You can do any circus act. There is nothing inaccessible to you! Remember, for example, such an amazing number - balancers on perches. One performer holds a perche, a huge aluminum barbell, on his forehead. His partner climbs the barbell to the very top and does gymnastic exercises there, and at this time the “bottom”, holding the barbell on his forehead, bends, sits down, lies down, turns and straightens again.
What kind of relationship and interdependence of partners should there be in such a number! After all, you won’t actually climb onto your partner’s head! You are standing on the floor in front of him, but you are standing as if you were on top of the perch and as if your partner was holding this perch on his forehead. The slightest inaccuracy, loss of balance, and your partner will not be able to hold the punch! Work!
Can you show me trained horses? Certainly! And you don't need to get down on all fours to do this - let your horses run on two legs as if they knew how to do it!
Everyone’s task: come up with several circus acts at home, practice them and show them to us.
Circus performance
Work on individual circus acts can culminate in a mass exercise - a circus performance, with an orchestra on imaginary instruments, with first-class attractions and, of course, with an audience - what is a circus performance without applause? Uniformists are also definitely needed to prepare the arena for each performance.
The performance begins. The orchestra is thundering. The Ringmaster announces the numbers:
Brothers Kurochkin! Icarian Games!
Sisters of Zanzibar! Top class riding! Equestrian ballet revue!
Trained dogs!
Sawing through a box with a living artist Emma Vavilonskaya!..
Acrobats on a trampoline!.. A juggler on a motorcycle!.. Acrobats with a flip board!.. An eccentric on a wire!.. Aerialists!.. Balancers on balls!.. Flying on an arrow!.. An equilibrist on reels!.. A group of Himalayans bears!.. Original genre!..
Power acrobats!.. Musical eccentrics!.. Roller skaters!.. Aerialists!.. Jumpers!.. Football monkeys!.. There are sea lions and bathers in the pool!..
Unscrewed head
In the play-fairy tale “An Ordinary Miracle” by Evgeniy Schwartz, a cheerful and kind wizard performs miracles in an amazingly simple way: “Walking, you know, through the forest, I see: a young bear, still a teenager. Head with a forehead, smart eyes. We talked, word for word, I liked him I picked a nut branch and made a magic wand out of it - one, two, three...” And what did he do? Just a little - turned a bear into a man!
Let's perform ordinary miracles! Well, let's say, play a trick on a friend: while he is sleeping, unscrew his head and hide it in the room. Let him look when he wakes up!
Two students go out onto the playground. One lies down on the bench and falls asleep. Another begins to “unscrew” his head.
Twist it carefully, otherwise he will wake up. What, is it difficult to give in, is the thread rusty? Watch whether his breathing is calm, whether his eyelids are trembling.
Finally the head is unscrewed, and the student carries the imaginary head to the corner of the room and hides it. Then he wakes up his friend: “Get up, it’s time to go to class!”
What happens when you wake up? Do you see anything? Nothing! True, your head woke up along with you, but it lies in such darkness that it can’t see anything. Feel your shoulders, neck with your hands... but your head is not there! Of course, these are your friend's jokes. He's always joking... But he ran away. You'll have to blindly search for the head throughout the room. Search!
The friend silently sneaks into the corner, takes the head and slips it to the owner.
Is she or isn't she? Check, maybe it’s someone else’s? Feel your imaginary head. Do you recognize your nose, your hair? It's okay, screw it in place!
When practicing miracle exercises with students, you should also strive to find the logic and sequence of miraculous actions in them.
For each of us in childhood, going to the circus was long-awaited and desired. How many positive emotions and pleasant memories remained with us after graduation circus performance. Not only children, but also adults watch with great pleasure how a circus performer works.
So why not have a circus performance right at your event? Do you doubt that this is possible? Anything is possible with us. Contact us, and any circus artist will become a participant in your event. You will be entertained by acrobats, clowns, magicians, jugglers, gymnasts, trainers. A holiday with the participation of circus performers is always unforgettable and fun.
Circus show options
Animal trainers are always in great demand at various events. For corporate party It is better to invite trainers of large animals, such as tigers or bears. It is quite dangerous, and therefore very exciting and attractive. But remember that for such a performance you will need a fairly large area. For children's party dog or cat trainers are suitable. It will be very cute and fun. These animals are easy to train and show their dexterity and intelligence.
You can order them for any occasion, because they can amuse both adults and children. You can create a joyful atmosphere at your event, have a fun and exciting time. Children's clowns, as a rule, find an approach to any child, thus the child feels the most important at the holiday, which means he is happy and satisfied.
