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==In The Spotlight==
 
==In The Spotlight==
  
===MARYSE BEGARY===
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===BILL WOODCOCK===
[[File:Maryse_Begary_(Promotional_Picture).jpg|right|400px]]
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[[File:William_Woodcock,_Jr._(1978).jpg|right|450px]]
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William Woodcock, Jr. (1935-2023), better known as Bill or "Buckles" Woodcock, was one of the great elephant trainers of the second half of the twentieth-century American circus. A true circus legend in his own times, he was extremely respected in the profession and loved by circus fans, who enjoyed testing his historical knowledge of the American circus, and his encyclopedic command of the history of elephants in the United States—an interest passed on to him by his father.
  
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William "Buckles" Woodcock was born on February 26, 1935 in Lancaster, Missouri, to an old American circus family. Although his father, William H. Woodcock (1904-1963), was a first-generation circus man (and became a legendary elephant trainer with a passion for circus history), his mother was Sarah "Babe" Orton (1902-1988), whose grandfather, [[Hiram Horton|Hiram]], a former sailor and tavern-keeper of British origin, had started a circus in Wisconsin in 1854. As the feisty Babe would often say, "My family was in the circus when the Ringling brothers were still wearing wooden shoes."
  
Born Andrée Auclère on February 20, 1926 in Paris, France, the daughter of a baker, Maryse Begary (1926-2007) was one of the most accomplished and celebrated aerialists of her day, famous for her exceptional handstand on the trapeze bar—which she could hold for more than one minute—and her spectacular series of rotating one-arm planches (also known as "dislocations"), with which she emulated her idol, Lillian Leitzel (1892-1921).
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Bill (to differentiate him from his father, William) Woodcock grew up around animals, elephants in particular. When he was a toddler, he was often buckled to his mother on a harness to keep him in check and safe around his father's elephants, thus his nickname. At age 11, he began working in the circus as a candy butcher. But Buckles had other plans: in 1951, over his father's objections, he found a job as an animal handler with another elephant trainer, Eugene "Arky" Scott, who worked with Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey.
  
Young Andrée started training on the trapeze on her doctor’s recommendation, to improve a poor health condition. She became apprentice to a celebrated gymnast on horizontal bars, Nicolas Marcoud, who had a successful career with the Marcoud-Banola Troupe. Andrée adopted his name (as was the tradition then, in the circus, when a young performer had apprenticed to a famous master) when she started her performing career. Thus, under the name of Andrée Marcoud, she made her professional debut at Paris’s Cirque Medrano on April 14, 1939; she was thirteen years old.
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Obviously, there was not much William Senior could do. He and Buckles reunited two years later and began working together. Since his father's vision was failing, Buckles's role in the partnership became increasingly more prominent. In 1951, William Woodcock had acquired a four-year old Burmese woodland elephant, Anna May, from the Al G. Kelly-Miller Bros. Circus, and Buckles began working with her. Anna May, who was a remarkably smart and talented performer, would become America's most famous elephant and stay in the Woodcock family until May 2004, when she went into retirement at Riddle's Elephant and Wildlife Sanctuary in Greenbrier, Arkansas.... ([[William Woodcock, Jr.|more...]])
 
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Andrée Marcoud quickly made a name for herself: Her handstand on her trapeze bar didn’t fail to impress circus professionals and aficionados, and her act continued to improve over the years. After the German occupation of France during World War II, Andrée was featured in 1946 (and again in 1950) at Paris’s (and the world's) oldest permanent circus, the Cirque d’Hiver. The following year, she went on tour with the French Cirque Figuier under her real name, Andrée Auclère: Raymonde Marcoud, Nicolas Marcoud’s niece, was also performing at that time, and Andrée didn’t want to create any confusion.
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That same year, 1947, Andrée married Franz Begary, a former pilot in the French Air Force who had just left the military. Andrée Marcoud-Auclère finally became Andrée Begary, and changed her first name for the more romantic Maryse. It is under that name, Maryse Begary, that she continued her career—thus confusing a few circus chroniclers and historians: Andrée Marcoud and Maryse Begary are sometimes mentioned as "the two only aerialists" who, after the creator of the trick, Miss Fillis (Nicolas Marcoud's daughter), were able to hold a handstand on their trapeze bar! Franz Begary became Maryse’s assistant and manager, a marital partnership that would last until Maryse’s death.
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The amazing Maryse Begary was much in demand in France and Europe. In the winter 1949-1950, she was featured at Bertram Mill’s Circus at London’s Olympia, where she shared the bill with another legendary aerialist, Alma Piaïa. The next winter, she appeared at Circus Carré in Amsterdam, then under the management of the Strassburger family; she was twice featured at Glasgow’s Kelvin Hall in Scotland, and performed at Blackpool’s Tower Circus in England, Cirkus Schumann in Copenhagen, and Circo Americano-Castilla in Spain, among many other prestigious European venues.... ([[Maryse Bégary|more...]])
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==New Essays and Biographies==
 
