Circus
Tim Georgeson
Cosmos pour National Geographic France
It was said to be going through a crisis, to be threatened with extinction, but not only does it endure, it is evolving and has even become a way of life for thousands of French people.
Thus the circus lives on despite the onslaught of television, video, and many other modern forms of entertainment. The circus has proven that it could move beyond traditional acts and attract those choreographers and artists who could help it adapt to 21st-century tastes.
What’s more, circus schools have been set up that offer training to children and young adults who are keen to take up the athletic challenge, but who also appreciate the human dimension of this nomadic world in which solidarity and sharing prevail over everything else.
Preview
National Geographic France has decided to initiate a wide-ranging project on the circus world, and the success and difficulties of a number of troupes as they strive to manage the transition into the 21st century. In order to better reveal their world and contribute to a better understanding of it, this portrait of the circus deliberately focuses only on the artists that make it what it is.