La pyramide et la roue: jeux formels et effets de sens dans les spectacles de cirque

Abstract

This article examines selected circus acrobatic acts from the point of view of a functional opposition between order and chaos. The metaphors of the pyramid and the wheel?metaphors which generate technical terms in circus jargon?articulate the poles of the opposition: social integration and harmony versus individual expression and anarchical behavior. Some aspects of circus spectacles "represent" this tension, which is at the root of the social experience of most individuals. These aspects of circus spectacles orchestrate this tension, so to speak, in a display of patterned actions which implement various combinations and transformations within the framework of this basic opposition. Examples are taken from the American, European, and Indian circuses. In conclusion, rules pertaining to the semiotic code of the circus are proposed in view of a systematic inquiry of circus programs in recent years.