As the lights are dimmed and carnivalesque music plays, the world’s stark realities are momentarily forgotten and fade beyond the realm of the bright Big Top.
The circus is in town, and the atmosphere is electrifying. The artistes go about their repertoires with gleaming eyes and smiles. Chins held high, they perform death-defying acts with seemingly effortless grace and gusto. The crowd gasps, holds its breath, erupts into thunderous applause.
Grime & Glamour is a photographic journey of everyday life in the circus, behind the bright lights and velvet curtains.
This documentary celebrates a deeply talented, dedicated, close-knit community that captures the imagination of both young and old in towns and cities around the world.
No two days in the circus are the same. They uproot themselves and their loved ones, travel across continents, come up against language and cultural barriers in long stretches throughout the year. It’s a life that holds the constant promise of new adventures, but also a fair share of perils. Exploitative employers and agents are not unheard of. Accidents can happen. A sudden loss back home, thousands of miles away. But still they step into the ring and nothing else matters, in those defining moments.
Subtly woven into these photographs are stories of sacrifice and passion, of separation and belonging, of hardship and joy, of doubt and adventure, of loss and hope.
"It’s my dream so of course, I love it. I get to do what I love every day. I get to travel - meeting new people, learning new languages and performing in different cities. Feeling the energy from the audience and connecting with other performers during the show - that’s important."
Elly Myers, ringmaster
"Seven years ago, joining a big company like Cirque du Soleil was my dream – because it’s the best, no? They pay very well. It’s a different company. I have friends there who say it’s the best too. But now, things are different. Now as long as my family good – my home good, my mama good, it’s okay."
Jhon Villegas, high ropes & stunt specialist
"I’m a happy person. I will go to the circus every day and do the same thing. It’s very hard, it’s very difficult. It’s – for most people – seen as crazy, but I love it and I will do it again, without question. If I have a chance to be born again and choose what I want to do, I will go to the circus. I’ll go even earlier. I lost a lot of years trying to do other things and trying to be a normal person.”
Kiril Kirilov, circus owner & performer
"I’ve broken bones everywhere. It’s a part of the circus. You know everyday you go in the show, you know that. But it is your life. I’ve had many accidents, maybe it’s why I stopped watching most of the dangerous acts - I go out. Everyone knows I go out. I see everything in a different way now.”
Bili Kirilov, circus owner & producer
The Opening Exhibit. 21st February, 2020. Ipoh, Perak.