You can invite aerialists to your wedding or anniversary. It's very romantic and exciting. Aerialists will create a whole show for you, and you will be fascinated by watching the movements of the artists in the air.
Magic show in Moscow
A circus artist such as a magician will add fabulousness and enchantment to your event. This show will definitely be remembered and discussed. Unexpected tricks and illusions, incredible sleight of hand - you will get all this if you order a show program with the participation of a magician from us.
Dexterous jugglers will show you wonderful performances, and you will enthusiastically watch the movements of their hands. Want to try it yourself? The jugglers will give you several lessons in skill and compete with everyone in their skills.
Circus performers can offer you this unusual number, How . This spectacle is becoming increasingly popular in lately. Fire attracts and fascinates, and in combination with the plastic movements of the artists, you become a witness to a stunning spectacle.
Are we interested in you? Then the circus is already coming to you! Meet and enjoy!
Show in the style of the legendary " Chinese circus", famous for its color and complexity of the tricks performed. Bright costumes, props and skill of the actors will allow the viewer to immerse themselves in the cradle of martial arts. A spectacular, spectacular circus act, with stunt acrobatics.
Acrobatic couple (Supports)
One of the most striking original circus numbers is a dance with elements of acrobatics (lifts).
Filled with rotations, acrobatic paired elements and dance sequences between them. Performed as under slow music, and under energetic. You will be able to see on stage a story (of love, friendship, hatred) that will not leave anyone indifferent.
Equilibrium
If you don’t know how to decorate your holiday, then this original circus act is definitely for you! It will fit perfectly into the format of absolutely any holiday - be it a wedding, corporate event or birthday. Performed by one or two gymnasts on special canes (stands).
Air show
The routine is performed by talented gymnasts whose performances are simply breathtaking.This can be an unusually flexible show on the aerial ring “Girl on the Ring”, an amazing “Spiderman (Spiderman)” on belts with its strength and endurance, a couple with their love story on canvases and many other images chosen by you.
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Circus acts: interesting, exciting and intriguing
Circus numbers represent the performance of complex acrobatic and choreographic performances. For a circus performer, this is an opportunity to demonstrate their skills, which are the result of extensive training. For the viewer, circus acts are a colorful performance that sometimes makes you forget about reality and simply enjoy the beautiful performance, interesting plot and original costumes, scenery and special effects.
Nikulin's Circus... There is a building on Tsvetnoy Boulevard in which children's joy knows no bounds. Exotic animals, funny clowns - anyone who has ever seen this extravaganza is unlikely to forget it.
General information
One of the oldest is the Nikulin Circus on Tsvetnoy Boulevard. A photo of the man he is named after hangs in the lobby and in his dressing room. The building itself was built more than a hundred years ago. It was specially created by order of the merchant Danilov for Albert of Salamon, whose tent was already extremely popular at the end of the nineteenth century. In October 1880, the circus received its first visitors. They say that Salamonsky framed his first ruble received from ticket sales and hung it in the box office. Today this is the Nikulin Circus on Tsvetnoy Boulevard, the layout of the hall with seats in which helps to navigate the purchase of tickets, can accommodate up to two thousand spectators. And then, at the end of the nineteenth century, it had only five rows of seats, two boxes, a mezzanine, secondary seats - wooden unnumbered benches - and a gallery for standing visitors. Then this building was rebuilt more than once, additional areas were added and completed. And today, as then, the laughter and applause of those who come to the Nikulin Circus on Tsvetnoy Boulevard can be heard here.
How to get there
You can get there by metro. When heading from the center, it is better to take the first carriage, get off at the station of the same name and walk to the right just two hundred meters. For convenience, there are many signs in the metro showing how to get to the Nikulin Circus on Tsvetnoy Boulevard. The address of this entertainment establishment is indicated not only on tickets, but also on posters. It is not difficult to guess that it is located on the street of the same name - Tsvetnoy Boulevard, 13. You can enter the circus in the center of the building, going up a few steps, and the ticket offices are located on the sides.
A little history
A lot of pets came out from here to different arenas around the country. These are Romanov and Kotov, Kukso and Popov, the leader of the “choir” of dogs Bouslaev... It was Nikulin’s circus on Tsvetnoy Boulevard that became the place where he shone with his talent. However, the most famous clowns were the studio members from its second edition - Nikulin and Shuidin.
On the arena of this circus there were the Durovs and Lazarenkos, Truzzi with a troupe of his well-trained horses, jumpers Sosin, dancer Sur... Equilibrists Koch, acrobats Okeanos, and finally the famous Kio - this list can be continued for a long time.
