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Once an eagerly awaited spectacle, the traveling circus--that miracle of red wagons, trumpeting elephants and spangled trapeze artists that slipped into town at dawn and disappeared by midnight--has all but vanished from the American landscape. This work explores circus history from 1793 to the present and addresses the forces of modern culture (such as the popularity of Cirque du Soleil, and pressure from the animal rights movement) that are pushing big top shows toward what the author calls "circus ballet." Numerous photographs and in-depth interviews conducted with show owners, performers and directors enrich the narrative. Overall, the book reveals a sobering contrast between circuses of yesterday and today, even as it honors the outstanding performers who created, and have sustained, the enduring appeal of the circus.
List of contents
Table of ContentsPreface 1. The Big One Falls
2. Back Before Barnum
3. American Heyday
4. Brother, Can You Spare a Ring?
5. Spectacles Unsublime
6. Mavericks on the Midway
7. Cirque du Invasion
8. Encore for the Eighties
9. Vanishing Visions
10. Laliberte Latitudes
11. Ringling in Retreat
12. Reparations for Jumbo?
13. Gunther in Black
14. There Go the Shriners
15. And the Band Did Not Play On
16. Minus Clyde Beatty
17. This Way to the Ballet
18. Bumpin' Back with a Voice
19. Big Apple Delicious
20. And in the Only Ring That Matters
Chapter Notes Bibliography Index
About the author
Entertainment journalist and critic David Lewis Hammarstrom has written articles for The Christian Science Monitor, American Skating World and Variety. He lives in California.
Summary
Once an eagerly awaited spectacle, the traveling circus has all but vanished from the American landscape. This work explores circus history from 1793 to the present and addresses the forces of modern culture that are pushing big top shows toward what the author calls ‘circus ballet’.
