In times of climate catastrophe, refugee crises and Covid-19, the question of the responsibility that artists and scholars have is becoming increasingly urgent. What is the role of circus within society? How far does this form of art and entertainment correlate with historical and contemporary social interests? How does circus research position itself as a relevant field of research within academia in the 21st century? Those questions will be explored within the series Adventures in Circus Research–Facing a New Decade, curated by academic Dr. Franziska Trapp. By featuring circus researchers, we give them the space to explain the nature and significance of their research directly to the circus community and to highlight the practical impact of their research on the circus world and its relevance for society.

In the third article of the series, Maddly Guillaume, researcher and Doctor of General Medicine, gives insights into her research in which she analysed the impact of circus arts on our psychological well being. In opposition to the current tendency to counter health protection with performing arts, she argues for the need of an interaction between circus and healthcare.  The interest for circus in a medical practice came by chance, or perhaps because the idea has always been there in the unconscious imagination of someone who has visited big tops. It is while experiencing circus that I had the feeling that there was something important to bring to the patients… something that allowed me to leave the tent in  better condition than when I arrived…something that would give meaning where som...