Circus lessons fit in with PIFA theme

In early 20th-century Paris, there were at least five permanent circuses, and others regularly traveled through.

At that time, the circus was hugely popular in France. Attendees would sometimes dress in white tie and tails, and included some of the country's most renowned artists and writers, such as the poet and playwright Guillaume Apollinaire and painters Pablo Picasso and Pierre-Auguste Renoir.

"The painters could come for free and make sketches," said Dominique Jando, a San Francisco-based circus historian (Circopedia.org). "People used to go to the circus, the same way they go to the theater [now].

"It was very fancy and fashionable, and you had people who were circus aficionados," added Jando, who maintains an extensive library of books about circus history. "It was very much a part of the cultural fabric of the city."

So when organizers of the Philadelphia International Festival of the Arts decided that their theme would be Paris circa 1910 to 1920, they reached out to the Philadelphia Circus School of the Arts in Germantown and the Fly School of Circus Arts in Bucks County for acrobats, jugglers and aerial artists.

"We were trying to broaden it from more than just traditional arts," explained Dawn Frisby Byers, a PIFA spokeswoman. "We were looking for ways to make this festival as inclusive as possible."

Besides the Fly City trapeze classes that are being offered across from the Kimmel Center until May 1, PIFA will host La Compagnie Transe Express, an outdoor aerial performing troupe from France, as part of a free street fair on Broad Street on April 30. For additional information about these and other activities, log onto pifa.org.

- Jenice M. Armstrong