Best Circus

The IJF Championships are a global gathering of jugglers, showcasing incredible skill and creativity. The competition includes various categories, from 3-ball to complex routines. While participation is relatively affordable, travel and accommodation can be significant expenses. It's a vibrant and e...

O is an aquatic-themed production by Cirque du Soleil that premiered at the Bellagio hotel and casino in Las Vegas, Nevada, in 1998. The show features a 1.5-million-gallon pool of water that serves as the primary performance area for synchronized swimmers, divers, and aerialists. Unlike traditional...

"Kurios: Cabinet of Curiosities" is a touring production by the Canadian entertainment company Cirque du Soleil that premiered in Montreal in 2014. Directed by Michel Laprise, the show is set in the late nineteenth century and follows an inventor whose world is disrupted by the arrival of mysterious...

The Beatles LOVE is a theatrical production by Cirque du Soleil that premiered at The Mirage in Las Vegas in 2006. The show is distinguished by its integration of remixed and remastered music from the Beatles catalog, produced in collaboration with original producer George Martin. Blending circus pe...

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...

KÀ is a Cirque du Soleil production that opened in 2004 at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas. The show is distinguished by its use of two massive, hydraulically controlled platforms that rotate and tilt, serving as both stage and set. Rather than a traditional circus format, it employs a continuous storyli...

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...

Charlie Rivel, born Josep Andreu Lasserre, was a Spanish clown who achieved international recognition for his performances across Europe. Active from the early 20th century, he developed a memorable tragicomic character defined by his red nose, eccentric costumes, and expressive vulnerability. He wa...

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...

Alegría is a touring production by the Canadian entertainment company Cirque du Soleil, premiering in Montreal in 1994. The show explores abstract themes of power, legitimacy, and political revolution through the contrast between old aristocratic orders and rebellious youth. It is distinguished by i...

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...

Mikhail Rumyantsev, known by his stage name Karandash, was a highly influential Soviet circus clown whose career spanned from the 1930s to the 1980s. He specialized in a satirical clown character, utilizing exaggerated makeup, an oversized checkered suit, and a bright red nose to entertain his audie...

Corteo is a touring theatrical production by Cirque du Soleil that premiered in Montreal, Quebec, in 2005. Directed by Daniele Finzi Pasca, the narrative follows a clown who imagines watching his own festive funeral procession taking place between heaven and earth. The show blends traditional circus...

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 is a theatrical production by Cirque du Soleil that premiered on December 23, 1993, at the Treasure Island Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas. It holds the distinction of being the entertainment company's first permanent resident show, establishing a new model for circus-based performances on the...

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...