Monday, September 20, 2010
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A Blog designed for discussion of topics related to, but not limited to, Circus, Zoos, Animal Training, and Animal Welfare/Husbandry. Sometimes opening up the dialog is the best starting point of all. And if for nothing else when people who agree and don't agree, get together and start discussing it, it will open up a lot of peoples minds. Debate and discussion even amongst themselves opens a window where there wasn't one before.
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8 comments:
When of the better acts in the years he was working.
Thomas
I don't imagine this type of act would be 'acceptable' today, but what we have today is a big yawn. I saw Vincenta's act today and you'd barely think you were watching a wild animal act at all. The tricks were the predictable stuff everyone is doing - group sit up, group laydown into a sit up, 3 tiger rollover, hind leg, leap frog and hurdle. . It's as though there is only one tiger act in the country and they just switch presenters. Worst of all, zero resistance, not a snarl - just super docile looking animals going through their paces with a bored attitude. Nothing against Vincenta, but her presentation is basically just strolling around, looking like a sexy showgirl assisting a juggling act. Actually, the whole show was equally boring, but the group of people sitting behind me were all oohs and ahhs for most of it. I wanted to turn around and say "are you kidding me?".
Wade, I know you like the white tigers and all, but I'm about ready for an orange act with lots of props or better yet, a bunch of snarling male lions, or heaven forbid, a mixed act in America.
By the way, Wade, I enjoyed your contribution to Casey's radio interview, and your generous praise of Casey's efforts. Very nice.
Anonymous,
From about the early 90's on, "cute and charming" became the norm for a lot of things. Just as the public misunderstood the old acts, they misunderstand the new, only it is what they "think" it is and that has gained their acceptance. Vincenta does a good job because everything is clean and quick. Trust me difficult, goes right over the uninitiated public's head. The docile you may have thought you were seeing, is only due to the fact Vincenta owns her act, and there for is able to use what she wants. Much different world, no disrespect intended to Vincenta, then the world of a Gunther, Charley, or a multitude of other trainers who often times have to use what they have. Beatty wanted fast and loud and being an act owner could choose what he needed or eliminate what wasn't useful to what he needed. Whether you can chose what you need, or have to use what you are given, is a very important intangible, usually never considered when folks start the "who is better" shtick. Add to that the fact of no official records kept, and my industry is no where near ever having a legitimate hall of fame such as the NBA, NFL, MLB, Pro Rodeo, etc.
I fell folks oh and ah today because it is what you are supposed to do. I really don't think they care, or even know, or even care to know what is good and what is bad. They want trapeze, juggling, lions, clowns, elephants, etc. because that makes it a "circus" which they go to once a year, as they used to when they were children. Years ago many performers were revered for what they did, which was better then anybody else. They were up there with movie stars, rock musicians and the like. Even ballet has a feature dancer. Symphony has a famous conductor. The circus whored it's stature away long ago. Just recently a "major" show was applauded for setting up in the back yard of a very wealthy man in Naples, and letting him dress like a showgirl in drag to ride in on one of the elephants. In Germany there is a "major" show that does a gay night in which the performers all dress in drag. Another "major" show has "star night" similar to the sham of Circus of the Stars, where famous people attempt to do some of the circus acts. We allowed ourselves to be disrespected in a groveling effort to gain some kind of acceptance, instead of accepting/showing that we could do it better then you or anybody. Let us show you. It has been gone long enough for me to accept, "it ain't never coming back." I take my hat of to my son Adam, and the Casey's and the Vincenta's to keep being with it and for it. I know if I had seen 35 years ago what is appearing today, with rare exceptions, I would have only spent about a week in the circus, before moving on to a whole new career that offered a challenge.
Wade
Thomas,
I disagree with you. Although I never saw it work, I have seen enough pictures and video in which the intimidated actions of the animals along with the teeth missing tells me all I need to know. The number of castrated male's is also suspect. The stick he always carried is not a meat stick by any stretch of the imagination, and there is only one thing a short, heavy "club like" stick is need for, and why it is carried. The BS about gentle, kind, loving head in the mouth, jump on them goes out the door(along with teeth) with that kind of weapon. What the goofy public often interprets as "affection" from an animal is often "resignation." Just as they misinterpreted a whip so long that nobody know's how to use one any more. Behavior wise the act was nothing, look at the clip. But I understand he was a nice, quiet, jolly fellow and often times that is all that is necessary to go down in history.
