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==In the Spotlight==
 
==In the Spotlight==
  
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===FRITZ SCHULZ===  
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===THE INDIAN CIRCUS===  
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[[Image:Fritz_Schulz_and_lions.jpg|thumb|right|200px]]The German wild animal trainer Fritz W. Schulz (1910-2010) was one of Australia's most celebrated circus personalities. He had a long and brilliant career that spanned six decades on three continents; upon his death in 2010, he was the last surviving member of a group of exceptional cat trainers who had worked for the legendary Alfred Court. Court had described Schulz as a “honest and courageous guy, who had what it takes to become a great trainer." Fritz W. Schulz was born on December 10, 1910 in Krampe, a small village near the town of Grünberg in Silesia (today Zielona Góra, in Poland). His father, Wilhelm, was a weaver; his mother, Maria (née Weinart) had died when Fritz was six years old. Following in the footsteps of his uncle, Christoph Schulz, who had become a famous wild animal trapper for the firm of Carl Hagenbeck, Fritz apprenticed as a butcher. But he shared with his uncle a passion for wild animals—and not particularly dead ones! ([[Fritz Schulz|more...]])
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In recent years, the Indian circus has acquired a rather unsavory reputation abroad. Stories of children abducted or bought and forced into bondage, training in horrifying conditions and performing to enrich their "owner"—the circus proprietor—have surfaced in the Western press. Indeed, in a country where the level of extreme poverty is still fairly high, a few traveling circus entrepreneurs may have resorted to methods that have fortunately vanished more than a century ago in the western world. By and large, Indian circus entrepreneurs have also maintained the belief that there are "secrets of the trade" in the training of circus acrobats and circus animals, which has certainly contributed to the dubious reputation of an industry that is often seen as marginal, and not well adapted to the modern world. Today, the traditional Indian circus suffers from a sharp decline in attendance, while foreign circus companies (mostly Russian) visiting the region, or traveling with Indian circuses, still attract a large public. ([[The Indian Circus|more...]])
  
 
==New Biographies==
 
==New Biographies==

Revision as of 18:44, 1 May 2010

Welcome to Circopedia,
the free encyclopedia of the international circus.
A project of the Big Apple Circus,
inspired and funded by the Shelley & Donald Rubin Foundation.


In the Spotlight

THE INDIAN CIRCUS

In recent years, the Indian circus has acquired a rather unsavory reputation abroad. Stories of children abducted or bought and forced into bondage, training in horrifying conditions and performing to enrich their "owner"—the circus proprietor—have surfaced in the Western press. Indeed, in a country where the level of extreme poverty is still fairly high, a few traveling circus entrepreneurs may have resorted to methods that have fortunately vanished more than a century ago in the western world. By and large, Indian circus entrepreneurs have also maintained the belief that there are "secrets of the trade" in the training of circus acrobats and circus animals, which has certainly contributed to the dubious reputation of an industry that is often seen as marginal, and not well adapted to the modern world. Today, the traditional Indian circus suffers from a sharp decline in attendance, while foreign circus companies (mostly Russian) visiting the region, or traveling with Indian circuses, still attract a large public. (more...)

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A Message from the Editor

CIRCOPEDIA is a constantly evolving and expanding encyclopedia of the international circus. New videos, biographies, essays, and documents are added to the site on a weekly—and sometimes daily—basis. Keep visiting us: even if today you don't find what you're looking for, it may well be here tomorrow!
Dominique Jando
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