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==In The Spotlight==
 
==In The Spotlight==
  
===CIRQUE MEDRANO, PARIS===
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===HAROLD ALZANA===
[[File:Medrano_Farewell.jpg|right|thumb|350px|Violette and Jérôme Medrano (1963)]]
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[[File:Harold_Alzana_(Cushman).jpg|right|300px]]
(...) In February of 1959, following the advice of his lawyers, Jérôme Medrano created a new corporate entity for the exploitation of his circus—in all probability to generate new legal hurdles for the Bougliones and continue to stall a situation whose obvious conclusion was unfortunately inexorable. When the 1959-60 Season began in September, Violette Medrano was conspicuously listed on the program as the circus’s sole Director. (She was also the Director of the new corporation.) Although he was still in actuality at the artistic helm of his circus, Jérôme remained in the shadows.
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Harold Alzana was, from the late forties to the mid-sixties, a star fixture of Ringling Bros. and Barnum and Bailey Circus. His daredevil manner—working on the high wire without a balancing pole and at high speed, which contrasted with the traditionally slow, seemingly careful, approach of the great high wire acrobats, such as The Wallendas, that had preceded him—inspired many of the high wire acts that are seen today.
  
Yet Violette’s personal touch could be felt: The overall style of Medrano was modernized and refreshed, notably with usherettes in elegant and colorful dresses instead of circus uniforms, and the use of air freshener in the corridors and the bar to mask the smell of the menagerie. (The latter innovation was strongly criticized by hardcore circus fans!) Marcellys took over the orchestra, in addition to his role as host. Violette also conceived the idea of an already built-up steel arena coming down from the cupola for the cage acts. This was a good innovation, although it couldn’t be used in conjunction with major aerial acts, such as flying trapeze and high wire, and thus influenced to some extent the composition of the programs (either big aerial act or cage act, but not both). Covered with fabric, it also served as a ring curtain in a few productions.
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He was born Harold Davis on September 19, 1917 in Maltby, a small mining town east of Sheffield in South Yorkshire, England. His father, Charles, worked there as a coal miner, but he was also an amateur acrobat, and he began training his children (Harold, his brother Edgar, and their sisters Hilda and Elsie) in his backyard, where he had installed a tight wire two feet off the ground.
  
In May 1960, the season ended with an interesting show titled ''Cavalcade sur Glace 60''. It was entirely performed on ice, including Erie Klant's polar-bear act presented Corry Vermeeren, Stella Fratellini and her chimpanzee Georgie, and, most amazingly, the high school act of Elvira Vonderp. The featured star of the show was the former French champion ice-skater Raymonde Du Bief, but its true stars were the Barios, who had spent most of the 1959-60 Season at Medrano, and were at the height of their creative and comedic talents. They performed wonderful original entrées (on skates, like everyone else in the show), and gave the production its soul as well as its laughs.  ([[Cirque Medrano (Paris)|more...]])
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Charles’s training got good results: At age six, young Harold made his performing debut in local fairs and festivals. But this was just fun; when he reached fourteen, Harold Davis, like most young men in Maltby, followed in his father’s footsteps and began working as a coal miner. In 1941, he married his sweetheart, Minnie. World War II was raging, but Harold and his siblings never stopped practicing and improving their high wire act.
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The war over, Harold Alzana decided to leave the darkness of Maltby coalmines and tempt his luck in the circus spotlights: It was social climbing in every sense of term! His break came in 1946, when impresario Clem Butson, then producer of Blackpool’s Tower Circus, gave "The Sensational Alzanas" (as Harold and his siblings had named their act) a contract for the summer season. The highlight of the act was Harold crossing the wire on a bicycle with his sisters hanging from a trapeze suspended under it.
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If it was certainly, from the audience point of view, a spectacular finale, it was not in actuality much of a trick since the trapeze provided Harold’s bicycle with a counterweight: The more at risk were actually Hilda and Elsie. But Harold’s solos on the wire were another matter altogether, and this didn’t fail to impress one of John Ringling North’s European talent scouts. Johnny North immediately saw star potential in Harold Alzana, and the act was booked for the 1947 season of Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus, ''The Greatest Show On Earth''.  ([[Harold Alzana|more...]])
  
 
==New Biographies==
 
==New Biographies==
  
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* [[Baptiste Loisset]], Circus Owner and Equestrian
 
* [[The Kornilov Dynasty]], Elephant Trainers
 
* [[The Kornilov Dynasty]], Elephant Trainers
 
* [[Sergei Korolev]], Acrobat
 
* [[Sergei Korolev]], Acrobat
 
* [[Victor Fomine]], Acrobat, Circus Coach
 
* [[Victor Fomine]], Acrobat, Circus Coach
 
* [[Annie Fratellini]], Clown, Circus Director
 
* [[Annie Fratellini]], Clown, Circus Director
* [[Joel Baker]], Clown
 
  
 
