| Royal Italian Circus | |
|---|---|
 Chiarini's Royal Italian Circus and Performing Animals, New Zealand Mail, 1879. | |
| Origin | |
| Country | United States |
| Founder(s) | |
| Year founded | 1856 |
| Defunct | Yes |
| Information | |
| Traveling show? | Yes |
| Circus tent? | Yes |
Chiarini's Royal Italian Circus and Performing Animals, also known as Chiarini's Circus and Menagerie or simply the Royal Italian Circus (Italian : Circo Italiano) was a renowned traveling circus company.
Italian-born equestrian Giuseppe Chiarini established the international circus company as the director.
The circus first traveled across America in the mid-19th century and then started abroad. In 1855, Chiarini's Italian Circus performed in Greenville, Ohio. [1] Chiarini began touring Cuba in 1856 under the banner of the Royal Spanish Circus. He later adopted Chiarini's Royal Italian Circus, serving as the company's manager and proprietor. [2] In 1859, a wooden circus was provisionally opened in Havana for Smith & Chiarini's equestrian troupes. [3] In 1863, Chiarini's circus company in Havana performed at Plaza de Armas. In January 1867, Chiarini's circus headed to Mexico. After an eleven-week run in San Francisco, Chiarini advertised more shows on the Californian tour in 1868, including Sacramento, Stockton, and Marysville. [4] The circus had left for Panama and the cities of South America by steamer in 1869. [5]
During a visit to Auckland, New Zealand, in January 1873, the circus company held an event. [6] [7] Chiarini's company landed in Melbourne in March 1873, arriving from New Zealand. On October 8, 1874, the troupe performed in Yokohama, Japan. [8] In November 1879, returned to New Zealand in Wellington. [9]
In 1880, the troupe consisted of an American bison, two zebras, three full-grown Bengal tigers, three tiger cubs, eight performing dogs, over twenty well-trained horses, and six trick ponies. [10]
Chiarini's Royal Italian Circus and Performing Animals appeared in Singapore in 1882. [11] A performance in front of the Maharajah of Johor, whose state was located directly to the north of Singapore's Crown Colony, took place on January 30, 1883. [12]
The troupe made an appearance in Adelaide, Australia, in 1884. [13]
According to records, negotiations for the sale of Chiarini's menagerie and circus animals were underway with Chinese parties in 1889. [14] Following a journey to Shanghai, just two elephants, twenty-three horses, fourteen ponies, two jacks, two goats, four monkeys, one brahma, and a large number of pigeons remained in the menagerie after part of it was sold. [15]
The famed circus which travelled the world no longer existed upon Chiarini's death in 1897 in Panama City, Panama.
A circus is a company of performers who put on diverse entertainment shows that may include clowns, acrobats, trained animals, trapeze acts, musicians, dancers, hoopers, tightrope walkers, jugglers, magicians, ventriloquists, and unicyclists as well as other object manipulation and stunt-oriented artists. The term circus also describes the field of performance, training and community which has followed various formats through its 250-year modern history. Although not the inventor of the medium, Newcastle-under-Lyme born Philip Astley is credited as the father of the modern circus.
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Adam John Forepaugh was an American horse trader and circus owner. From 1865 through 1890 his circus operated under various names including Forepaugh's Circus, Forepaugh's Gigantic Circus and Menagerie, The Forepaugh Show, 4-PAW Show, The Adam Forepaugh Circus, and Forepaugh & The Wild West.
Captain Frederick Wollaston Hutton was an English-born New Zealand scientist who applied the theory of natural selection to explain the origins and nature of the natural history of New Zealand. Whilst an army officer, he embarked on an academic career in geology and biology, to become one of the most able and prolific nineteenth century naturalists of New Zealand.
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Vishnupant Moreshwar Chatre (1840-1905) was an Indian circus owner who is considered the founder of the modern Indian circus. His circus company Great Indian Circus was the first circus company in India. Chatre met martial arts trainer Keeleri Kunhikannan when Great Indian Circus toured Thalassery, Kerala in 1887. In this visit an agreement was signed between Keeleri Kunjikannan and Chatre, according to that Keeleri Kunjikannan agreed to train the trainees for the circus and Chatre agreed to employ them. This led to the development of first circus academy in the country.
Francis Charles Bostock (1866–1912) was an English entrepreneur and animal trainer, who represented the touring section of the Bostock and Wombwell Menagerie. He toured Europe and America and in the latter he was known as "The Animal King". At death he was called "England's Greatest Showman".
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