==New Essays and Biographies==
  
 +
* [[Rex Williams]], Elephant Trainer
 
* [[Little Billy Merchant]], Clown
 
* [[Little Billy Merchant]], Clown
 
* [[Jacko Fossett]], Clown
 
* [[Jacko Fossett]], Clown
 
* [[Circus Ring of Fame]], History
 
* [[Circus Ring of Fame]], History
 
* [[Natalya Jigalova]], Aerialist
 
* [[Natalya Jigalova]], Aerialist
* [[Guangzhou Acrobatic Troupe]], History
 
  
 
==New Videos==
 
==New Videos==
  
* [[Bruno_Togni_Video_(2023)|Bruno Togni]], tiger act (2023)
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* [[Sukhornukovi_Video_(2022)|Egor & Lucia Sukhornukov]], Strap Act (2022)
* [[Ruban_Troupe_Video_(2022)|Anatoliy Ruban Troupe]], teeterboard (2022)
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* [[Juliana_Neves_Video_(2001)|Juliana Neves]], tissu (2001)
* [[Ayala_Video_(2022)|The Ayala Troupe]], high wire (2022)
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* [[Neves_and_Gueorguiev_Video_(2000)|Juliana Neves & Ivo Gueorguiev]], tissu pas-de-deux (2000)
* [[Filinov_Video_(2022)|The Filinov Troupe]], Russian swing (2022)
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* [[Bikmaevi_Video_(2022)|Duo Bikmaevi]], strap act (2022)  
* [[Huyen_Video_(2022)|Chu Thi Khanh Huyen]], aerial sword balancing (2022)
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* [[Knie_Elephant_and_Tigers_Video_(1976)|Louis Knie]], elephants and tigers act (1976)
  
 
==New Oral Histories==
 
==New Oral Histories==

Revision as of 23:01, 23 March 2023

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Circopedia was originally inspired and funded by the Shelley & Donald Rubin Foundation.

In The Spotlight

BILL WOODCOCK

William Woodcock, Jr. (1978).jpg

William Woodcock, Jr. (1935-2023), better known as Bill or "Buckles" Woodcock, was one of the great elephant trainers of the second half of the twentieth-century American circus. A true circus legend in his own times, he was extremely respected in the profession and loved by circus fans, who enjoyed testing his historical knowledge of the American circus, and his encyclopedic command of the history of elephants in the United States—an interest passed on to him by his father.

William "Buckles" Woodcock was born on February 26, 1935 in Lancaster, Missouri, to an old American circus family. Although his father, William H. Woodcock (1904-1963), was a first-generation circus man (and became a legendary elephant trainer with a passion for circus history), his mother was Sarah "Babe" Orton (1902-1988), whose grandfather, Hiram, a former sailor and tavern-keeper of British origin, had started a circus in Wisconsin in 1854. As the feisty Babe would often say, "My family was in the circus when the Ringling brothers were still wearing wooden shoes."

Bill (to differentiate him from his father, William) Woodcock grew up around animals, elephants in particular. When he was a toddler, he was often buckled to his mother on a harness to keep him in check and safe around his father's elephants, thus his nickname. At age 11, he began working in the circus as a candy butcher(American) Concession vendor; so named because one of the first successful concessionaires of the American circus was a former butcher.. But Buckles had other plans: in 1951, over his father's objections, he found a job as an animal handler with another elephant trainer, Eugene "Arky" Scott, who worked with Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey.

Obviously, there was not much William Senior could do. He and Buckles reunited two years later and began working together. Since his father's vision was failing, Buckles's role in the partnership became increasingly more prominent. In 1951, William Woodcock had acquired a four-year old Burmese woodland elephant, Anna May, from the Al G. Kelly-Miller Bros. Circus, and Buckles began working with her. Anna May, who was a remarkably smart and talented performer, would become America's most famous elephant and stay in the Woodcock family until May 2004, when she went into retirement at Riddle's Elephant and Wildlife Sanctuary in Greenbrier, Arkansas.... (more...)

New Essays and Biographies

New Videos

  • Egor & Lucia Sukhornukov, Strap Act (2022)
  • Juliana Neves, tissu(French) A double piece of hanging fabric, generally made of silk, used for an aerial act. (See also: Fabric, Silks) (2001)
  • Juliana Neves & Ivo Gueorguiev, tissu(French) A double piece of hanging fabric, generally made of silk, used for an aerial act. (See also: Fabric, Silks) pas-de-deux (2000)
  • Duo Bikmaevi, strap actAerial act performed hanging from a pair of fabric or leather straps. (See Aerial Straps.) (2022)
  • Louis Knie, elephants and tigers act (1976)

New Oral Histories

Circopedia Books

A Message from the Founder

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