==New Videos==
 
==New Videos==
  
* [[Tanya_Drobot_Video_(2018)|Tatyana Drobot]], Dog Act (2018)
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* [[Desire_Of_Flight_Video_(2014)|Desire Of Flight]], Aerial Straps (2014)
* [[Thierry_Bouglione_Video_(c2010)|Thierry & Sandrine Bouglione]], Magic Act (c.2010)
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* [[Kozhevnikov_Video_(1963)|Ivan Kozhevnikov]], Juggler (1963)
* [[Pellegrini_Video_(2016)|The Pellegrini Brothers]], Hand-to-Hand Balancing (2016)
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* [[Rampin_Video_(2015)|Los Rampin]], Clown Entrée (2015)
* [[Moira_Orfei_Video_(1991)|Moira Orfei]], Elephant Act (1991)
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* [[Togni_Elephants_Video_(1988)|Flavio Togni]], Elephant Act (1988)
* [[Martin_Lacey_Video_(2000)|Martin Lacey, Jr.]], Lion Act (2000)
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* [[Ivanov_Troupe_Video_(2018)|Ivanov Troupe]], High Wire (2018)
  
 
==New Oral Histories==
 
==New Oral Histories==
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* [[Freres_Knie_Video_(1962)|''Les Frères Knie'']], Documentary (1962)
 
* [[Freres_Knie_Video_(1962)|''Les Frères Knie'']], Documentary (1962)
 
* [[Jean_Richard_Video_(1979)|Jean Richard and Jean-Pierre Richard]] at the Cirque Jean Richard – Christian Boner Interview (1979)
 
* [[Jean_Richard_Video_(1979)|Jean Richard and Jean-Pierre Richard]] at the Cirque Jean Richard – Christian Boner Interview (1979)
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==2018 Circopedia Award==
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* [[Dandies_Video_(2018)|''Dandies'' (Yury Kreer, Johnny Gasser, Kirill Ivanov)]], Russian Barre
  
 
==New Circopedia Books==
 
==New Circopedia Books==

Revision as of 06:16, 20 November 2018

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

Circopedia was originally created with the support of the Big Apple Circus,
and has been inspired and funded by the Shelley & Donald Rubin Foundation.

In The Spotlight

HAROLD ALZANA

Harold Alzana (Cushman).jpg

Harold Alzana was, from the late forties to the mid-sixties, a star fixture of Ringling Bros. and Barnum and Bailey Circus. His daredevil manner—working on the high wireA tight, heavy metallic cable placed high above the ground, on which wire walkers do crossings and various acrobatic exercises. Not to be confused with a tight wire. without a balancing pole and at high speed, which contrasted with the traditionally slow, seemingly careful, approach of the great high wireA tight, heavy metallic cable placed high above the ground, on which wire walkers do crossings and various acrobatic exercises. Not to be confused with a tight wire. acrobats, such as The Wallendas, that had preceded him—inspired many of the high wireA tight, heavy metallic cable placed high above the ground, on which wire walkers do crossings and various acrobatic exercises. Not to be confused with a tight wire. acts that are seen today.

He was born Harold Davis on September 19, 1917 in Maltby, a small mining town east of Sheffield in South Yorkshire, England. His father, Charles, worked there as a coal miner, but he was also an amateur acrobat, and he began training his children (Harold, his brother Edgar, and their sisters Hilda and Elsie) in his backyard, where he had installed a 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) two feet off the ground.

Charles’s training got good results: At age six, young Harold made his performing debut in local fairs and festivals. But this was just fun; when he reached fourteen, Harold Davis, like most young men in Maltby, followed in his father’s footsteps and began working as a coal miner. In 1941, he married his sweetheart, Minnie. World War II was raging, but Harold and his siblings never stopped practicing and improving their high wireA tight, heavy metallic cable placed high above the ground, on which wire walkers do crossings and various acrobatic exercises. Not to be confused with a tight wire. act.

The war over, Harold Alzana decided to leave the darkness of Maltby coalmines and tempt his luck in the circus spotlights: It was social climbing in every sense of term! His break came in 1946, when impresario Clem Butson, then producer of Blackpool’s Tower Circus, gave "The Sensational Alzanas" (as Harold and his siblings had named their act) a contract for the summer season. The highlight of the act was Harold crossing the wire on a bicycle with his sisters hanging from a trapeze suspended under it.

If it was certainly, from the audience point of view, a spectacular finale, it was not in actuality much of a trickAny specific exercise in a circus act. since the trapeze provided Harold’s bicycle with a counterweight: The more at risk were actually Hilda and Elsie. But Harold’s solos on the wire were another matter altogether, and this didn’t fail to impress one of John Ringling North’s European talent scouts. Johnny North immediately saw star potential in Harold Alzana, and the act was booked for the 1947 season of Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus, The Greatest Show On Earth. (more...)

New Biographies

New Videos

New Oral Histories

2018 Circopedia Award

New Circopedia Books

A Message from the Editor

CIRCOPEDIA is a constantly evolving and expanding archive of the international circus. New videos, biographies, essays, and documents are added to the site on a weekly—and sometimes daily—basis. 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
Founder and Curator