MLA As a Resource for Circus Research
The MLA International Bibliography (MLAIB) may not be the first resource that comes to mind for circus scholars doing and sharing…
Read more
Research
Concordia Professor Patrick Leroux Co-Leads a Study of Quebec’s Cultural Sector as it Navigates the COVID-19 Pandemic
Montreal’s vibrant, high-profile arts industry has been struggling to stay afloat in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. With theatres,…
Read more
Hanging by a Thread–Calculated Risks in Circus
Recently, an acrobat fell 25ft to the floor at the 2nd International Air Athletics Championship in Riga, Latvia[1]. In 2018,…
Read more
Will There Be an Audience When We Reopen?
In an update to their previous survey (published here originally on April 15th), Shugoll research suggests that many theatergoers nationally…
Read more
Circus as a Healing Art: What Polyvagal Theory Teaches Us About Why Circus Works
If you’re involved in the circus world, you’ve likely heard people talk about the healing power of circus, whether they’re…
Read more
Rejoice in the Circus Libraries of the World! (UPDATED)
The circus library–ideally, every circus professional has their own section of the bookshelf cordoned off for the circus classics. But…
Read more
The CIRRC Interdisciplinary Circle of Regional Research on Circus
In the continuing series titled Adventures in Circus Research curated by academic, author, and educator Alisan Funk, we will explore the depth…
Read more
Australian Circus at the Hub of Global Entertainment: Histories and Consequences
In the continuing series titled Adventures in Circus Research curated by academic, author, and educator Alisan Funk, we will explore the…
Read more
Why Do Circus Artists Make Music?
Lately, it seems like more and more circus artists are getting into making music. As a circus artist who makes…
Read more
Mental Health & Circus; The Elephant in the Room– Crucial Resources and a Call for Action
In September 2018, I wrote an article called Circus Saved My Life–Until It Ruined It. This article was an incredible…
Read more
Circus Kids Are Happy Kids
Circus training delivers multiple mental health benefits for children, and cost savings to the broader community, an Australian study reveals….
Read more
A Day at the (Academic) Circus: Reporting from the Popular Culture Association National Conference
Last month in Washington DC, the Marriott Wardman Park hotel played host to the 2019 Popular Culture Association’s National Conference….
Read more
From the Community to the University, and Back Again: Circus Research in Brazil
In this new series titled Adventures in Circus Research curated by academic, author, and educator Alisan Funk, we will explore the…
Read more
Reading Contemporary Circus with Circademic Franziska Trapp
Dr. Franziska Trapp is a researcher at the University of Münster who founded the Zirkus|Wissenschaft research project, a project which…
Read more
The Situation of Circus in Europe Study–A Letter from Verena Cornwall
Verena Cornwall is overseeing a study for the circus industry in the EU, the result of which will affect the…
Read more
The Body in Waiting
From July 3rd to 13th 2018, over twenty thinker-doers from a dozen countries, all practitioners and scholars of contemporary circus and/or…
Read more
A Sequence of Blogs on Expertise and Ethics
From July 3rd to 13th 2018, over twenty thinker-doers from a dozen countries, all practitioners and scholars of contemporary circus and/or…
Read more
Simple Thoughts
From July 3rd to 13th 2018, over twenty thinker-doers from a dozen countries, all practitioners and scholars of contemporary circus and/or…
Read more
Coffee talk with Maddy and Stacey–Finding the Intersection Between Circus & Dance
From July 3rd to 13th 2018, over twenty thinker-doers from a dozen countries, all practitioners and scholars of contemporary circus and/or…
Read more
Inclusive Juggling with Craig Quat–Finding the Flow
Internationally known as an innovator in the theory and practice of inclusive juggling, Craig Quat grew up attending a social…
Read more
The More We Learn, The Less I Know
From July 3rd to 13th 2018, over twenty thinker-doers from a dozen countries, all practitioners and scholars of contemporary circus and/or…
Read more
Soundtracking Circus Creations: A Checklist and a Case Study
From July 3rd to 13th 2018, over twenty thinker-doers from a dozen countries, all practitioners and scholars of contemporary circus and/or…
Read more
Who is Doing Circus in Italy? Censimento Circo Italia Project & Its Impact on the Field
If you come to Italy and mention the word circus, many people would still go for “Oh! Lions, ringmaster, elephants!…
Read more
What It Means When Circus Artists Take Part in Graduate Research Courses
From July 3rd to 13th 2018, over twenty thinker-doers from a dozen countries, all practitioners and scholars of contemporary circus and/or…
Read more
Meanwhile, Backstage…
From July 3rd to 13th 2018, over twenty thinker-doers from a dozen countries, all practitioners and scholars of contemporary circus and/or…
Read more
Running Away to the Circus
Many circus books tell us why their authors have run away to the circus; few address whether they should have….
