Best Circus

An inventor's cabinet opens onto an imagined world in Kurios: Cabinet of Curiosities, the Cirque du Soleil touring production that premiered in Montreal in 2014. Directed by Michel Laprise, it draws on late nineteenth-century inventions and ideas, giving its setting a steampunk appearance. Mechanica...

Created around the Beatles' recordings, LOVE was a resident Cirque du Soleil production that premiered at The Mirage in Las Vegas in 2006. Its soundtrack reworked the band's catalog through remixes and combinations of familiar songs, developed by original Beatles producer George Martin and his son G...

Italian juggler and clown Enrico Rastelli (1896–1931) is widely regarded as one of the greatest jugglers in history, renowned for extraordinary technical skill with balls, plates, and sticks.

O is an aquatic theatrical production by Cirque du Soleil that has been presented at the Bellagio in Las Vegas since 1998. Performers work above, around, and in a large pool, combining circus acrobatics, diving, synchronized swimming, clowning, and theatrical staging. The production is organized aro...

At the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, KÀ uses an ongoing story to connect its acrobatic and theatrical action. The Cirque du Soleil production follows royal twins who become separated, giving their journeys a clearer narrative role than the loosely linked acts of a conventional circus. Two large mechanical...

The National Acrobatics Troupe of China is a state-sponsored performing arts organization established in 1950 in Beijing, operating under the Ministry of Culture of the People's Republic of China. The troupe combines traditional Chinese acrobatic techniques with contemporary theatrical elements, fea...

Born Josep Andreu Lasserre, Charlie Rivel was a Spanish clown whose work brought him international recognition across Europe. His performing career began in the early twentieth century, and his stage character joined comic awkwardness with an unusually exposed sense of vulnerability. A red nose and...

Hand-to-hand is a partner-acrobatics discipline in which a base supports a flyer through direct contact with the hands, arms, or shoulders. The pair may perform static balances, transitions, and dynamic actions such as catches or throws, depending on the routine. It is practiced in circus and other...

James Thiérrée is a Swiss-French circus performer, actor, and director known for his work in contemporary physical theater. He is the grandson of actor Charlie Chaplin and the son of circus performers Victoria Chaplin and Jean-Baptiste Thiérrée. In 1998, he founded the Compagnie du Hanneton, through...

Premiering in Montreal in 1994, Alegría became one of Cirque du Soleil's recognizable touring productions. Its theatrical world explores power and legitimacy through tension between an established aristocratic order and rebellious younger figures. Acrobatic performance carries these themes through m...

Oleg Popov was a prominent Russian mime artist recognized globally for his distinctive style and physical comedy. He spent much of his career with the Moscow State Circus, earning widespread acclaim as “The Sunshine Clown.” His performances were celebrated throughout the Soviet Union and beyond. Pop...

Roman rings, officially designated as the still rings in competitive gymnastics, are a standard apparatus in men's artistic gymnastics regulated by the International Gymnastics Federation (FIG). The apparatus consists of two rings suspended on wire cables, requiring athletes to perform a routine of...

The Russian swing is a circus apparatus consisting of a large swinging platform used to project performers into the air. Several performers may coordinate the swing’s motion while another leaves the platform and completes an aerial skill before landing on a platform, mat, or the apparatus. The act c...

Banquine is a group-acrobatics practice in which several bases use linked hands or forearms to support, propel, or catch a flyer. The bases form a coordinated platform, often through interlocked wrist grips, allowing the flyer to rise into balances, jumps, and aerial rotations. It belongs to the Eur...

Under the stage name Karandash, Mikhail Rumyantsev became an influential figure in Soviet circus clowning, with a career extending from the 1930s into the 1980s. His character developed from early Charlie Chaplin imitation into a distinct comic presence, associated with a green jacket and black hat....

A clown imagining his own funeral provides the unusual starting point for Corteo, a touring Cirque du Soleil production that premiered in Montreal, Quebec, in 2005. Directed by Daniele Finzi Pasca, the show turns that procession into a festive encounter between ordinary life and a world suspended be...

The iron cross is a highly demanding strength hold performed on aerial straps or gymnastics rings. The athlete suspends their body weight with arms extended perfectly horizontal to the floor, requiring immense upper body and core strength. It is an advanced technique utilized in circus arts and comp...

Luzia is a touring production by Cirque du Soleil that premiered in Montreal in 2016. The show is themed around Mexican culture, drawing on imagery of rain, butterflies, and mariachi, and incorporates a water element into several acrobatic sequences. Luzia was among Cirque du Soleil's big-top produc...

The aerial hoop, also known as a lyra, is a freestanding rotating ring suspended from a ceiling. It’s a tool for acrobats and circus artists seeking to develop dynamic movement and strength through static and spinning routines. Performers utilize the apparatus to explore balance, flexibility, and co...

Freaks is a 1932 horror film directed by Tod Browning. It tells the story of a group of individuals with physical disabilities who work as performers in a traveling circus. The movie’s notable use of its cast—many of whom had real disabilities—and its exploration of societal prejudice make it a sign...

Founded by Victoria Chaplin and Jean-Baptiste Thiérrée, Cirque Invisible is a French theatrical circus renowned for its intimate, surreal, and highly artistic visual performances. Emerging in the late 20th century, the company played a significant role in shaping the contemporary nouveau cirque move...

The Russian Bar is a classic circus acrobatic act in which a flyer performs aerial maneuvers on a flexible bar balanced on the shoulders of two catchers. Originating in traditional Russian circuses, the bar is typically constructed from a resilient material like fiberglass, allowing it to act as a l...

Mystère premiered at Treasure Island in Las Vegas on December 23, 1993, becoming Cirque du Soleil's first permanent resident production. Its purpose-built setting helped establish a continuing place for the company's style of circus on the Las Vegas Strip. The show brings traditional acrobatic skill...

Icarian games are a circus and partner-acrobatics discipline in which a base lies on their back and uses their feet to launch, rotate, and catch a flyer. The base controls the movement through leg and foot actions while the flyer performs positions, spins, or other aerial movements. The form is rela...

In flying trapeze, the 'catch' is a fundamental aerial maneuver where a performer releases their bar at the apex of a swing and is caught by the wrists of a 'catcher' swinging from a separate bar in the opposite direction. This maneuver, developed by Jules Léotard in the 1850s, revolutionized circus...

Théâtre Équestre Zingaro is a French equestrian performing arts company founded in 1984 by the director and trainer Bartabas. Based in Aubervilliers, a suburb of Paris, the company creates avant-garde theatrical productions that combine equestrian arts with human choreography, music, and poetry. The...

Quidam is a Cirque du Soleil production that premiered in 1996 under the artistic direction of Franco Dragone. The show follows a young girl named Zoé who enters a fantastical world of mysterious characters, featuring aerial silks, hand balancing, and other acrobatic disciplines. Quidam toured exten...

The Barnum & Bailey Circus, originating from a 1888 merger of P.T. Barnum’s and James Bailey’s circuses, represented America's largest traveling spectacle. Known as “The Greatest Show on Earth,” it featured elaborate stagecraft, diverse performers, and captivating animal acts. It primarily served au...

Water shapes the staging of O, Cirque du Soleil's resident production at the Bellagio in Las Vegas. A large pool forms the center of the performance, bringing synchronized swimming and aquatic acrobatics into a theatrical setting. Performers work above, at and beneath the water's surface, so the poo...