cirque

Cirque is the French word for circus, referring to a live entertainment show featuring acts such as acrobats, clowns, jugglers, and often animal performances. A cirque may be a traveling troupe or a fixed venue, and performances typically take place in a ring where the action unfolds in an intimate, circular space. In everyday French, cirque can denote the entire show or the company behind it, as well as the physical tent or hall that houses the performances.

Originating from Old French cirque, itself from Latin circulus “little circle,” the term evokes the circular arena of traditional circuses. In geology, cirque (or cirque glacière in French) designates a bowl-shaped amphitheater carved by alpine glaciers, usually at the head of a valley.

Cirque du Soleil, established in 1984 in Montreal by Guy Laliberté and Gilles Ste-Croix, is the best-known modern adaptation of the form. It popularized a theater-oriented, non-animal contemporary circus that blends acrobatics, dance, music, and elaborate production design. Cirque du Soleil performs in large tents or theater venues around the world and has produced many permanent shows as well as touring productions.

In French-speaking contexts, “cirque” continues to describe both traditional circuses and their modern descendants. The term also appears in geographic names for mountain features, such as cirques in the French Alps or the Pyrenees (e.g., cirque de Gavarnie), where it refers to a natural amphitheatre shaped by glaciers. In English, cirque is used primarily in geology and as part of proper names such as Cirque du Soleil.