Oh, What A Circus . . .

Roll up, roll up, the circus is coming to town!!
Watch the caravans arrive, and the Big Top go up on the green. See all the bright lights and bustle. Breathe in and smell that wonderful scent of sawdust!!

The very first circuses began in ancient Rome, and very brutal and bloody affairs they were too. Gladiators, prisoners and wild animals were pitched against each other in often very one-sided battles in the amphitheatres, while the people watched the carnage and cheered and ate and drank.
The modern circus of a mix of traditional human and animal acts dates from the 18th century with clown performances or horse riding tricks taking place in specially built amphitheatres. Tents came into use from 1825 onwards enabling circuses to tour countries and then the world.
The largest and best known travelling circus is “The Barnum & Bailey Greatest Show On Earth” - the start of which is very loosely portrayed in the 2017 film “The Greatest Showman”.
The contemporary circus, such as Cirque du Soleil, started in the 1970s and while it still has some of the traditional acts, it is far more theatrical in style with acrobats and other artistes telling stories within their dramatic performances.

Jugglers display great skill and co-ordination.

I think we all agree that wild animals such as elephants, tigers, lions, bears, sea lions, etc should never have been used in any circus and the quicker all use of wild animals is outlawed around the world, the better. And any domesticated animals, like horses or dogs, if they are used in a circus or any other form of entertainment, should be treated with respect, must enjoy what they do, and be humanely trained.
But, even without animal acts, there is still plenty to be seen and enjoyed at a circus.

Acrobats of all kinds, dazzle us with their feats of strength, flexibility and daring.

There is always a lot of that going on!!
Although a lot of people find clowns a bit creepy rather than funny and some are seriously clown-phobic!! This fear of clowns is known as coulrophobia.

Circus horses perform either as liberty horses - of all shapes and sizes - or as moving vaulting horses for the human acrobats.

The trapeze artists risk life and limb to entertain the crowd. They have to have the ultimate trust in the others involved in their acts.

High wire acrobats must have a good head for heights as well as extraordinary balance.

Dogs can either have an act of their own or be part of the clown act. They do comedy pretty well!!

So, have you ever been to the Big Top at any time?
What is your favourite act at the circus? Or is there one you would have loved to have a go at yourself?
Please share any circus related pictures, gifs, music or videos!!

All are welcome. And please feel free to recommend and share all discussions you enjoy.

There is no obligation to follow any of our informal themes. They are simply for fun. This is an open topic chat thread, so please just post or talk about anything you like!