The Ordinary Acrobat: A Journey into the Wondrous World of the Circus, Past and Present
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | 4.42 (749 Votes) |
| Asin | : | B00957T5A0 |
| Format Type | : | |
| Number of Pages | : | 273 Pages |
| Publish Date | : | 2013-02-22 |
| Language | : | English |
DESCRIPTION:
Not your ordinary Circus! Why do I love this book? Why have I sent copies to 7 different young people I know who are professional circus artists? Because of PERSPECTIVE. This book details the fascinating history, traditions and evolution of the circus arts in an interesting, highly-readable and ultimately inspiring narrative by a writer who has lived his story. Modern circus is well known to millions around the world largely through familiarity with Cirque du Soleil performances, but few know the story behind the highly refined disciplines we wa. Lois Maskiell said Engrossing!. Absolutely adored this book! I highly recommend it to both circus and non-circus lovers alike, or anyone who likes to read. I found the mixture of memoir and history kept the book spinning and always interesting. An over all illumination of circus arts.Many thanks to the author!. As Entertaining as a Circus! What an entertaining read! Well written, fascinating history, first person experiences - the chapter on being on the trapeze is worth the price of the whole book, lots of circus lore and just plain fun to read! Great memories for those who have been to a circus, and for those who haven't, it will make you want to go.
He lives in Montreal, where he teaches circus history and criticism at the École Nationale de Cirque, Canada’s national circus school. . He is on the board of directors for the American Youth Circus Organization and was the founder and co–artistic director of the Candidatos, an acclaimed clown-theater company recognized by The New York Times for its contribution to the flowering of contemporary clowning. Duncan Wall studied as a Fulbright scholar at Fran
Soon he was waiting outside stage doors, eagerly chatting with the stars, and attending circuses two or three nights a week. So great was his enthusiasm that a year later he applied on a whim to the training program at the École Nationale des Arts du Cirque—and was, to his surprise, accepted. Sometimes scary and often funny, The Ordinary Acrobat follows the (occasionally literal) collision of one American novice and a host of gifted international students in a rigorous regimen of tumbling, trapeze, juggling, and clowning. Readers meet figures past—the father of the circus, Philip Astley; the larger-than-life P. Brimming with surprises, outsized personalities, and plenty of charm, The Ordinary Acrobat delivers all the excitement and pleasure of the circus ring itself.. When Duncan Wall visited his first nouveaucirque as a college student in Paris, everything about it—the monochromatic costumes, the acrobat singing Simon and Garfunkel, the juggler reciting Proust—was captivating. The extraordinary story of a young man’s plunge into the unique and wonderful world of the circus—taking readers deep into circus history and its renaissance as a contemporary art for
He also researched the origins of the disparate circus arts, from ancient Chinese culture through the Romans until 1798, when a British cavalier pulled together the circus of human and animal feats. --Vanessa Bush . The appeal of traditional circus had been on the wane until Cirque du Soleil dropped the animal acts and focused on choreography and human dexterity with spectacle worthy of Las Vegas. After visiting the nouveau cirque as a college student in Paris, Wall was intrigued by the high cultural regard the French held for the circus as performance art. Wall spent a year in the intensive Ecole Nationale des Arts du Cirque, learning the skills of juggling, tumbling, and clowning. From Booklist Wall had the great fortune of realizing the archetypal childhood dream of running away to join the circus when he secured a Fulbright