Sideshow
From Free net encyclopedia
- For the informal automotive skills event, see sydeshow.
- for Australian usage see Sideshow alley.
In America, a sideshow is an extra, secondary production associated with a circus, carnival, fair or other such attraction. Its proper name is a "Ten in One", referring to the practice of having a revolving show of ten acts under a single tent. When a single person or object is featured, it is known as a single-o.
Contents |
SideShows of the past
- Barnums SideShow
- Showhistory.com
Current Status of the American SideShow
Today only a few "Ten in One" shows remain active in the world. The Sideshow by the Seashore sponsored by Coney Island USA in Brooklyn, NY is perhaps the oldest. Hall and Christ's Word of Wonders is one of the few shows that still tours the fairground circuit. Former phone salesman Jim Rose runs a modern sideshow called Jim Rose Circus. The Cut Throat Freak Show is another active modern sideshow based out of Phoenix, AZ. Other active SideShows include Ses Carny, Carnival Diablo, Brothers Grim, The Pickled Brothers, John Chaos Sideshow, and many more. Most of today's SideShows consist mainly of 'working acts' and 'made freaks' as well as the classic curiosity displays. A few modern day shows that have toured extensively. The Jim Rose Circus, The Bindlestiff Family Circus, Zamora's Sideshow and the Know Nothing Zircus Zideshow fall into this category. Most other shows are sedentary to a city or region, with a few doing spot dates in different locations, most notably the Bros. Grim Sideshow. There are also numerous solo SideShow artists performing across the US, mostly in spot engagements and corprate events. These include Todd Robbins, Harley Newman, Sideshow Bennie, Brett Loudermilk, Erik "The Lizard Man" Sprague, etc.
The Club scene had been a boon for SideShows during 2002-2004 time period. This resurgence has been largely attributed to the rebellious image of SideShow. 2005 has seen a marked decline in spectator interest in SideShow on both the club and corporate events scenes. Opinions on the reasons for this decline range from too many poor quality performances (this issue is often raised in the New York area), to audience fatigue, or a "been there, done that" mentality among the college set. The saturation of performers in the New York area may also be a factor. However, in summer 2005, The 999 Eyes of Endless Dream Carnival Sideshow of the Damned debuted, with one of the only sideshows featuring true born freaks. This sideshow, incorporating human anomalies, music, fire dancing, and hook suspension, toured for several months throughout the western United States and at festivals like Burning Man. Organizers reported over 1,000 visitors to their travelling museum, mostly promoted through the Internet, the Burning Man community, and word of mouth.
Interestingly enough, the Jim Rose Circus continues to see large audiences, despite the general down-turn of the SideShow.
Many history projects chronicling the amazing, yet virtually untold sideshow past have recently sprung up, including the mammoth, www.showhistory.com which advertises itself as "An encyclopedia of novelty & variety performers & showfolk" and includes: sideshow, freakshow, circus, vaudeville, medicine show, carnival, grindshow, dime museum, girlshow, etc.
Hierarchy
Sideshows of old had a hierarchy of performers in terms of prestige, with "Born Freaks", people with congenital physical peculiarities, at the top, followed by "Made Freaks" such as tattooed men and women, and "Working Acts" such as sword swallowers and fire eaters. Contrary to contemporary perceptions, which holds the term freak show to be pejorative, many of the "Born Freaks" were not looked down upon by their fellow performers, and many were in fact the owners and operators of the shows.
Today the hierarchy is largely based on the abilities of the performers.
SideShow Acts and Skills
Image:Lightmatter firebreath.jpg
- Main article: Circus skills
The sideshow world includes a wide array of performers and performance types. The major categories include Human Oddity Acts (Natural acts, such as the fat lady, etc), Working Acts (acts people train to be able to perform, such as Fire breathing), Animal acts (such as a Flea Circus, or Snake Charming act), Illusions, and Museum Shows (including pickled punks).Template:Theat-stub