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==In The Spotlight==
 
==In The Spotlight==
===A SHORT HISTORY OF THE CIRCUS===
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===THE ARATAS===
[[File:Astley_ampitheatre_1807_2.jpg|right|400px]]If the history of theater, ballet, opera, vaudeville and music-hall, movies, and television is generally well documented, serious studies of circus history are sparse, and known only to a few circus enthusiasts and scholars. What little the public at large knows, on the other hand, is circus history as told over the years by imaginative circus press agents, and repeated—and often misunderstood and distorted—by writers of popular fiction, Hollywood screenwriters, and journalists too busy to investigate further. One of the most popular misapprehensions about circus history is the oft-repeated idea that circus dates back to the Roman antiquity. But the Roman circus was in actuality the precursor of the modern racetrack; the only common denominator between Roman and modern circuses is the word itself, ''circus'', which means in Latin as in English, "circle".
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The Aratas performed an truly original and outstanding tight wire act, which was very successful in Europe in the 1960s and early 1970s. The act originated in 1957 as a trio, with Anna Arata, and her younger brothers, Billy and Vittorio. At that time, Anna performed an amazing wire crossing with her brother Billy, who was head-balancing on her head. Following Anna’s retiring from the act in 1962, Vittorio and Billy continued to work as a duet (and continued to perform together Anna’s original head-to-head balancing trick).
 
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The Aratas came from a large Italian circus family that originated in the late nineteenth century. Its founder, Amedeo Arata (c.1872-1947), was a strongman from Massa Carrara who worked on the fairgrounds. Amedeo married Claudia Rizzoli, a Bolognese tight-wire dancer, and together they created the Circo Tea Arata, which remained active until 1943. Amedeo and Claudia had five children: Alfredo, Elena, Fanny, Violetta, and Guido. Guido (1911-?) married Cleofe Denji, who came from another Italian circus family, and together they had three children, Anna (b. January 5, 1940), Vittorio (b. January 26, 1942), and Francesco, known as Billy (February 23, 1946- April 25, 2004).
The modern circus was actually created in England by Philip Astley (1742-1814), a former cavalry Sergeant-Major turned showman. The son of a cabinet-maker and veneer-cutter, Astley had served in the Seven Years' War (1756-63) as part of Colonel Elliott's 15th Light Dragons regiment, where he displayed a remarkable talent as a horse-breaker and trainer. Upon his discharge, Astley chose to imitate the trick-riders who performed, with increasing success, all over Europe. Jacob Bates, an English equestrian based in the German States, who performed as far away as Russia (1764-65) and America (1772-73), was the first of these showmen to make a mark. Bates's emulators—Price, Johnson, Balp, Coningham, Faulkes, and "Old" Sampson—had become fixtures of London's pleasure gardens and provided Philip Astley with his inspiration.
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Circo Tea Arata was not prosperous enough to support such a large family, especially after the siblings had reached adulthood. Guido, his wife and their children left the family cocoon and, in the mid-1950s, went on to work with Circus Medrano-Swoboda in Austria, where Guido presented a perch-pole act with his daughter Anna. It was the final years of the famous Austrian circus (before it went bankrupt and became an Italian circus), and the Aratas returned to their country, where they worked for a time with Circo Gerardi. Meanwhile, Guido began to put together a low-wire act for his children.
([[SHORT HISTORY OF THE CIRCUS|more...]])
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([[The Aratas|more...]])
  
 
==New Biographies==  
 
==New Biographies==  

Revision as of 20:03, 30 September 2015

Welcome! • Bienvenue! • Willkommen! • Добро Пожаловать!
Bienvenida! • Benvenuto! • 歡迎 ! • Vítejte! • Καλώς ήρθατε!
Üdvözöljük! • Добре Дошли! • Welkom! • Ласкаво Просимо!
Velkommen! • Tervetuloa! • Дабро Запрашаем! • Välkommen!

Circopedia is a project of the Big Apple Circus,
inspired and funded by the Shelley & Donald Rubin Foundation.

In The Spotlight

THE ARATAS

The Aratas performed an truly original and outstanding tight wireA tight, light metallic cable, placed between two platforms not very far from the ground, on which a wire dancer perform dance steps, and acrobatic exercises such as somersaults. (Also: Low Wire) act, which was very successful in Europe in the 1960s and early 1970s. The act originated in 1957 as a trio, with Anna Arata, and her younger brothers, Billy and Vittorio. At that time, Anna performed an amazing wire crossing with her brother Billy, who was head-balancing on her head. Following Anna’s retiring from the act in 1962, Vittorio and Billy continued to work as a duet (and continued to perform together Anna’s original head-to-head balancing trickAny specific exercise in a circus act.). The Aratas came from a large Italian circus family that originated in the late nineteenth century. Its founder, Amedeo Arata (c.1872-1947), was a strongman from Massa Carrara who worked on the fairgrounds. Amedeo married Claudia Rizzoli, a Bolognese tight-wire dancer, and together they created the Circo Tea Arata, which remained active until 1943. Amedeo and Claudia had five children: Alfredo, Elena, Fanny, Violetta, and Guido. Guido (1911-?) married Cleofe Denji, who came from another Italian circus family, and together they had three children, Anna (b. January 5, 1940), Vittorio (b. January 26, 1942), and Francesco, known as Billy (February 23, 1946- April 25, 2004). Circo Tea Arata was not prosperous enough to support such a large family, especially after the siblings had reached adulthood. Guido, his wife and their children left the family cocoon and, in the mid-1950s, went on to work with Circus Medrano-Swoboda in Austria, where Guido presented a perch-poleLong perch held vertically on a performer's shoulder or forehead, on the top of which an acrobat executes various balancing figures. act with his daughter Anna. It was the final years of the famous Austrian circus (before it went bankrupt and became an Italian circus), and the Aratas returned to their country, where they worked for a time with Circo Gerardi. Meanwhile, Guido began to put together a low-wire act for his children. (more...)

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A Message from the Editor

CIRCOPEDIA is a constantly evolving and expanding encyclopedia of the international circus. New videos, biographies, essays, and documents are added to the site on a weekly—and sometimes daily—basis. So keep visiting us: even if today you don't find what you're looking for, it may well be here tomorrow! And if you are a serious circus scholar and spot a factual or historical inaccuracy, do not hesitate to contact us: we will definitely consider your remarks and suggestions.

Dominique Jando
Editor/Curator