In 1983, Yuri Nikulin was entrusted with managing the circus. In 1985, the last performance took place at its already outdated arena. It, according to many, became a grandiose event for all spectators. And then the old building was demolished, and two years later the first stone was laid in the foundation of a new - modern circus. The capsule was even walled up. And just two years later a new building stood on this site.
And in December 1996, it was decided to rename it “Nikulin Circus on Tsvetnoy Boulevard”. After Yuri Vladimirovich passed away, his son Maxim Yuryevich became the director and successor of the ideas.
Poster
Each program presented by the Nikulin Circus on Tsvetnoy Boulevard is a unique show that amazes viewers with spectacular effects, a wealth of props and mesmerizing sound and music. Recently, one of the main arenas in the country presented a new show. “Royal Circus” is the name of the program, consisting of numbers dedicated to exotic themes.
Acrobats take part in them, gymnasts fly under the dome, horsemen amaze with complex tricks, and a girl wearing several dozen hula hoops will transport the audience on a mirror ball to a fairy-tale world.
Fans of rooms with animals will like trained bears and yaks, peacocks and raccoons, and of course, dogs and pigeons. But the apogee of this new performance is considered to be a program whose theme is the world of the jungle. People and animals - trainers, lions and tigers - in one cage demonstrate not only the fearlessness and will of man, but also the possibility of his coexistence with wild animals.
Incendiary music, costume ballet - all this accompanies each performance, creating an unforgettable impression and emotions for the audience - all that is why Muscovites and guests of the capital come to the Nikulin Circus on Tsvetnoy Boulevard.
Hall layout
In order to navigate when purchasing tickets, you need to clearly understand the internal layout of the circus - how the seats are arranged around the arena. This is especially true for those who are planning to visit first, as well as for those who book tickets online. Their cost depends on the chosen location. For example, the first two rows - chairs directly next to the arena - cost three and a half thousand rubles, the third and fourth - three. The seats in the amphitheater will cost a thousand rubles, and on both sides of the forgang - the exit of the artists - four hundred, five hundred and six hundred rubles from top to bottom, respectively. In total, the Nikulin Circus on Tsvetnoy Boulevard can simultaneously accommodate up to two thousand people.
Troupe
Artists of the Nikulin Circus are laureates or prize-winners of many International festivals. They are well known in Paris, Budapest, and Monte Carlo. The troupe's performances and its skill were highly appreciated in Japan and Korea, China and France, England and Australia. The circus organizes performances on any stage, traveling not only throughout Russia, but throughout the entire planet.
His troupe includes famous trainers the Bagdasarovs, tightrope walkers trained by Alikhanov, trapeze artists Volkovs, Aziz Askaryan - head of the monkey show, S. Bogdanov with his air flight show “Heros” and many others talented artists circus
Ticket booking
The circus box office is open daily, seven days a week, from eleven in the afternoon to seven in the evening. The circus does not allow booking tickets by phone. For those who for some reason cannot go to the ticket office in person, it will be convenient to reserve online by filling out a special form on the website. There you can preview the layout of the hall and get acquainted with the prices.
Rules
The Nikulin Circus on Tsvetnoy Boulevard is equipped with everything necessary so that it can be visited by children and adults with disabilities. For such spectators there is an elevator, which can be accessed through the ticket hall.
The duration of the performances is one hundred and forty minutes, including intermission. Children under six years old can travel with an accompanying adult with one ticket, but they must sit on their laps. If parents want their child to sit separately, they will have to buy a separate seat for him at full price.
In addition to the programs at the stationary arena, the Nikulin Circus on Tsvetnoy Boulevard gives performances in two of its own tents. In addition, he organizes performances at any other stage venues. The list of services offered by the circus also includes the possibility of its artists participating in birthdays and fun children's parties, corporate evenings and New Year's performances.
The fundamental principle of the circus act
Number is the most important component circus performance, its artistic core. Circus acts are the bricks that make up the building of the program. What is a circus act? What are its components? The term "number" arose in the second half of the 19th century. It indicated the order of performance of artists in ballet and opera divertissements. Later, this term migrated to the stage and to the circus, where, in addition to the main meaning (“What number are you going in?”) it also received a different meaning (“What a good number!”).
