Title

Somersaulting Through History : Research conducted on the history of the Circus

Sunday, November 2, 2014

Circus

The definition of the word Circus is defined by the dictionary.com as follows:

Circus

[sur-kuh s] 


noun, plural circuses.

1.
a large public entertainment, typically presented in one or more verylarge tents or in an outdoor or indoor arena, featuring exhibitions ofpageantry, feats of skill and daring, performing animals, etc.,interspersed throughout with the slapstick antics of clowns.
Compare big top.
2.
a troupe of performers, especially a traveling troupe, that presents such entertainments, together with officials, other employees, and the company's performing animals, traveling wagons, tents, cages, and equipment.
3.
a circular arena surrounded by tiers of seats, in which public entertainments are held; arena.
4.
  1. a large, usually oblong or oval, roofless enclosure, surrounded by tiers of seats rising one above another, for chariot races, public games, etc.
  2. an entertainment given in this Roman arena, as a chariot race or public game:
    The Caesars appeased the public with bread and circuses.
5.
anything resembling the Roman circus, or arena, as a natural amphitheater or a circular range of houses.
7.
British. an open circle, square, or plaza where several streets converge:
Piccadilly Circus.


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The Merriam-Webster dictionary describes the word and how/where it originated:

Origin
Late Middle English (with reference to the arena of Roman antiquity): from Latin, 'ring or circus'. The sense 'traveling company of performers' dates from the late 18th century.
circle from Old English:
The root of circle is Latin circulus ‘small ring’, from circus ‘ring’, the source of our word circus(Late Middle English). A Roman circus was a rounded or oval arena lined with tiers of seats, where chariot races, gladiatorial combats, and other, often cruel, contests took place. Names like Piccadilly Circus were attached to open, more or less circular areas in towns where streets converged. Other words from the same root include circuit (Late Middle English) from Latin circum ire ‘go around’, and circulate (Late Middle English) ‘move in a circular path’. Come or turn full circle is a reference to ‘The Wheele is come full circle’ in Shakespeare's King Lear. The wheel is the one thought of as being turned by the goddess Fortune and symbolizing change.

Friday, October 31, 2014

Got it!

Well, I found what I really think I'm going to write about.  I finally told myself that I just had to pick something and go with it. Even if it was brutal, boring, and exceedingly uninteresting.  I figured I was do in on some ballet choreographer who revolutionized dance or something of the the like.  I was in the library collecting a stack of books that I knew would numb my brain, I saw one particular shelf that caught my eye.  It was purely dedicated to the circus arts.  True, it was not nearly as elaborate in content as that of ballet and modern dance, however I instantly felt like it could be more intriguing.  Abandoning the other books, I began to flip through my new found discovery, I quickly became engaged and a little bit excited.  I had always found the circus mystifying, secretly wondering if it could be an area I could succeed in.  Practicality and realism quickly diminished those hopes throughout the years, but when reading through certain passages of these books, a tiny bit of kindling was inflamed; once again I had become curious.

So, in short, I'm writing about the circus!

Wednesday, October 29, 2014

This is getting ridiculous

Wow. This has hit the point of just downright stupid, and I can't help but become frustrated with myself.  You see, I have a problem writing about things, even doing things, that I'm not intrigued entirely by.  It's a major character flaw.  I have the same problem when attempting to choreograph something.  I get bored, I hate what I've come up with, it's too repetive, not interesting enough... And what do I do? I get frustrated and in a moment I toss it all out. Gone. 
Yup. That's where I'm at right now.  Still struggling to find a topic and it's really stressing me out.

Thursday, October 16, 2014

That was a bust

I find it rather quite frustrating that I can't seem to find any information on the topic I wanted to research.  It was my plan to write something along the lines of ballet training in Russia and the intensity of doing so.  Yeah...that didn't happen. All I ended up finding was ballet schools that were advertising.  No help.  I've thought about delving deeper into the progression of teaching styles, but once again, I need to be able to pick something very specific because there is far too much information to be able to make my paper concise.

Wednesday, October 1, 2014

Research??

Well..I don't even know where to begin.  I am supposed to write a research paper on a very specific topic from dance history.  Only problem is, it's history.  There's so much, and I can't seem to figure out what I want to do. Oi Vey.