A study by the Ministry of Culture has revealed the rich variety of Colombia’s booming circus industry, reported newspaper El Tiemp Wednedsay.
The ministry’s study found not only that there are between 400 and 500 circuses in Colombia, but that many of them are becoming spaces for vulnerable young people to find employment and training opportunities. (Click here to view a chart of Colombia’s circuses).
Each type of circus has a different situation. Many of them are nomadic groups consisting of small families that charge between 2,700 and 11,000 pesos for admission, with some even exchanging tickets for food, said researcher and circus performer John David Villa. These circuses are mainly located on the Atlantic coast and in the Antioquia department, generally moving about every two weeks and putting on about 237 shows a year. These groups generally use ticket income to rent their tents and to purchase the ingredients for the famous caramel apples sold during their shows.
Circuses using animal performers are decreasing, according to anthropologist Javier Pinzon, who traveled the country gathering information on groups like the Dominguez family circus, which was founded in 1910. “There are still two [circuses] that still have lions, but in most there are dogs, canaries, and a reggaeton-dancing donkey,” he said.
Most circus performers are young, usually between 18 and 35, but they support elderly family members whose “old age ends next to the tent,” said Villa, often due to a lack of health insurance and the “occupational hazards” of life on the road.
It’s a stark contrast from the contemporary circus style of the famous Cirque du Soleil, which has left the traveling tent behind and consists of artists with academic and technical training.
Another growing phenomenon in Colombia is the “social circus,” groups that have an infrastructure and faculty dedicated to providing training opportunities to disadvantaged youths. One example is the Circus for All Foundation in Cali, which according to Ministry of Culture adviser Manuel Jose Alvarez has trained 86 boys, many of whom now work in circuses abroad,.
The Ministry of Culture hopes that Colombian circuses will join the wave of successful circuses throughout Latin America. In 2012 it will give the Circus for All Foundation enough support to train another 70 students, and it will also provide funds to the Ibero-American Circus, which will perform this year during the Festival Iberoamericano in Bogota.
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