Contemporary circus (nouveau cirque)
Contemporary circus, also called new circus or nouveau cirque, emerged between the early 1970s and mid-1980s in Australia, the US West Coast, France and the UK, drawing on new-wave theatre and street performance. Rather than a string of unrelated acts, it conveys a story, theme or mood through acrobatics, juggling, aerial work, music and acting, often mixed with dance and theatre. Animals are rarely used.
In 1984 Cirque du Soleil was founded in Quebec by former street performers Guy Laliberté and Gilles Ste-Croix, and became the genre's best-known company. In France circus moved to the Ministry of Culture in the late 1970s. CNAC in Châlons-en-Champagne calls itself a cradle of contemporary circus, and schools such as London's National Centre for Circus Arts train performers today.
Sources
- Wikipedia - Contemporary circus
- Cirkör - From cirkus to nouveau cirque to contemporary circus
- BnF / CNAC circus archive - Jean-Michel Guy on contemporary circus
- Re-Riga - France, the birthplace of contemporary circus
- Cirque du Soleil - Creation of Cirque du Soleil (press kit)
- The Canadian Encyclopedia - Gilles Ste-Croix
- CNAC - Centre national des arts du cirque
- National Centre for Circus Arts
- Wikipedia (fr) - Cirque contemporain
Organisations connected with this dance
- National Centre for Circus Arts (London)
- Cirque du Soleil
- Centre national des arts du cirque (CNAC), Châlons-en-Champagne
- Circostrada
Listed as references; being listed is not an endorsement by or of the organisation.