In the circus they call it a number work of art, which is a combination of specially selected tricks performed in a certain sequence according to the principle of increasing their complexity and expressiveness. In the artistic community, the word "trick" has a very broad interpretation. However, we should agree on what exactly we mean by this concept. A stunt is a circus act, one of the main expressive means circus art. For example: a handstand or somersault in acrobatics, the disappearance and unexpected appearance of objects, people, animals in the illusion genre, a lion swinging on a swing in the training genre, tears flowing like a fountain from the eyes of a clown in the clownery genre. A trick, as the main element of a performance, always has a beginning and an end, that is, it has completeness of action. Through tricks during the performance, the stage image of the performer is revealed, his professional capabilities and achievements are revealed. But, of course, tricks acquire the power of emotional impact only in combination with other means of expressiveness - the artist’s facial expressions and gestures, his plasticity and performing manner. Great value for the performance as a whole it has a director's decision, musical accompaniment, decoration- in a word, all the components of a circus work. Without this, tricks are deprived of imagery and, therefore, remain outside the scope of art. A clear composition is very important for a performance, thanks to which individual fragments, merging into a single whole, form a complete work with its own dramaturgy. The composition of the act is dictated by artistic expediency. Like the ancient Russian builders and architects, who, when contracting to build a log temple, reserved the right to “cut in height as measure and beauty dictate,” the creators of a circus act also subordinate their work to this wise principle of measure and beauty - the golden rule of all art.
So, each act is characterized not only by a trick and composition, but also by its ideological and creative tasks, dramaturgy specific to the circus and expressed by circus means, and, finally, the direction of the emotional impact. A topical word spoken by a clown from the arena not only makes you laugh, but also makes you think; air flight evokes heroic and romantic associations; trained animals - a feeling of admiration for a person who managed to tame representatives of the wild. Not all circus acts are equal. Based on their artistic significance Each number is given its own place in the program. The number, which is highlighted on the poster with a special, so-called red line, is called an “attraction” (from the French “attraction” - attraction). This is a particularly interesting and most effective number, occupying a central position in the program and designed for increased attention of the audience. As a rule, the attraction is the culmination of the program, so the requirements for it are higher than for an ordinary number. The attraction is not characterized by the scale of the props, equipment or participation in it large quantity animals, as well as many assistants, as is sometimes mistakenly believed, but its ideological and artistic value, originality of design, compositional harmony, figurative solution and completeness of every detail. This is precisely where its attractive power lies.
Creating a circus act is a complex process. The main role here belongs to the artist. First, he outlines, based on his performing capabilities, the outline of the future performance. Then he selects tricks and composes an approximate composition that corresponds to the concept of the act. If an artist has directorial skills and artistic taste, then he will be able to stage his own act. Many of the works included in the golden fund of the Soviet circus were created by the artists themselves.
However, in the modern circus the role of the director is becoming increasingly important. It is the director who helps the artist select the most expressive means, find the best staging solution, and identifies the creative and professional capabilities of each participant in the act or attraction.
Sometimes in circus practice it becomes necessary to establish which genre or variety of it the act belongs to. What guidelines should be followed here?
Circus genres differ from each other both in content and form. Let's take acrobatics for example. What is its essence, content? Demonstration of a person’s strength, dexterity, courage, and ability to coordinate complex movements. But the same can be said about gymnastics, athletics, and balancing act routines. This means that the difference between genres is determined not only by their content, but also by the form in which it is expressed. And the form consists of the sum of expressive means characteristic of a particular genre. These include the stunt repertoire, props, equipment, as well as style and performing style.
It is important to clarify exactly what is meant in the circus by the terms “projectile”, “equipment”, “props”.
A projectile is the simplest device in design, used in gymnastics, acrobatic and tightrope exercises. A series of exercises specially designed for it is performed on each apparatus. Circus equipment, for example, includes: bamboo, frame, horizontal bar, trapeze, rings, cord de shuttle, vertical rope - in gymnastics; feathers, ladders, wire - in balancing act; throw board, trampoline, springboard * - in acrobatics, etc. As a rule, apparatus in the circus are traditional. Naturally, as new ones are invented, their diversity increases more and more. The shape and design of the projectile provide unlimited scope for the inventive thoughts of the artist and director. It is also necessary to take into account the presence of so-called live equipment in the room - horses, elephants, camels, etc. - and methods of working with them. Circus equipment includes:
* (For more information about each of the shells, see the corresponding section.)
a) Special mechanical structures, including a system of electric winches and motors. These structures are suspended under a dome or installed on an arena. They are intended to complicate and enhance the spectacular effect of the artists’ performance. This is achieved due to the technical features of the apparatus, rotating, rising, descending, swinging and similar structures.
b) A combination of several equipment and devices used in one performance. For example, an air flight apparatus consists of bridges, trapezoids, bollards *, and a catcher.
* (Stamboard (from German “Stamm” - barrel, “Bord” - edge) is a metal crossbar suspended horizontally by the edges and immovably reinforced with guy wires, from which projectiles and apparatus are suspended.)
