BRITAINS OLDEST ENTERTAINMENT WITH A MODERN TWIST

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RUSTY RUS

Russell's International Circus

the new age of circus.

Imagine yourself taken back in time, it is the late 1800s and you re just ten years old and living in one of the small towns in the UK. The most exiting thing in your life comes once a year, no,its not Christmas, wonderful and magical as that morning is. This is something that gets your heart pounding with anticipation as you race down the main street where all the commotion is going on, there is music, the sweet whistles of the steam organs singing to a rhythm that makes your heart beat even faster. Down the street come huge wagons, painted in bright colours, there are strange animals, a gigantic trumpeting elephant, a growling lion, beautiful parading horses, yes this is the one day of the year as exiting as no other, it is the day the circus comes to town.

The circus has been around since the time of the Romans, who held their Circus Maximus in open air arenas, they had chariot races, acrobatics, wrestling, horsemanship and wild beasts. After the fall of Rome, wondering troupes of performers and clowns helped keep the spirit of circus alive until the late 1700s when the modern circus began to develop with exhibitions of horsemanship. Phillip Astley, a former British cavalryman was said to have started the tradition of the performance with a large ring, beginning in London in 1768. from then on the love of circus grew as did the circuses until shows became enormous.

This was a time before television, radio or cinema, the major Cities had theater and opera, but professional entertainment was a rare treat for the people who lived on the farms and in the small towns and villages that dotted the country. It was a situation that proved to be perfect for British circus.

In the 80s the circus began to go into decline, with poor attendances and a number of misguided souls complaining that it was cruel to make animals perform, did not help the situation, as councils then began banning circuses on their land, as a result a great many shows sold up and went into other aspects of the industry, or took their acts abroad where the circuses where still flourishing.

Some shows however adapted and after struggling through the 80s and early 90s they re emerged with shows that did not contain exotic or caged animals, but instead, had spectacular sound and lighting, high quality acts from the UK but a great many from Abroad, most notably Bulgaria where Governments have their own state run circus schools,leading to a very high standard of artiste never before seen in the UK. Shows started making production routines with wonderful costumes and the general standard of BULGARIAN circuses became very high. This brought a new audience a new form of circus that still contained all the magic of the old, the Russell family decided that it was time the British public saw this high quailty.

Thanks partly to the influence of the Russell family, quality shows are once again thriving in the UK. Every year more and more shows are opening and old shows re opening with this new found modern perspective.

Happily Russell's International Circus is touring your towns and villages of the U.K for the first time ever, Amanda and Rusty Russell continue to modernize the show looking for new ideas in order to move with the ever changing times, so every year you the public can see a new show packed with new surprises, so sit back because its on with the show.......

 Web design by Rusty Russell.