Read more
Worldwide Platform for Circus Arts Research is Online–Get Hooked on CARP
There is now a tool for circus researchers. It’s a place for them to communicate, exchange research studies and resources…
Read more
Vol. 4, No. 1-2 of Circus & Its Others; Research Work by Circus Writers Published
Performance Matters, an academic journal about the materiality and consequentiality of performance, has just published Vol. 4, No. 1-2 of…
Read more
Prospective Cohort Study on Injuries and Health Problems Among Circus Arts Students
Circus arts is a discipline that is often physically very challenging for the artists. It combines acrobatic elements on the…
Read more
This is Your Brain on Cirque du Soleil
Itsuko Noto lives in Japan, which means it takes her a minimum of 12 hours to fly to Las Vegas….
Read more
Developing Creative Language within Circus–Phase 1.1 Musical Annotation
Over the past few years, I’ve become increasingly frustrated with the lack of tools and language we have as circassians…
Read more
Strength in Numbers: The 34%
How do you decide if something is fair? Where do you start if your gut feeling is telling you that…
Read more
Tree Rigging – Is it really Safe?
Ah, the weather has turned beautiful, it’s great to be outdoors, you don’t want to be stuck in a stuffy…
Read more
Exhibition Upside Down–A Traveling Circus Exhibit to Augment Your Festival
Thanks to Zirkus|Wissenschaft , a new traveling exhibit is available for loan to circus events such as festivals and conferences….
Read more
Field Guide To Circus Dramaturgy
Setting the Stage In late August of 2012, I drove across the border at the Thousand Islands Bridge on Hill…
Read more
Circus & Its Others II–A Call for Papers
The Montreal Working Group has recently announced via press release the details of their second conference on Circus & Its…
Read more
Seen and Heard – Building a Critical Presence Around Circus Arts
Next month, the third in the #CircusVoices series of opportunities for circus artists to develop their critical practise is taking…
Read more
Tightrope Walking and Zen: a Way to Be Trained to Balance
Encounter I had the opportunity to meet the philosopher-funambulist Andrea Loreni in person in May of 2016, during a TedX…
Read more
Risk Agitator for Circus Experimentation
Each individual goes into circus performance for a variety of reasons. Some are born into it, some are attracted to…
Read more
Conference: Imagineers in Circus and Science: Scientific Knowledge and Creative Imagination
Call for Papers The Humanities Research Centre at the Australian National University presents Imagineers in Circus and Science: Scientific knowledge…
Read more
A Call for Proposals for International Market of Contemporary Circus
Montréal has so much influence in the contemporary circus world. There is the Cirque du Soleil headquarters, located in circus…
Read more
UpSideDown – Circus and Space International Conference Calls for Research Papers
Zirkus|Wissenschaft seeks to anchor circus in university research and coursework. The project aims to establish the University of Münster as…
Read more
Camilla Damkjaer: The Circus Body Articulating
Camilla Damkjaer is the Head of Research Education at Stockholm University of the Arts. Damkjaer’s research focuses on the articulation…
Read more
Circus Stories, Le cirque vu par… Edition 2015
Initiated by En Piste, Circus Stories, Le cirque vu par… offered to 10 cultural journalists from Canada and the northeastern…
Read more