By props we mean all kinds of objects, different in nature, size, configuration, material and having a specific purpose in the rooms. The props include a chair played by a clown, a juggler's clubs, a fan in the hands of a tightrope walker on a wire, and loops used when performing exercises by gymnasts, acrobats, and roller runners. Most circus acts are based on the use of equipment and props, which contribute to the complexity of the act and help to identify the professional capabilities of the artist.
For example, any performance by a gymnastics artist under a dome or in an arena is necessarily associated with an apparatus. The performer and the projectile represent, as it were, a single whole. This is the defining feature of the gymnastic genre. Other genres are characterized by an equally close connection between the performer and the props: with rings, balls, clubs, etc. for jugglers; with cannonballs, weights for an athlete; with specially trained animals from a trainer; with cards, balls, handkerchiefs, illusion equipment from the magician; with balls, reels, cubes, canes at the tightrope walker.
Another sign of definition genre affiliation numbers is a specific action. In gymnastics, this is performing exercises on apparatus (or in the hands of a partner who is on the apparatus) and flying from apparatus to apparatus (for example, from trapeze to trapeze) or from apparatus to hands to a catcher. In balancing act - maintaining balance. In athletics - lifting, pushing, throwing heavy objects. In training, it is a demonstration of animals obedient to the will of man. The tricks involve demonstrating the performer’s sleight of hand, “mysterious” transformations and movements of objects. In juggling, the skillful tossing and throwing of several objects. In acrobatics - vaulting, building columns and pyramids by several participants, ground jumps. In clowning - pantomimic actions that cause laughter, as well as comedically pointed conversation.
To identify the genre of a number consisting of dissimilar elements, should be guided by the dominant element in his stunt repertoire.
Each artist specializes in one genre, striving to achieve the greatest professional results in it. Tricks of this genre most often occupy the main position in the composition of the act. They should be used to determine its genre.
An analysis of circus acts by genre gives reason to believe that they can be divided into two groups: the first - acts with clear features of the genre and the second - acts consisting of elements of different genres.
It is not difficult to determine the genre of numbers belonging to the first group. But the numbers combined in the second group require more careful consideration.
To what genre, for example, can a clown performing with trained animals be classified - clowning or training? What about "Musical Acrobats" or "Flying Acrobats"?
Here, first of all, you should determine the essence of the number. If all the tricks performed by trained animals help the clown to more vividly, in a fable-like way, reveal the semantic content of a particular scene, reprise, or pantomime, then the use of animals is only a means of expressiveness. Before us is an artist whose main role is a clown (even if he is stronger than a clown as a trainer). By the way, it’s no coincidence that the posters say “Clown Trainer,” and not the other way around. True, some trainers perform with animals in clown costumes, but here the costume is only a tribute to a certain tradition.
What genre should the “Musical Acrobats” act be classified into? As a rule, performances of this kind are created by acrobats who manage to master playing musical instruments. For example, in a head-to-head stand they perform a duet on a concertina, and during a stand of the top one on one hand on the head of the bottom one, both partners play the trumpets, pressing the valves with their free hands. Naturally, talking here about high quality execution piece of music no need to. The main purpose of the issue is to show musical art, but the ability of artists to play instruments in unusual conditions of a complex acrobatic stunt. Now let’s look at the genre of the “Flying Acrobats” act. If they are “flying”, that means they are flying and, therefore, we are looking at gymnasts. But then why are they called acrobats? Two catchers, standing on equipment installed in the arena opposite each other at a distance of 6 m, throw and catch vaulters * performing tricks adopted in flight. But flight combinations end with stunts of getting into the arena, which are characteristic of acrobatics (Fig. 3, 4). For example, in a number under the direction of S. Arnautov, the vaulter performed a back somersault from the catcher on the shoulders to the lower one located in the arena, or in a hand-to-hand position towards him, etc. And in the number under the direction of R. Spikhin, the performers’ flights are combined with jumps on a trampoline installed in the arena between both apparatuses. Here the basis of the performance is flight, and some acrobatic elements only enhance the spectacular form. Consequently, such a performance, which is a type of ground flight, can rightfully be attributed to the genre of gymnastics.
* (A vaulter (from the French "voltiger" - to flutter) is a gymnast who flies from trapeze to trapeze, or into the hands of a catcher, or from one catcher to another.)
So, all circus genres have certain characteristics and properties that are unique to them. It is they who allow us to distinguish one genre from another.
