Equestrian Circus

Equestrian Circus is the name for a circus consisting of or containing a collection of Equestrian Acts (or Equestrian Gymnastics). A specialized form of this from the 19th century was the Hippodrama.

History

Both the concept of an Equestrian Act as part of a performance, and the Equestrian Circus as an entity, apparently have their origins in the (competitive or non-competitive) activity known as Equestrian Vaulting[1] today (also sometimes referred to as Equestrian Gymnastics or simply Vaulting). Often described as "gymnastics and dance on horseback", vaulting on horseback has a long history as an Equestrian Act used in circuses, hence it the terms Equestrian Circus and Equestrian Gymnastics are often used as descriptors for a set of such acts, and its origins stretch back at least two-thousand years, with its circus roots most probably lying in the ancient Roman games, where acrobats[2] usually displayed their skills on cantering horses.

According to The Great Soviet Encyclopedia (1979), the Equestrian Circus thus "constitutes the oldest form of circus art, in which most of the acts involve performing horses and displays of horsemanship. The equestrian circus originated in horse festivals, equestrian competitions, and riding schools and was the main type of circus in the 18th and 19th centuries. The traditional circus ring, 13-14 m in diameter, came from the equestrian circus."[3]

Some international examples include The Royal Australian Equestrian Circus (185), Hughes' Great Mammoth Equestrian Circus,

A specialized form: The Hippodrama

A very specialized 19th century theatrical version of the Equestrian Circus is what is known as the Hippodrama, or "horse drama"; a genre of theatrical show evolved in England by Philip Astley at the beginning of the 19th century as a way to circumvent the restrictions of the the Licensing Act of 1737. In such dramas circus horsemanship displays are combined with popular melodrama theatre, using texts written specifically for the genre.[4] They were usually performed in specially constructed venues referred to as Hippodromes.

A number of these were done in South Africa over the years, inter alia by Astley's Circus, the Equestrian Gymnastics, **

The Equestrian Circus in South Africa

Equestrian Gymnastics (1850)

In the South African context, this activity first occurs, both as a descriptor for a set of performances and as the name of a French circus troupe which visited Cape Town in late 1850 (October-December) under the auspices of the governor Sir Harry Smith, and featured Hippodramas as part of its repertoire (i.e. shows which featured pantomime-performances and dramatised equestrian displays . In advertisements the presentations were referred to as "Equestrian Gymnastics". Hauptfleisch (1997, p. 28)[5] has pointed out that that some of these performances are clearly related to equestrian style models familiar at the time in England and the United States (e.g. the "military re-enactment" or the "Wild West Show").

Among the acts included in their performances were Admiral Lord Nelson, or The Life of a Sailor, The Ballad of the Villagers, The Jolly Miller, The Golden Dream, Fra Diovolo, or The Banditti of the Anrouzes, The Shipwrecked Sailor, Par a Par, a Gar a Nous, or Harlequin Protected by the Magician, The Miser, or Happiness found in Gold and The Kafir War, or The Burnt Farm.

[TH, JH]

Sources

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Equestrian_vaulting

http://encyclopedia2.thefreedictionary.com/Equestrian+Circus

F.C.L. Bosman, 1928[6]: pp. 439-440.

Temple Hauptfleisch, 1997[7]: pp. 27-28.

Go to the ESAT Bibliography

Return to

Return to The South African Context/General Terminology and Thematic Entries

Return to South African Theatre/Terminology and Thematic Entries

Return to South African Theatre Venues, Companies, Societies, etc

Return to The ESAT Entries

Return to Main Page