Entertainment: Reinventing a Classic; There's a surprising new art form for the summer crowds to enjoy: old-time big-top circuses, with a contemporary twist.(Giffords Circus)

Byline: Tara Pepper

The crowds marching toward the twinkling lights and colorful caravans of Giffords Circus earlier this month were not your typical big-top devotees. For one thing, they were toting smart bags crammed with books and newspapers from the nearby Hay-on-Wye literary festival, Britain's largest. For another, they were taking time out from talks by Seamus Heaney and Al Gore to sit in the sawdust ring and watch hapless clowns and dazzling jugglers. And they passed up peanuts and cotton candy to feast afterward on gourmet dishes like confit of duck in a plum and ginger sauce, cooked by the circus chef from local organic produce and served under the stars.

But then, Giffords is no ordinary circus. It blends traditional acts with a daring and innovative tribute to ' 60s psychedelia called "Joplin," which incorporates a live band playing '60s music, hippie costumes and messages of peace, love and understanding. And it's just one of a growing number of shows revitalizing traditional circus skills with modern twists and a greater emphasis on music, theater and narrative.

The painted caravans and big tops pitched on fields across Europe this summer may be familiar, but increasingly, the circus is being accepted as an avant-garde art form in its own right. Last year the European Parliament passed a resolution promising greater support for classical circuses. New circus schools, with classes designed to produce a new generation of highly skilled and creative artists, are mushrooming. "There was a time when the circus was deeply unfashionable, and that was partly because it had failed to evolve," says Charlie Holland, program director at the Circus Space, a London training center. "There's now a very strong interest in exploring new avenues in circus." While the international Cirque du Soleil first did that with dazzling acrobatics, vivid lights and eye-catching costumes, many performers are now going back to basics, infusing traditional acts with a contemporary dramatic edge.

Finding fresh ways to meld the disparate acts that make up a traditional circus is at the heart of this new approach. Romantic, family-centered Circus Ronaldo, which will tour the Netherlands, France, the U.K., Belgium and Greece this summer and into the fall, ties together its current show, "La Cucina dell'Arte," ...