The Contemporary Circus

Also known as cirque nouveau, contemporary circus is a performing art form developed in the 1970s, in which a theme or a story is conveyed through traditional circus arts. In comparison to traditional circus, where acts are independent from each other, contemporary circus combines many different art forms in a linked theme. Although some artists (such as Bartabas) use horses or other animals, animal acts are not typically a part of contemporary circus. Music used in the performances is often composed exclusively for that performance and is often performed by live bands.

Examples of Contemporary Circus

• The Pickle Family Circus (founded in San Francisco in 1975)
• Circus Oz (founded in Australia in 1977 from New Circus and SoapBox Circus, which were both founded in the early 70's)
• Circus Burlesque (founded in the UK in 1980)
• Nofitstate circus (founded in Wales in 1984)
• Cirque du Soleil (founded in Quebec, Canada in 1984)
• Archaos (founded in France in 1986)
• Les 7 Doigts de la Main (founded in Montreal in 1992)
• Cirque Éloize (founded in Quebec in 1993)
• Cirkus Cirkör (founded in Sweden in 1995)
• Teatro ZinZanni (founded in Seattle in 1998)
• Circus Baobab (founded in French Guinea in the late 90's)

There are also a number of circus schools that help to expand the number of contemporary circus companies; these include:

• Centre National des Arts du Cirque (Chalons-en-Champagne)
• Circus Juventas (Saint Paul, Minnesota)
• Circus Space (London)
• Ecole Supérieure des Arts du Cirque (Brussels)
• Lido (Toulouse)
• National Circus School (Ecole Nationale de Cirque, Montreal)
• New York Circus Arts Academy