Analyzing the numbers “Clown Trainer”, “Musical Acrobats”, “Flying Acrobats”, we noted that they are the result of a fusion of elements of various genres. This is another extremely important property circus genres - to fuse individual elements into a single artistic work of circus art. Acrobatic jumping from a springboard over obstacles has long been known in the circus. They were especially common at the beginning of the 20th century. The famous clown Vitaly Lazarenko was a virtuoso performer of such jumps. His repertoire included topical satirical reprises, agitation-pathetic poetic monologues, slogans, appeals, the execution of which he accompanied with acrobatic jumps. A unique creative fusion emerged: clown-jumper-publicist. The bright artistic form of his performances was achieved by specific means of the circus, contributing to the intelligibility of the political repertoire.
When working on creating new original acts, many talented performers resort to combining elements of various circus genres. For example, artists Violetta and Alexander Kiss combined juggling with antipodean and acrobatics elements in their act. So, Violetta, performing a one-handed handstand on Alexander’s head, rotated the hoop with her other hand, and spun the stick with her feet. At this time, the partner was juggling four sticks and walking through the arena.
Equally interesting is the performance of Lithuanian artists Vita and Zigmund Cherniauskas, which is a fusion of two ancient genres - balancing act and juggling. Standing on freestanding ladders, the artist balances a tall ladder on his forehead, at the top of which his partner rotates eight rings on her outstretched arms. Another double balance trick: sitting on a tall unicycle on a small pedestal, the performer juggles eight rings while balancing a cane on his forehead.
Once upon a time there was a now rare number called “sprung-rope” (from the German “Sprung” - jump). It was built taking into account the springing properties of a rope with shock absorbers. The performer performed all kinds of jumps, pirouettes and so-called sedamas on it, that is, coming to a sitting position. Experienced teacher-director N. Stepanov created for young artists the Solokhins a unique act “Voltigeurs on a throwing projectile”, which was based on the principle of a spring rope. There are three participants in the room - the bottom two and the top. The rope is replaced by a metal crossbar, the ends of which are connected to rubber shock absorbers attached to the barrier. The lower ones hold the crossbar on their shoulders. Their role in this act is extremely complex: they must finely control their throwing projectile, flying over which the top one performs a series of acrobatic jumps.
Innovation is the most characteristic feature Soviet circus artists. In the 30s, when the task was set to free ourselves from the influence of the Western circus, whose representatives were quite numerous in our programs of those years, the artist Dmitry Zementov, in collaboration with the director and partners at the Leningrad Experimental Workshop of Circus Art, created an original act. This number combined gymnastics on the horizontal bars with jumping on a trampoline. Instead of the traditional three horizontal bars in the arena, Zementov installed four, and of different heights. The artists took off onto the horizontal bars using a trampoline track. It is important to emphasize that in such a combination, both types of different genres had a fruitful mutual influence.
So, what conclusions can be drawn from the examples given? Some genres, when combined with each other, allow you to create original numbers, enriching the palette of the circus. But not all genres can be combined. It is hardly possible to combine, for example, juggling on a horse with tightrope balancing on a wire, or aerial flight with balancing on a perch. And if something like this does occur, then only... in the movies. In the movie "Mr. X", for example, main character, a circus performer, sitting on a trapeze swinging under the dome, plays the violin. But then he “breaks off” and ends up on a horizontal bar installed in the arena, and then, after several revolutions around the bar, he finds himself riding a horse. Comments, as they say, are unnecessary. Film editing and combined filming can demonstrate not such miracles. In circus practice, the matter of combining genres is not so simple.
As a rule, performers suffer creative failure when they try to combine genres mechanically. As an example, we can cite the number of jockeys-riders of the Alexandrov-Serge brothers. One of them, standing on a galloping horse, performed a musical piece on the saxophone, and the other, on a horse running on the opposite side of the arena, accompanied him on the accordion. And although the performers were professional musical instruments and it was obvious to the audience that it was very difficult to play while standing on galloping horses, yet the act was received with coldness. (By the way, it did not last long in this capacity - the artists themselves abandoned playing instruments.)
What was the reason for the failure? Maybe it’s because the performers tried to combine alien elements - playing musical instruments and riding horses? But we know examples from the history of the circus when such elements coexisted well. Juggler Victor Ferropi, standing on a running horse, played the mandolin and hit the ball with his head in time to the melody. This trick looked spectacularly impressive, was a success, and most importantly, it was organic to the overall concept of the act.
