Huesca Brothers

From Circopedia

Risley Act (Icarists)

By Dominique Jando


Giovanni (1986-2013) and Nikolai Huesca were born to a circus family of Spanish, Italian, Austrian, and Irish descent. Their father, Natalino "Fumagalli" Huesca, is one of Europe's most famous clowns. Their paternal grandfather was Austrian, their paternal grandmother an Italian of Spanish descent with ties to such great Italian circus dynasties as Larible and Casartelli. Finally, Giovanni and Nikoloai's mother, Angela, was born Fossett, a legendary Irish circus dynasty.

The two brothers were trained in all traditional acrobatic disciplines and specialized in icarism(French: Jeux Icariens) Act performed by Icarists, in which one acrobat, lying on his back, juggles another acrobat with his feet. (Also: Risley Act), or risley. Among other venues, they had been featured at Cirkus Benneweis in Denmark, the Big Apple Circus in the United States, and Circus Knie in Switzerland. Sadly, their act was short-lived: in 2011, Giovanni began to fight a brain tumor that eventually took his life on April 25, 2013.

See also