Search results
The proof of the use of the word “pavilion” as meaning a canvas tent would seem to lie in the progressive use of the word. No circus ad prior to 1850 (the limit of this research) uses the word “tent.” Only “pavilion” can be found. The earliest use of the word “tent” in connection with a menagerie appears in 1832; with a circus ...
Further, 1826 would seem to be the earliest he used anything. The earliest ad for a tented show appears in 1825. This was in Wilmington, Delaware, and appears, by geography, to be J. Purdy Brown’s circus. Brown used a tent in 1826, featured the facts in his ads and was, we believe, the first circus proprietor in the world to present tented ...
A circus is a company of performers who put on diverse entertainment shows that may include clowns, acrobats, trained animals, trapeze acts, musicians, dancers, hoopers, tightrope walkers, jugglers, magicians, ventriloquists, and unicyclists as well as other object manipulation and stunt-oriented artists. The term circus also describes the ...
- Overview
- Origins
circus, an entertainment or spectacle usually consisting of trained animal acts and exhibitions of human skill and daring. The word has the same root as circle and circumference, recalling the distinctive environment in which such entertainment is presented—the ring, a circular performance area usually bounded by a short fence (or “curb”). The ring may be enclosed in an arena, in a building designed for circus performances, or in a tent, and it is generally surrounded by tiers of seats for spectators.
Variations to this definition exist, however, and any attempt at a strict, all-inclusive definition reduces the term’s application to a particular nationality, generation, or proprietorship. Some circuses do not use trained animals, for example, such as the circuses of China and Africa, which feature acrobatic acts similar to those elsewhere, albeit with traditions rooted in religion and folklore. At various times circuses have offered supplementary attractions such as street parades, menageries, sideshows, pantomimes, and theatrical presentations. A number of circuses, especially in Europe, have been stationary, occupying permanent, often elegant buildings in larger cities. Others have traveled extensively—originally by horse and wagon and then by railroad, boat, motor vehicle, or even airplane—and exhibited in tents, theatres, and, beginning in the 1960s, huge enclosed sports arenas. Many circus companies, particularly in the United States, exhibit simultaneously in three or more rings, with the building or tent taking on a rectangular or elliptical shape; others retain the one-ring format. Some organizations, such as the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus, could point to a history extending back a century or more; other circuses, such as those sponsored by fraternal organizations (e.g., the Shriners), existed for less than a single season or for only one engagement. Through all the above, however, there runs a common thread: the ring, by which spectators readily recognize the entertainment known as “circus.”
The circus is of comparatively recent origin, yet certain elements can be traced back to ancient Rome. The great Roman amphitheatres—called circuses after the Latin word for “circle”—were most often devoted to gladiatorial combats, chariot races, the slaughter of animals, mock battles, and other blood sports. The most spectacular of these arenas, the Circus Maximus, was in operation for more than 1,000 years. It would seem on the surface that these exhibitions of carnage had little in common with modern circuses, yet it is from the early Roman circuses that traditions such as trained animals and the preshow parade derive.
Elsewhere, ancient peoples performed other acts associated with the modern circus. Acrobatics, balancing acts, and juggling are probably as old as humankind itself, with records of such acts being performed in Egypt as early as 2500 bce. The Greeks practiced ropedancing; early African civilizations engaged in siricasi (a combination of folkloric dances and acrobatics); and the ancient Chinese juggled and performed acrobatic acts for members of the imperial court. Clowns have existed in nearly every period and civilization, both as characters in farces and as individual performers.
For centuries, however, there were no attempts to organize such acts into a distinct entertainment; rather, individuals and small troupes of performers with specialized talents wandered through Europe, Africa, and Asia. Such roving entertainers appeared wherever groups of people gathered: in nobles’ halls, at community celebrations, and at marketplaces. In the 9th century King Alfred the Great of England was said to have been entertained by a wild beast show, and in the 11th century William the Conqueror brought performing troupes of ropedancers, tumblers, and contortionists to England from France.
Fairs played an important role in developing trade throughout Europe from the 7th century until the late medieval period, at which point more-regular channels of marketing were standardized. Fairs then became a place less for trading than for entertainment, providing a showcase for acrobatics, feats of skill, trained animals, and other elements later associated with the circus. By the late 18th century, however, they were regarded as unsavory affairs, as they had become gathering places for pickpockets, thieves, and vagrants.
Special offer for students! Check out our special academic rate and excel this spring semester!
Learn More
This is the largest tent and is called by the circus men the "Big Top." This big tent is divided into forty sections, the smallest section having an area of 4,200 square feet of canvas. The entire roof of the big tent contains about 130,000 square feet. To this, of course, must be added the canvas used to form the walls of this enormous tent.
Other articles where big top is discussed: circus: History: …the circus tent, or “big top,” which was first used about 1825 on the itinerating show of the American J. Purdy Brown. His reasons for exhibiting shows under canvas tents (which were at first very small, housing one ring and a few hundred seats) are unknown, but it was…
People also ask
What is the largest tent in the circus?
Does a circus ad use the word 'tent'?
What is a circus tent?
How big was a circus tent in 1834?
How many tents are there in the circus?
What is a big top circus?
Richard Sands was an American circus owner as well as an acrobat, equestrian and 'ceiling walker'. His Sand's American Circus first visited England in 1842 with a stud of 35 horses and 25 equestrians. Sands presented his 'air walking' act, using rubber suction pads attached to his feet, at the Surrey Theatre and later at Drury Lane in 1853.