Another example. In the early 30s. Maria Rothbert successfully combined balancing act with the performance of a piece of music. At the end of the number, standing on top of the perche, balanced by the one below, she sang a song to her own accompaniment on the accordion, accompanied by an orchestra. Sounding in unusual conditions, “the song gave the act a special charm,” as circus historian Yu. Dmitriev later wrote. Of course, the artist’s professional abilities and performing culture were also important, but it was also important that the song fit organically into the overall composition of the number. This innovation was warmly received by the audience and generated many followers. For example, Nikolai Olkhovikov performed a song while juggling on a running horse, Zoya Kokh - balancing on the boom of the "Giant Semaphore", and Lolita Magomedova - standing on the head of a partner climbing an inclined rope.
Thus, playing music or singing in unusual conditions can enrich the performance. This means that it is important to understand for what creative purpose this or that element is introduced into the fabric of the work. Thus, in the room of the Alexandrov-Serge brothers there was a formal demonstration of mastery of musical instruments, which made the room eclectic. In other cases musical elements organically connected with the number, emphasize its character and enhance the visual impression. For example, L. and G. Otlivanik combined eccentric juggling with musical eccentricity. The performers juggled balls that landed on colorful squares musical table, extracted a melody. Bone balls, hitting the plates of a hanger or falling into a recess in hats, also give birth to musical sounds(the objects contain hidden metal plates and musical beeps, selected by voices). The artists performed comic tricks perfectly in accordance with their eccentric images.
The desire to master several genres is a natural phenomenon; it has been established in the circus for a long time. Naturally, this requires versatile training of artists. However, versatility has its limits. After all, even a gifted artist is able to thoroughly master no more than two, rarely three, genres, bringing them to a professional level. If an artist knows how to juggle, say, four objects, performs a back somersault and is able to fix a planche * on the trapeze, this does not mean that he has mastered three genres - juggling, acrobatics and gymnastics.
* (Planche (from the French “planche” - board, flat surface) - in gymnastics, a horizontal position of the body, held hanging on the hands. Back plop - the gymnast hangs face down, front plop - face up.)
Not only in the past, but, unfortunately, even today in the arena you can find weak performances consisting of a set of different elements that are not organically connected with each other. Created on the principle of “a little bit of everything,” they often hide the artist’s weak qualifications rather than demonstrate his “versatility.” In the old circus, enterprising directors came up with an advertising name for such acts - “Melange-act” (from the French “Melange” - mixing, “aste” - action). And although the proportion of such “assortments” in the programs was small, they nevertheless contributed to the fact that in the professional environment this term to some extent became shameful and gradually disappeared from circus usage.
The mechanical use of individual elements borrowed from other forms of art or sports as means of expression does not enrich the circus and does not bring success. Let's talk about a large group act on motorcycles created by P. Mayatsky. The failure that befell this issue is very instructive. "Motor racing" was born in the 30s. under the influence of physical culture parades, which became especially popular in those years. On four motorcycles, rapidly racing in different directions along a track installed on the arena, performers in theatrical costumes of motorcycle racers built acrobatic pyramids and performed various exercises, moving at high speed from one motorcycle to another. In the final, all seven demonstrated a group pyramid on one motorcycle. The performance was dynamic, the professional level of the performers was also quite high, but its life turned out to be short-lived. Moreover, numbers of this type have not become widespread in our programs at all, which is the primary evidence of the value and vitality of this or that artistic innovation. So what's the big deal?
“Motor racing” as a whole was a spectacle of a sporting nature and did not correspond much to the artistic imagery of the circus. The perception of the performance was also hampered by the noise inherent in motorcycles, the crackling noise from the engines and the exhaust gases that abundantly filled the circus premises. All this caused negative emotions among the audience.
To summarize the above, we note once again: not all genres can be combined into the composition of a number. In each individual case, a careful “compatibility assessment” is required. This means that when creating an act, you should think about whether the combination of certain elements of different genres is justified in the sense of artistic expediency. In this case, knowing the laws of the trick combination helps.
Deviation from these rules, neglect of the specific techniques of the circus, rejection of its language lead the artist and director to creative failure.
Along with well-established concepts and definitions in the circus, there are many controversial issues that have not yet become the subject of serious discussion and research. The polemical conversation that arises around them usually does not extend beyond a narrow circle of professionals. The theory of circus art has not yet been sufficiently developed, so what is controversial continues to remain controversial. We consider it appropriate to dwell on some issues that, in our opinion, are of practical interest.
In the circus, the concept of “equestrian genre” has long existed, covering all acts associated with the participation of horses. We are used to this definition: it can be heard in conversations behind the scenes, found in official documents, in reviews. But is this legal?
