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| | Stilts are straight poles with steps, arranged at a certain height (1-2 meters from the ground), meant for walking. The poles are either long, whereas the poles are held by the hands of the walker behind his arms or short poles, which are tied to the knees of the walker, resting on the lengthy sticks.
Walking on stilts is known from ancient times. Stilts got widespread growth in France: In the Gascony Lands, where rain water does not dry quickly and forms swamps, making it difficult for pedestrians. Stilts served as a main means of information exchange in rural areas. In the middle of the century, stilt fighting contests were organized in Numor between two camps, consisting of the citizens; the fight was organized in a large area in front of the city hall. The stilt fighters have to hit the opponents with the legs.
The origin of the clown:
The history of the clown should be begun with the festivals of Ancient Greece, then there were rural merry fellows “komos” which went between villages, amused the people, parodied, cried out jokes to passers by, playfully argued that what was called then “agonom” - and exchanged caustic insulting words at times.
Later the most bright and resourceful people have received the name “bomoloh”
Together with the “bomoloh” there always was a partner named “bohval”. “Bomoloh” always was the leader, always won and at times offended “bohval” and if “bomoloh” had not enough words he started to bang “bohval”. As the jokers were rural “kolonus”, bomoloh’s jokes have accepted the given image and removed from the Ancient Greece to Italy and the meaning of this word was the “witty person” instead of “rural”. As the caustic jokes of the mischievous persons had a critical character, made fun of various bad streaks in the person, the Athens’ authority having a democratic way, saw in such jokes a positive use of influence on the moral level of the people, and decided to make bomolohs’ jokes the traditional method of influence on people and started to invite them in theater to speak with witty reproaches.
Together with the bomolohs aesthetic concepts of style, expressiveness, carnival language and techniques they came to the theater.
Comic receptions of a carnival became a basis of circus clownery language; - the requisite uses were acrobatics, juggling, illusion and style of national performance. But a refusal of the standard norms, a liberty, the negation of the universal norms and conventions led to the development of the circus character which developed in parallel with dramatics.
The representations were called “imitation” at that time. The mimicking and copying of people were some of the main scenic receptions.
The actors “phlyax” worked actively and used acrobatics and showed comic falling. There were buffoon-comical types which had grotesque character faces, make-up, used asymmetric forms, made big mouths or huge noses and there was a bald head too. Garments were motley with multi-colored stains, triangles and rhombuses. These figures became characteristic for the Italian comedy of masks.
Before a circus art basis there were actors “histrio” - jugglers, they juggled with the fire sticks, belched fire from the mouth, invented magic devices for focuses and trained pigeons. Later they had a division into genres: acrobats, trainers, storytellers, troubadours. In the 14th century there was a division of “histrio” on an "aristocratic" class - where there were musicians and dancers, and the lowest class - acrobats, trainers, rope-walkers, clowns, illusionists - all genres which became the circus art basis.
In the 16th century, for the first time in 1563 there was a character which had the name "clown". Acting in the same mask, the clown looked ridiculous, clumsy and naive. Each entrance on the arena was independent, not connected with a storyline of a play. Playwrights specially left emptiness for the comic tricks of the clown. During the same time in England and France there were the first circuses.
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