Editing Circus (section)

===New Circus===
{{main|New Circus}}
[[File:Dralion-Vienna.jpg|left|thumb|[[Cirque du Soleil]] performing ''[[Dralion]]'' in [[Vienna]], 2004]]

[[New Circus]] (originally known as ''cirque nouveau'') is a performing arts movement that originated in the 1970s in Australia, Canada, France,<ref>« Historique de la célèbre crise », [[Jean-Pierre Thiollet]], ''École ouverte'', n°85, February 1982, http://doc.cnac.fr/ListRecord.htm?list=link&xRecord=19102592157919207749</ref> the West Coast of the United States, and the United Kingdom. New Circus combines traditional circus skills and theatrical techniques to convey a story or theme. Compared with the traditional circus, this genre of circus tends to focus more attention on the overall aesthetic impact, on character and story development, and on the use of [[lighting design]], original music, and [[costume design]] to convey thematic or narrative content. Music used in the production is often composed exclusively for that production, and aesthetic influences are drawn as much from contemporary culture as from circus history. Animal acts rarely appear in new circus, in contrast to traditional circus, where animal acts have often been a significant part of the entertainment.

Early pioneers of the new circus genre included: [[Circus Oz]], forged in Australia in 1977 from SoapBox Circus (1976) and New Circus (1973);<ref>{{cite book |last1=St Leon |first1=Mark |title=Circus! The Australian Story |date=2011 |publisher=Melbourne Book |isbn=978-1-877096-50-1 |pages=239–248}}</ref> the [[Pickle Family Circus]], founded in [[San Francisco]] in 1975; [[Ra-Ra Zoo]] in 1984 in [[London]]; [[Nofit State Circus]] in 1984 from [[Wales]]; [[Cirque du Soleil]], founded in [[Quebec]] in 1984; [[Cirque Plume]] and [[Archaos]] from France in 1984 and 1986 respectively. More recent examples include: [[Cirque Éloize]] (founded in Quebec in 1993); Sweden's [[Cirkus Cirkör]] (1995); [[Teatro ZinZanni]] (founded in Seattle in 1998); the West African Circus Baobab (late 1990s);<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.circusbaobab.org/ |title=Circus Baobab |publisher=Circus Baobab |access-date=20 April 2012}}</ref> and Montreal's Les 7 doigts de la main (founded in 2002).<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.les7doigtsdelamain.com/ |title=The 7 Fingers |publisher=Les7doigtsdelamain.com |access-date=20 April 2012}}</ref> The genre includes other circus troupes such as the Vermont-based [[Circus Smirkus]] (founded in 1987 by [[Rob Mermin]]) and Le Cirque Imaginaire (later renamed Le Cirque Invisible, both founded and directed by [[Victoria Chaplin]], daughter of [[Charlie Chaplin]]).

The most conspicuous success story in the new circus genre has been that of [[Cirque du Soleil]], the Canadian circus company whose estimated annual revenue exceeds US$810&nbsp;million in 2009,<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/29/theater/29circ.html?_r=3&pagewanted=2&hp|title=Run Away to the Circus? No need. It's Staying Here|last=Collins|first=Glenn|work=The New York Times|date=28 April 2009|access-date=30 September 2009}}</ref> and whose ''cirque nouveau'' shows have been seen by nearly 90&nbsp;million spectators in over 200 cities on five continents.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.cirquedusoleil.com/en/about/intro/intro.asp |title=About Cirque du Soleil |publisher=Cirque du Soleil |access-date=30 September 2009  |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090925120348/http://www.cirquedusoleil.com/en/about/intro/intro.asp |archive-date=25 September 2009 }}</ref>