Stilton Disco
Member
With all the myriad of misfortunes we've all been beset by so far this year, few have suffered as hard as Circuses, whose travelling performers dazzle us with feats of strength, agility and courage, all for little financial reward or job security, often risking life and limb either because it's in their blood, or that they would be happy doing little else.
More than perhaps any other industry, the lockdowns, put in place in response to the Coronavirus pandemic, have had a brutal effect on Circuses, many having already had to pull down their tents permanently, their performers forced to start their lives over from absolute zero in a time when getting a house and finding employment are harder than they may ever have been.
For others, they languish in limbo, forced to remain in place at a single ground, unable to see friends or family and often, due to the international nature of the work, in countries they are strangers in, watching their savings dwindle while stranded hundreds, perhaps thousands of miles away from home and loved ones they have no certainty of ever seeing again.
In my own country of England, they had been almost entirely forgotten by the UK government, callously overlooked from the bailouts and relief aid put in place for the vulnerable, self employed, small businesses or the arts, slipping between the cracks as those who don't quite fit in so often do:
Cirque du Soleil cuts 3,500 jobs to avoid bankruptcy
Circuses say they face collapse without government support
Even with lockdowns finally relaxing, the weeks of rioting, protests and insurgency so many western nations are grappling with is only adding to the problems these often generational travelling shows face.
If any of you are at all able, please look out for these traditional entertainers, and support them where you can.
In a time where we are anaesthetised by mainstream media that relies on unrealistic cgi and low risk, mass marketable, inoffensive banality, consider a night out at the greatest shows on earth, where feats of strength, skill, agility and endurance are on display that cannot be faked and that require unwavering discipline, dedication and ceaseless effort to perform, because without our support, they may be gone forever.
On a personal note, one such example, and what drew my attention to the plight of circuses, is of my local circus, Santus, who have been further beset by tragedy in recent weeks, as one of their patriarchs has been gravely injured in a traffic accident, left in a medically induced coma and likely suffering brain damage, having left his family and show without the funds to restart, and facing a horrific question on how they will be able to care for him if they cannot regain their source of income.
Kent circus performers fear for future after being left in limbo
Their GoFundMe page.
Please, support your local shows and, if you are at all able to, help Santus out by sharing their campaign on social media, or donate if you wish to.
I can personally vouch for what kind hearted, hard working and loving people they are, so if any of you can spare a few minutes to spread the call to arms to help them, I would be eternally grateful.
These shows must go on, or we'll all lose yet another part of our culture and history forever in a year that has already taken so much from us..
More than perhaps any other industry, the lockdowns, put in place in response to the Coronavirus pandemic, have had a brutal effect on Circuses, many having already had to pull down their tents permanently, their performers forced to start their lives over from absolute zero in a time when getting a house and finding employment are harder than they may ever have been.
For others, they languish in limbo, forced to remain in place at a single ground, unable to see friends or family and often, due to the international nature of the work, in countries they are strangers in, watching their savings dwindle while stranded hundreds, perhaps thousands of miles away from home and loved ones they have no certainty of ever seeing again.
In my own country of England, they had been almost entirely forgotten by the UK government, callously overlooked from the bailouts and relief aid put in place for the vulnerable, self employed, small businesses or the arts, slipping between the cracks as those who don't quite fit in so often do:
Cirque du Soleil cuts 3,500 jobs to avoid bankruptcy
Circuses say they face collapse without government support
Even with lockdowns finally relaxing, the weeks of rioting, protests and insurgency so many western nations are grappling with is only adding to the problems these often generational travelling shows face.
If any of you are at all able, please look out for these traditional entertainers, and support them where you can.
In a time where we are anaesthetised by mainstream media that relies on unrealistic cgi and low risk, mass marketable, inoffensive banality, consider a night out at the greatest shows on earth, where feats of strength, skill, agility and endurance are on display that cannot be faked and that require unwavering discipline, dedication and ceaseless effort to perform, because without our support, they may be gone forever.
On a personal note, one such example, and what drew my attention to the plight of circuses, is of my local circus, Santus, who have been further beset by tragedy in recent weeks, as one of their patriarchs has been gravely injured in a traffic accident, left in a medically induced coma and likely suffering brain damage, having left his family and show without the funds to restart, and facing a horrific question on how they will be able to care for him if they cannot regain their source of income.
Kent circus performers fear for future after being left in limbo
Their GoFundMe page.
Please, support your local shows and, if you are at all able to, help Santus out by sharing their campaign on social media, or donate if you wish to.
I can personally vouch for what kind hearted, hard working and loving people they are, so if any of you can spare a few minutes to spread the call to arms to help them, I would be eternally grateful.
These shows must go on, or we'll all lose yet another part of our culture and history forever in a year that has already taken so much from us..