To understand the essence of the issue, let’s analyze the structure of horse numbers. To do this, first of all, let’s clarify: is there anything in common between the work of a jockey and, say, a horse trainer, between high school riding and juggling on a horse? Nothing except the participation of horses in these acts. But the horse itself cannot be a sign artistic form. And its meaning is not the same for each number. In some cases, the horse is only a moving point of support for the artist demonstrating his creative achievements, in others - an object of trick training. Therefore, a horse that can waltz, walk on its hind legs, and much more, should certainly be placed on a par with “scientific” elephants, dogs, and bears.
What is the basis of the work of a circus jockey? Acrobatic jumps, the execution of which involves the horse running in a circle in the arena. What about a juggler on a horse? Dexterous throwing of objects and, to a minimal extent, horsemanship. So, the main thing is juggling.
From the above examples it follows that different horse numbers should be assigned to different genres. Some are for equestrian acrobatics, others are for training, and still others are for juggling. (These numbers are described in more detail in the relevant sections.)
The concept of “equestrian genre” is devoid of any basis and is used only out of habit. (By the way, for some reason the definition of “camel genre” has not come into use, although we know the numbers of vaulting on camels, acrobatics on camels, trained camels.) Most likely, it arose as a derivative of the term “equestrian circus”, known since that time there were times when programs were almost entirely based on horse performances (a similar kind of performance was shown in 1965 at the Moscow Circus and in France, stage director M. Tuganov), but an equestrian circus is not at all the same thing as the equestrian genre.
Another controversial issue is the definition of the genre of various equilibria numbers (from the Latin “aequlibris” - the art of maintaining balance). What is this - an independent genre or a type of acrobatics? And in fact, in many balancing acts - for example, on a staircase, on perches, on balls, on a rope, etc. - acrobatics occupy a significant place. And in some types of balancing act there is no acrobatics at all. For example, the sisters R. and K. Korzhenevsky performed balancing act on balls in combination with juggling, artists A. and R. Slavsky performed an eccentric scene on a free wire, O. Popov performed comic juggling on a free wire, A. Hertsog, L. Koshkina, N. Tkachenko demonstrated trick balancing on a matte trapeze (balancing trapeze). So what is balancing act - a type of acrobatics or an independent genre? Starting from the 20th century, elements of acrobatics began to be increasingly introduced into equilibria performances, which were organically combined with balancing and significantly enhanced the expressiveness of the performances. Today we almost never meet balance balancers in their programs who do not use acrobatics or juggling in their routines. However, this does not give reason to cross out the genre of balancing act, one of the oldest and most resilient in the circus art, which has its own clear characteristics.
Let us also focus on such a number as “Power Jugglers”. Sometimes it is classified as a genre of juggling on the grounds that the performers throw and catch cannonballs, weights, and balls. The catalog of the circus museum, dedicated to the exhibition “The Art of the Juggler” (1929), says: “By the nature of their work, jugglers are called “craft-jugglers,” that is, strongman jugglers...” Is this true? Is there any reason to classify strongmen who toss cannonballs into the genre of “agile and fast”, or into juggling? After all, power jugglers use techniques of throwing heavy objects only to demonstrate their athletic capabilities, to emphasize professional excellence, and not at all to demonstrate a juggling technique that they do not even master. Athletics is an independent genre, and the term “juggler” as applied to athletes is only a shorthand designation for a certain nature of the artist’s work. Classifying athletes as jugglers is as illogical as considering a tightrope walker on a wire to be a ballerina only on the grounds that during the routine she performs arabesques and splits.
Sometimes the opinion is expressed that antipodean numbers and Icarian games, according to the classification of genres, should be classified in the same group, since both the antipodean and the lower Icarist, lying on the antipodean pillow, perform approximately the same actions with their feet. But this, in fact, is where their similarity ends. Training techniques, performance of tricks and the nature of work in Icarian games and antinode numbers are completely different. An antipodist is essentially a juggler, throwing and balancing objects with his feet. And Icarian games are a unique type of acrobatics.
Undoubtedly, the first attempts to demonstrate simple antipodean tricks were made by ancient jugglers, and from them the technique of throwing a person with their legs was borrowed by acrobats. The history of the development of circus art convinces us of this.
Juggling dates back thousands of years, but Icarian games appeared only at the end of the 18th century. And, finally, the most important thing is that the antipodean operates with objects, and the lower icarist throws up a person who must have special acrobatic training to facilitate the performance of stunt elements. And without the actions of the top, clearly coordinated with the actions of the bottom, the latter simply will not be able to perform its functions.
In addition to those noted above, there are a number of other controversial issues regarding the types of differences in circus acts. We will dwell on them in more detail in the appropriate sections.
