PBS Arts presents The Art of the Circus

PBS Arts presents "The Art of the Circus". The genesis of a new circus act - as well as the painful move to cut one - are among the features that give online viewers deeper insight into artistic decisions under big top, when the PBS Arts website debuts its multimedia exhibition "The Art of the Circus" today. The exhibition precedes the Nov. 3 debut of the anticipated PBS series CIRCUS, about a year in the life of The Big Apple Circus and its performers.

Exclusive video features on PBS Arts includes "Making Olympia" -- in which circus artists Sarah Schwarz, Olivier Taquin and Sergio Ngyuen develop a mime act featuring a life-size doll made from bamboo -- and "Sarah's Act" - detailing the steps leading to a pivotal change for a wire-walking act.

Other original PBS Arts content includes an essay by historian Dominique Jando that makes the case for circus as art form, and a Q+A with Big Apple Circus guest director Steve Smith, who describes how the disparate elements of a show are woven together into a cohesive theme.

Additional "Art of the Circus" elements are handpicked from the series and its website, including a black-and-white slideshow of performers waiting to go on, the making of a clown-act homage to Gene Kelly's "Singing in the Rain" dance sequence, and much more.

CIRCUS premieres this Wednesday on PBS, but see exclusive footage and materials about the Big Apple Circus here.

PBS Arts debuted this fall, providing an online platform to bring the arts home to millions of Americans. Anchored by exhibitions curated from PBS archives, the site also features commissioned original content and web-only material connected to PBS shows. Upcoming content includes "SOUND TRACKS Presents Quick Hits: Meklit Hadero" featuring the Ethiopian-born songstress, exclusive content from the November series "LennonNYC," and more. Visit pbs.org/arts.