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===ITALO MEDINI===
 
===ITALO MEDINI===
  
Italo Medini (1924-2015) was one of the greatest jugglers of the past century who worked in the Italian tradition exemplified by the legendary Enrico Rastelli. He and his twin brother, Franco (1924-2014) were born June 9, 1924 in Orléans, France, to Carlo Medini and his wife, Anna, née Périé, during an engagement of their parents with the Cirque Alphonse Rancy. A clown and acrobat, Carlo Medini belonged to an old and numerous Italian circus family; his wife, Anna, whom he married in 1920, was the daughter of Pierre Périé, the owner of a highly respected French provincial circus before WWII.
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Rare have been clown trios that have held the top of the bill of the most important European circuses for such a long time. Artists of great quality, particularly loved by the public—they had their fan club!—the Barios were also true innovators in the realm of clown comedy.  
  
Italo made his circus debut at age three, as a miniature clown in his father’s clown act. He would later become his father’s whiteface clown, in which role he showed great proficiency as a saxophone and concertina player. Quite early, too, Italo became part of the Carlo Medini aerial casting and acrobatic act. He found his true calling, however, when he saw the German juggling prodigy Trixie Firschke (1920-2001), with whom the Medinis shared a bill at Vienna’s Circus Renz. From then on, Italo began training in a specialty for which he showed an uncanny ability.
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Manrico Lionello (Nello, 1918-1999), the elder, was born August 28, 1918 in Alingsås, in Sweden. Alfredo Darius Bruno (Freddy, 1922-1988) was born in Brussels on December 18, 1922. Like all circus children, the two sons of Manrico Meschi, known as Bario (1888-1974), and Lily Eva, née Magrini (1902-1985), made their debut in the family act, the [[Les Dario-Bario|Dario-Bario]] clown trio, which included their uncle Dario (Dario Meschi, 1880-1962), their father, and a third partner that changed over the years: Félix Gontard, [[Rhum, Emile Coryn|Mimile, or Pépète Pauwels.
  
The Medinis and the Rastellis were friends, and in Sptember 1931, Carlo took Italo to Paris’s Cirque Medrano to see Enrico Rastelli (1896-1931). Rastelli, who was universally considered as the world’s greatest juggler, was starring in the famous Parisian circus; the opportunity to get a few tips and lessons from the Master, even for a short time, was not something to be missed! As fate had it, it was also just in time, for Rastelli died unexpectedly three months later.... ([[Italo Medini|more...]])
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Over time, their sister, Tosca, and their cousin, Willy Dario (Dario’s son), joined the troupe to participate in the act’s traditional musical finale. At age fourteen, Nello began to develop a threadlike hobo character named Siméon, and embarked in earnest on his clown apprenticeship, while Freddy, dressed as a rollicking groom, continued to be a mere extra in the act.
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In 1938, the Dario-Barios were in England, at Blackpool’s Tower Circus. Nello took advantage of the occasion to learn tap-dancing, of which English audiences were particularly fond, luring along his siblings, Freddy and Tosca. Nello was twenty, and it was time for him to consider his future; he didn’t see himself playing forever third banana to his father’s act. With Freddy and Tosca, Nello decided to build a musical and tap-dancing comedy act intended for the variety stage, which they would name “The Bario Juniors.... ([[Les Bario|more...]])
  
 
==New Biographies==  
 
==New Biographies==  

Revision as of 19:35, 27 February 2016

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In The Spotlight

Italo Medini 9 rings.jpeg

ITALO MEDINI

Rare have been clown trios that have held the top of the bill of the most important European circuses for such a long time. Artists of great quality, particularly loved by the public—they had their fan clubA juggling pin.!—the Barios were also true innovators in the realm of clown comedy.

Manrico Lionello (Nello, 1918-1999), the elder, was born August 28, 1918 in Alingsås, in Sweden. Alfredo Darius Bruno (Freddy, 1922-1988) was born in Brussels on December 18, 1922. Like all circus children, the two sons of Manrico Meschi, known as Bario (1888-1974), and Lily Eva, née Magrini (1902-1985), made their debut in the family act, the Dario-Bario clown trio, which included their uncle Dario (Dario Meschi, 1880-1962), their father, and a third partner that changed over the years: Félix Gontard, [[Rhum, Emile Coryn|Mimile, or Pépète Pauwels.

Over time, their sister, Tosca, and their cousin, Willy Dario (Dario’s son), joined the troupe to participate in the act’s traditional musical finale. At age fourteen, Nello began to develop a threadlike hobo character named Siméon, and embarked in earnest on his clown apprenticeship, while Freddy, dressed as a rollicking groom, continued to be a mere extra in the act.

In 1938, the Dario-Barios were in England, at Blackpool’s Tower Circus. Nello took advantage of the occasion to learn tap-dancing, of which English audiences were particularly fond, luring along his siblings, Freddy and Tosca. Nello was twenty, and it was time for him to consider his future; he didn’t see himself playing forever third banana to his father’s act. With Freddy and Tosca, Nello decided to build a musical and tap-dancing comedy act intended for the variety stage, which they would name “The Bario Juniors.” ... (more...)

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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.

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