Gold 2015 / People / Culture

Circus Crew

  • Photographer
    Paola Serino
  • Prizes
    Gold in People/Culture

This on-going series focuses on the reality of minor circus companies in Italy. It's a story about modern nomads who live with profound dignity an existence out of time, away from the habits of show business. The life of these small circuses, with imaginative names such as Rony Roller, Leslie Savana, Apollo, Henry Niuman, Merano, Montecarlo, often takes place in the outskirts of the big cities, with rhythms marked by duties, evenings spent in house trailers and shows often put on for tiny audiences. Far from any controversy about the mistreatment of animals, an issue often related to this world, "Circus Crew" portrays the acrobats, the jugglers, the tightrope walkers, the animal trainers, the eclectic artists who are able to escape their complex everyday struggles to dive into a Bohemian atmosphere that has been a long-time inspiration for movies and literature.