Circus Diaries in London

I brought the Australian circus to London, presenting a paper for the British Australian Studies Association conference at Royal Holloway University. Here's a snippet of my paper, about the challenges facing traditional circuses in Australia:

Traditional circus in Australia: Survival in a Strange land

"There’s no bloody travelling circuses now! They’re all hangin' round the cities! They’re all scared to have animals! Which I don’t friggin' blame 'em! With all the bullshit and the rules and that!!"

Lindsay Perry, ex-Sole Bros Circus

In the past 20 years contemporary circus and sideshow have become areas of burgeoning audience interest in the west. Over this same period traditional circuses in Australia have faced greater changes and challenges than ever before, and are finding survival a risky business.

Since the early 1990s, three of Australia’s longest running and most popular circuses – Ashton’s, Sole’s and Alberto’s – have closed. Operating without the benefit of government or philanthropic support, and without development or production budgets, traditional circuses eek an existence playing out an historic role whilst searching for a modern identity. Whilst contemporary circus artists perform a cultural fantasy of circus freaks and misfits, traditional circus families perform conservative identities, fighting the continuing social misconception that traditional circus people are criminals, vagrants and women of loose morals.

In entering the big top of a traditional Australian circus today, one witnesses a spectacle that has not changed dramatically from a hundred years ago - a string of acts performed in a small arena, linked by a ringmaster or ring-mistress, with acts highlighting physical or animal skill. Many circuses still travel from town to town or site to site following routes laid down by great, great grandfathers. They still erect ‘big tops’ and depend on ‘bums on seats’ to ‘make a buck’. The circus is still the same beast it has always been, performing its moves with strict ritual, discipline and routine.

However, traditional circuses are far more than just their show. They are a complex nomadic culture, embodying deep traditions handed down through many generations. And like many nomadic groups across the world, they are facing major challenges to their ongoing culture. In this paper I examine some of the changes affecting this unique community...............

Oh and there were some lovely photos - but not on my camera. Other people were presenting their research on areas of Australian popular culture, including circus academic, Peta Tait.