Love Philly? So do we. Let’s be friends. Sign up for the Billy Penn newsletter today.
—
The circus isn’t coming to town, it’s already here. And it’s been here for more than 200 years.
Philadelphia is home to the first circus performance in America in 1793.
“In 1793, John Bill Ricketts brought his idea of trick writing and circus into Philadelphia,” said Melissa Mellon, an aerials coach at the Philadelphia School of Circus Arts.
Ricketts was an entertainer from Britain, where circus arts had already gained some popularity.
The “traditional” elements from Europe, like clown performances and ring-shaped arenas, were combined with acrobats, jugglers and musicians to create the first American circus performance.
The idea of basing a series of circus acts in one place was relatively new in the late 1700s as well.
Ricketts continued to tour with the circus until 1799, when a fire destroyed the amphitheater where he housed his Philadelphia circus.
Over time, circus performances in the city have continued to develop, Mellon said.
“We feel like Philly is such a progressive city, and we continue to grow and continue to change the art form,” she said.
Since 1799, the circus has continued to add new elements, things like animal shows and exhibits came along in the 1820s and 1830s.
This included lion taming, which was initially brought about by American animal trainer Isaac Van Amburgh.
Eventually, circus came to include everything from clowns to aerial silk performances to contortionists.
That legacy and the modern circus experiences will be celebrated at The Philadelphia School of Circus Arts as part of this week’s firstival, a series of events to celebrate the city’s historic firsts.
“The school wanted to focus on the athleticism of the acrobatics and the performers,” said artist Roselyn Dooley, who designed the number one-shaped marker to commemorate the history of circus here. “I think that my style fit a lot in with that color and expression.”
Celebrating the modern circus performance
Mellon said Philly’s modern circus scene is very active.
“There are a few circus places where you can learn different types of circus arts and train with different coaches, and then we have a lot of artists in the area that perform professionally, whether it’s putting on shows or celebrating circus arts,” she said.
The Philadelphia School of Circus Arts, where Mellon works, is an accessible spot for everyone to learn, she said.
“We teach everything from tumbling, contortion and aerial arts to juggling and acrobatics,” she said. “We’re a recreational school, so we focus with youth students as well as adult students.”
The school will be hosting this weekend’s firstival as just one highlight of a weeklong series of events around World Circus Day.
The firstival kicking off these celebrations will be held at the Philadelphia School of Circus Arts on 6452 Greene Street in Northwest Philadelphia from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturday.
Mellon said activities will include storytelling and various programming – including hula hooping and trampoline workshops (make sure to RSVP in advance!)
The workshops will continue even after the firstival ends – with events like an “aerial playground” workshop and “aerial dancing” workshop.
Activities will continue at the circus school through the following week.
You can head over to the school on Wednesday, April 15 for an all-ages juggling club, or drop the kiddos off during a Philadelphia School District half day on Friday, April 17 for a circus-themed camp.
The week ends with two performances. Mellon said one is family-friendly, and one adult-centered show.
“The first one is our family show,” she said. “It’s called ‘From History To Gritty,’ and then we’re doing an adult-themed show, which is called ‘Nitty Gritty,’’ she said. “But all the money that we raise from those, and they’re pay-what-you-can tickets, that’s going to the Attic Youth Center, which is a local LGBTQ organization.”
First botanical garden, postmaster and American-made piano and sousaphone coming up
Here is your full guide to all of this year’s firstivals – including where you can find this upcoming Saturday’s Firstival dates and location.
Completed
Week 1: Successful balloon flight in America (1793)
Week 2: The Mummers parade, the nation’s first folk parade (1901)
Week 3: Volunteer fire company (1736)
Week 4: Professional basketball league (1898)
Week 5: Public Girl Scout cookie sale (1932)
Week 6: African Methodist Episcopal congregation (1794)
Week 7: Abolitionist society in America (1775)
Week 8: Authentic Chinese gate built in America (1984)
Week 9: Public protest against slavery in America (1688)
Week 10: Flower Show (1829)
Week 11: Women’s medical college (1850)
Week 12: Matchbook (1892)
Week 13: Medical school (1765)
Week 14: Stadium (1895)
Upcoming
• Circus performance in America (1793)
April 11, Philadelphia School of Circus Arts, 6452 Greene St.
