in Philadelphia in 1793. In the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, the circus introduced towns and cities across the country to a wider world through the dazzling sights, sounds, and stunts of the circus artists. 

With a history of more than 2 centuries, Circus Arts are considered a heritage and traditional art form; its varied skills have been passed down in families through generations. More recently, troupes and circus schools have been established to train new generations in the specific skills of circus arts. This traditional art form has finally received national recognition; the NEA awarded the aerialist Dolly Jacobs the National Heritage Fellowship in 2015. She is the first circus performer to receive this prestigious NHF award. 

Circus members belong to a highly distinctive occupational group, including experts in any one of several clusters of both performance and material arts. Working and performing together, they create a spectacle which induces surprise and amazement in the spectators. It is not just the single acts, it is the entire production and business of the circus that was represented in the Circus Arts program of the 2017 Folklife Festival.  

Circus performance arts have focused primarily on various aspects of physical movement, strength, and endurance. The artists work on the outer boundaries of the potential for the human body and physique. These performance arts encompass five main disciplines of circus arts: acrobatics, aerials, clowning, equilibristic, and object manipulation. For each of these performance categories, teams and individuals from around the country and around the world were invited to demonstrate and perform at the festival. 

The material arts of the circus include aspects of painting and drawing, design, costuming, and tent making, as well as derivative arts inspired by the circus, such as toy making and miniatures. Workshops for modeling these skills were set up around the festival grounds to enable visitors to view the intricacies of their production. Panels also discussed the interplay between the material and performance arts. 

In the Circus Science tent, demonstrations and discussions presented the synergies of science and skill in different circus art forms. The circus Cookhouse was set up to display the culinary skills of circus chefs. Multiple forums were scheduled where circus stories could be shared, including topics such as the social circus, circus families, the history of the circus in American culture, and the changing circus landscape. These forums provided opportunities for experiential exploration of the life and work of circus people, encompassing both the family and community structures in which they thrive. 

The emerging concept of the social circus was everywhere on display during the Circus Arts program. The training opportunities focused on the future roles of these young actors beyond their personal growth.  By removing themselves from the professional/commercial entertainment arena, they have become participants in social change. This new concept brings needed revitalization to the traditional circus arts in the same year that, coincidentally, the largest American circus, Ringling Brothers, Barnum and Bailey Circus announced its closure due to business concerns. 

This presentation on the National Mall spotlighted the occupational culture of Circus Arts at a critical moment in 2017. The Circus Arts program not only helped expand and elevate visitors' understanding and appreciation of a distinctive occupational group. It also championed the vitality of Circus Arts around the world, paving the way for future collaborations.  It is in this exploration that myths can be displayed, tough questions can be raised, and the sharing of deep knowledge can take place between Festival participants and visitors.
label: Production Staff & Participants
content: Production

Director: Sabrina Lynn Motley

Curator: Preston Scott

Co-curators: James Deutsch, Cristina Díaz-Carrera

Program Coordinator: Nichole Procopenko

Foodways Coordinator: Arnie Malin

D.C. Circus Day Coordinator: Marissa Walker

Interns: Isabella Barrengos, Maia Daniel, Miranda DiMase-Nordling, Taylor Heagler, Maris Jones, Michaela Podolny, Laura Yee

Lead Volunteer: Zakiya Williams

Advisors and Presenters: Hovey Burgess, David Carlyon, Janet M. Davis, LaVahn Hoh, Rodney Huey, Dominique Jando, Jennifer Lemmer Posey, Linda Simon, Deborah Walk, Matthew Wittmann
 
Big Top Artistic Director: Pedro Reis

Big Top Production Team: Henry Barragan, Jesse Cogswell, Joe D'Emilio, Luis S. Garcia, Leigh Ketchum, Devin Nee, Amanda Scarpa, Mark Wilson, Atos Zamperla

Participants

 Stars of the CircusDolly Jacobs 

Rafael Palacios 

Ambra Zerbini Bauer 

Joseph Dominic Bauer 

Marina Luna 

Ella Storme 

Olesya Fedotova 

Rony Gomez 

Diosmani Aguero

Leosvel Almeida Gutierrez

Kenneth Kenny Raskin

Circus Arts ConservatoryBarry Lubin

Diosmani Aguero

Leosvel Almeida Gutierrez

Luna Storme

Olesya Fedotova

Karen Bell

Robin Eurich

Jaime Hernandez Carranza, student

Keith Phillips, student

Big Apple CircusRay Slizewski, circus cook 

Bindlestiff Family Circus

Circus BellaCarlo Gentile

Gianluca "Gianni Magi" Gentile

Gioia Mei "Tatlo" Gentile

Giulia "Trixie Love" Gentile

Giuseppina "Guisi", Gentile

Orlene Gentile

Circus CenterSteve Smith

Circus CultureAmy Cohen

Circus Harmony

Circus JuventasDan Butler

Makenna Cook

Piper Gibbs

Sophie Bauer

Circus SmirkusJacqueline Davis

Jennifer Agans

Amity Stoddard

Cirque des VoixElla Storme

Marina Luna

Pedro Reis

Dolly Jacobs

Rafael Palacios

Matuni Vaiaoga

Barry Lubin

Clowns without Borders

Happenstance Theater

Hebei Golden Eagle Acrobatic Troupe

Listo Trapeze VolantMiguel Cáceres

Medical Clown Project

New England Center for Circus Arts (NECCA) 

Sailor Circus

School of Acrobatics and New Circus ArtsIan Jagel

Tyler Henry

UniverSoul CircusBone Breakers, Contorionists

Caribbean Dynasty Dancers

Chain Reaction, Acrobats

Daniel "Lucky" Malatsi, Ringmaster

Fresh the Clowns

Veronica Blair, Aerialist

Carlos Pinto Morales, Acrobatics

Sherrie Silver, Dancer

Wallenda Family TroupeAlessandro Wallenda

Tomas Wallenda

Wenatchee Youth CircusRebecca Geren

Jillian Davis

Lily-Ann Geren

Martin Talbot

Wise Fool New MexicoAmy Christian

Lisa Smith

Band of Jugglers

Unaffiliated PerformersPatrik Elmnert, Juggler

Craig Quat, Juggler

David Tetrault, Calliope

Jeffrey Raz, Clown

Kim Hawkins, Clown

Thom Wall, Juggler

Dominique Jando, Scholar

LaVahn Hoh

Sarah Chapman, Circus Cook

Tim Mack, Ringmaster
name: label: Collection Creator
content: Smithsonian Institution. Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage
setName: label: See more items in
content: Smithsonian Folklife Festival records: 2017 Smithsonian Folklife Festival
dataSource: label: Archival Repository
content: Ralph Rinzler Folklife Archives and Collections
identifier: label: Identifier
content: CFCH.SFF.2017, Series 2
objectType: label: Type
content: Archival materials