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Clowning About- The International Circus Festival of Tomorrow Comes to Paris

By Hayley Pedrick
Last updated at 16:46:00 PM on 09 December 2011

Today’s world is a global village and there are many famous circuses which now travel the world, delighting international audiences both young and old. But regardless of whether the circus is contemporary, like the famous Cirque du Soleil or more traditional, like the Big Apple Circus, visitors will seldom see a gathering of international performing talents under one red-and-white-striped tent top. The International Circus Festival of Tomorrow however, is an exception.

This annual event, held at Paris' Pelouse de Reuilly, offers the rare opportunity for circus-lovers to watch some of the world's finest circuses perform in one place. The show takes the form of a competition, with teams entering under the categories of:Cirque de Demain, for performers aged 16-25 years; the Cirque de l'Avenir category for 12 – 16 year olds; the Circus of the Future, for acrobats 12-18 years old; and the Annie Fratellini and Yuri Nikulin awards, for clowns under the age of 30.

While to the public this extravaganza is an entertaining day out with the family, to the performers the prestigious event is a platform on which to showcase their talents to scouts from highly acclaimed international circuses in search of new acts. . Getting discovered and breaking into fame is all these artists dream of. For this reason competition is fierce and the shows are of the highest calibre, performed by the worlds most respected circus schools

Paris is such a diverse and interesting city to visit that it would be a shame to get stuck in a circus tent for the entire stay. For this reason most visitors to the event stay over in a hotel, incorporating the show into their holiday itinerary and ensuring that they take in some of the more famous tourist sights while they’re there.

Contrary to popular belief, the modern circus was created in England by showman Philip Astley, a former Sergeant-Major in the cavalry. Known for his great “feats of horsemanship”, Astley held afternoon trick-riding performances at a London riding school located near Westminster Bridge. He enlisted the services of a clown to fill the breaks between acts with crowd-pleasing acts – a decision which turned into a huge success. Over time the combined displays of horsemanship and comedic acts created the basis of the modern circus as we know it.

Circus performers soon realised that the performing art was a great commodity which overcame any potential audience language barriers and as far back as the 1800’s travelling circuses were embarking on international tours.

Today groups like the Moscow, Beijing and Swiss Knie Circus, among many others, continue to delight audiences around the world with their highly skilled performance art. The International Circus Festival of Tomorrow offers the rare opportunity to watch young stars that will one day perform in famous groups such as these, break into the circus scene. The event kicks off on the 26^th January and tickets start at around €16 per person. Visit the Cirque de Demain website for further details.