• Botanical garden (1728)
April 18, Bartram’s Garden, 5400 Lindbergh Blvd.
• Postmaster (1737)
April 25, Franklin Court, 322 Market St.
• American-made piano and sousaphone (1775 and 1893)
May 2, Ensemble Arts Philly, 300 S. Broad St.
• Mother’s Day (1908)
May 9, Historic St. George’s Museum & Archives, 326 New St.
• Hospital in America (1751)
May 16, Pennsylvania Hospital, 800 Spruce St.
• World’s Fair on American soil (1876)
May 23, Please Touch Museum, 4231 Avenue of the Republic
• Steamboat for passengers and freight (1787)
May 30, Independence Seaport Museum, 211 S. Christopher Columbus Blvd.
• American flag (1777)
June 6, Betsy Ross House, 239 Arch St.
• U.S. Army (1775)
June 13, Museum of the American Revolution, 101 S. 3rd St.
• Annual Reminder demonstration (1965)
June 20, Philly Pride Visitor Center, Lombard St. and S. 12th St.
• Paper maker in America (1690)
June 27, Rittenhouse Town, 6034 Wissahickon Ave.
• Bank of the United States (1791)
July 4, First Bank of the United States, 120 S. 3rd St.
• Organized baseball team (1831)
July 11 (location TBD)
• Ice cream soda (Oct. 1874)
July 18, Franklin Fountain, 116 Market St.
• American art school (1805)
July 25, Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, 118-128 N. Broad St.
• Scientific Society of Natural History (1812)
Aug. 1, at Academy of Natural Sciences, 1900 Benjamin Franklin Parkway
• Zoo in America (1874)
Aug. 8, Philadelphia Zoo, 3400 W. Girard Ave.
• U.S. Mint (1793)
Aug. 15 (location TBD)
• Selfie (1839)
Aug. 22, Love Park, 1501 John F Kennedy Blvd.
• Slinky (1943)
Aug. 29, Philadelphia Art Museum, 2600 Benjamin Franklin Parkway
• Signing of the Constitution (1787)
Sept. 5, National Constitution Center, 525 Arch St.
• Continental Congress (1774)
Sept. 12 at Carpenters’ Hall, 320 Chestnut St.
• Naming of the United States (1776)
Sept. 19, Independence Hall
• Ronald McDonald House (1974)
Sept. 26, Ronald McDonald House, 3925 Chestnut St.
• Penitentiary in America (1829)
Oct. 3, Eastern State Penitentiary, 2027 Fairmount Ave.
• The First Peoples
Oct. 10, Penn Museum, 3260 South St.
• U.S. Navy and Marine Corps (1775)
Oct. 17, Arch Street Meeting House, 320 Arch St.
• Public showing of a motion picture (1870)
Oct. 24, Philadelphia Film Society, 1412 Chestnut St.
• Modern detective story written (1841)
Oct. 31, Edgar Allan Poe House, 532 N. 7th St.
• Thanksgiving Day parade in America (1920)
Nov. 7, Benjamin Franklin Parkway
• University in America (1740)
Nov. 14, Houston Hall, The University of Pennsylvania, 3417 Spruce St.
• Children’s hospital in America (1855)
Nov. 21, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, Main Building, 3401 Civic Center Blvd.
• Pencil with an attached eraser (1858)
Nov. 28, National Liberty Museum, 321 Chestnut St.
• Weather bureau (1870)
Dec. 5, The Franklin Institute, 222 N. 20th St.
• Electronic computer (1945)
Dec. 12, The University of Pennsylvania, 3451 Walnut St.
• Public lending library in America (1731)
Dec. 19, The Library Company of Philadelphia, 1314 Locust St.
• Philly food firsts: Cheesesteaks (1930s), water ice (1932) and bubble gum (1928)
Dec. 26, Reading Terminal Market, 1136 Arch St.
