ABSTRACT
From its trailblazing experiments in contemporary circus in the late 1970s to its current place as a major performing arts company, Circus Oz embodies the enduring and constantly evolving popular form of circus. The company’s sophisticated performance of rough-and-readiness stays true to its physically based death-defying circus roots through an exuberant confidence in the possibilities of the human body and the special relationship that exists between an audience watching and an artist performing – in real time; no safety net. Of course there are safety nets; the performers are professionals. But there is always an element of danger, perceived or real, that gives the live circus show a frisson and every audience a unique experience. No circus show is exactly the same, no two somersaults land precisely on the same spot and no musical riff performed live to the rhythm of a body spinning in space is exactly repeatable. That is the beauty of ‘live’ performance: it provides the audience with a ‘real-time’ event where editing is no longer an option. The Circus Oz approach to the Living Archive embeds this quality of ‘live’ performance in the Archive by making as many videos as possible accessible to the public. 1 It is ‘live’ in the sense that the collection has not been edited – all videos made by Circus Oz of its shows are potentially available.