Thinking more about Vincenta's act. Being someone from the public as opposed to the business, sure, I like the power tricks, but I also like tricks that show movement like jumping, and I don't care if jumps are easy to train or difficult, I think cats doing long jumps look awesome. Sure, she does have the hurdle jump, but it's not the same as tigers climbing up to higher pedestals and making a jump. I also love a nice moving wheel with that fluid prowling gait. Gives me goose bumps.
If they are just brought 10 feet off their pedestals to the middle, to do their trick and then sent back, it's like a high school horse being lead to the middle of the ring, doing a piaffe and then lead back - you don't get to see the natural excitement of the animal's movement getting their and back.
Which, continueing the discussion from the Silber (oops, Buckles) Blog, I don't have a strong opinion about harness or no harness, (unharnessed acts can give the same act a novel, different look from season to season) but I have seen liberty horses checked low with overchecks and martingales that give their movement a stunted look, and I've seen longer and higher checks which allow a very nice movement. I think Katjas horses with their loose checks moved and worked well, but, while Garden's horses worked by Yasmine did an intricate routine, I didn't like the low tight checks which had them working with their mouths open and very restricted looking movements.
So, I don't see why cats can't be appreciated for their movement as much as horses and behaviours that show them off being as important as the difficult tricks.
Wade, you said that many trainers, including yourself had less choice on the animals to include in the act. Do you think it's a paradox that more difficult animals are more exciting to watch/ I imagine a less compliant animal could mean some hairly moments for the trainer, but it sure is exciting for us townies to watch, just like a dominant stallion versus a gelding working like clockwork.
When Pablo came to Venice he had to get Td in to the practice cage back of bthe ring barn. Gunther was in qtrs. with twenty five plus grooms and Charly was there as well. They both played the complete Dummy up on Pablo and his needs and I took a couple guys and helped him in the soft sand. Not a very nice welcome.He was a nice guy and just kind of ignored the whole thing. I had the same cold fridgid welcome from the Germans when I arrived as well a few previous years before. We, Charly, Althoff, Gunther all lived in our trailers there in qtrs. at that time and were given a gate key to enter and return. I always referred to it as Stalag 17. In my own country. How about that. Pablo was a sensation. No wonder the German Mafia played the Iggy. Holtzmair also had the iggy problem but he was a French speaking person that had a successful career in France. They did finally run Suskow off. johnny
Anonymous,
I sure wish you would use your name, as folks are required on this deal, so I would know who I was addressing. I assume when you use the word "paradox" it is in the reference to "irony or ironic." If that is the case, no I don't think it is ironic as it is the reason car racing, bull riding, etc. and any number of dangerous activity's are watched. Would you pay to watch somebody parachute off the kitchen table? Or hold your breath as the matador, cape over his shoulder turns to face the Toggenburg goat? LOL A couple of thing's make what you suggest unfeasible. First there is no one in circus world that is going to pay one cent more for the dangerous act. Not one, so why do it. To get high fived at the annual tent meeting? LOL no offense, but that's fact. Second factor, not a person in the seat's would have any idea how you trained the animals to do what they are seeing. Because most of them own an animal, they would assume they know all about animals, and they would just know that you had to beat them to make them do that. Owning an animal and knowing anything about animals is the same as having children and knowing anything about them. Becoming a parent is as difficult as getting someone impregnated. You are a parent instantly, but know nothing about raising children. Becoming and animal owner or trainer is as easy as impregnating someone, except you buy it. That's it, it's that difficult, and you know as much about animal behavior as the couple expecting their first child no about parenting.
Thirdly, if there has never been a need for a standard and a board to govern said standards, what you suggest about exciting or the old time fighting acts would need it more then anything, or there are folks in this field that would know no bounds in achieving that excitement. Like the rule book in the horse industry it hopes to stop abuse. They don't tell you how to do it, but they do tell you what you can't do to achieve it. Teaching a horse to keep his head down is a hard as spending hours in the saddle gently schooling him, or as easy as tying his head up in the air for hours on end fatiguing the neck muscles so that he can't raise his head. Showing a horse with a still tail, is as easy as spending hours in the saddle gently schooling him or giving him a shot with a nerve block deadening it forever. Nobody watches you at home, to make sure you follow the rules, but when you come out in public and show, it is obvious if you have abided by the standard set. There are many way's to get any animal to do any number of things, some are harmless and some will destroy him forever. Not everybody has the skill to do what is right.
Wade
John Milton,
What!!!!!!!!!!!!! The word "hulligan" that you use often in speaking and witting, is that how folk's should be welcomed with open arm's and comradeship? LOL
This brings up a interesting point, who would be the "hulligan" in the scenario you just described? Charly, Gunther, Pablo, Wolfgang, Daniel, or you? LOL
Wade
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