Difference between revisions of "Main Page"

From Circopedia

(42 intermediate revisions by the same user not shown)
Line 18: Line 18:
 
==In The Spotlight==
 
==In The Spotlight==
  
===MARYSE BEGARY===
+
===ELENA PANOVA===
[[File:Maryse_Begary_(Promotional_Picture).jpg|right|400px]]
+
[[File:Elena_Panova_(1991).jpg|right|300px]]
 +
Elena Panova is credited with having originated a new swinging trapeze style and technique, which she developed quite by accident at Moscow's State College for Circus and Variety Arts, along with her teachers, Tereza Durova and Victor Fomine. When it was presented for the first time in the West in 1987 (it was at a time when communist Eastern Europe was still secluded), her act was a sensation that triggered the creation of a string of new swinging trapeze acts in a similar style, notably in Canada.
  
 +
Elena Panova was born Elena Nikolaevna Borisova on July 18, 1964 in Murom, four hundred kilometers from Moscow, the third daughter of Nikolai Borisov and his wife, Klavdia, née Kazanskaya. Her parents had nothing to do with the circus: they came from peasant stock and both worked in a local factory.
  
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).
+
Murom is one of Russia's oldest cities, dating back to the 9th century, and "home" to the Kievan Rus folk hero of yore, Ilya Muromets. It is also a Holy City that managed to keep some of its monasteries and convents open during the communist era. Yet, it is a small town, and although the Soviet government gave it a theater building, it didn't have a circus, neither was it important enough to receive the summer visit of a ''shapito'' (or ''chapiteau'' in French—a traveling circus). In fact, Elena never saw a live circus performance while growing up.  
  
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.
+
She did see circus shows on television, however, as well as ballet performances, and in her early teens, she enrolled herself in her school's amateur dance company. Meanwhile, a friend of hers had joined the local "Circus Club" and suggested that Elena, who was then fourteen, came with her. "Circus Clubs" were the Soviet equivalent of European or American youth circuses, though generally at a much higher level in terms of the training they provided. They flourished in the Soviet Union, where circus arts were held in high esteem.
  
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.
+
During these years, Elena trained in basic acrobatics, but her tastes drew her to aerial apparatuses; while still at the Circus Club, she and a fellow student developed a "bambou" (aerial perch) act. Her performance debut came in April 1978, when she presented a static trapeze act in the Easter show the Circus Club staged in Murom’s Grand Theatre.... ([[Elena Panova|more...]])
 
+
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.
+
 
+
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 [[Theatre Carré|Circus Carré]] in Amsterdam, then under the management of the [[Circus Strassburger|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...]])
+
  
 
==New Essays and Biographies==
 
==New Essays and Biographies==
  
 +
* [[Jo-Ann Jennier]], Aerialist, Animal Trainer
 +
* [[Ethel Jennier]], Aerialist, Animal Trainer
 +
* [[Walter Jennier]], Sea Lion Trainer
 +
* [[Rex Williams]], Elephant Trainer
 
* [[Little Billy Merchant]], Clown
 
* [[Little Billy Merchant]], Clown
* [[Jacko Fossett]], Clown
 
* [[Circus Ring of Fame]], History
 
* [[Natalya Jigalova]], Aerialist
 
* [[Guangzhou Acrobatic Troupe]], History
 
  
 
==New Videos==
 
==New Videos==
  
* [[Bruno_Togni_Video_(2023)|Bruno Togni]], tiger act (2023)
+
* [[Crocksons_Video_(1969)|The Crocksons]], comedy tumbling (1969)
* [[Ruban_Troupe_Video_(2022)|Anatoliy Ruban Troupe]], teeterboard (2022)
+
* [[Crystalle_Video_(2016)|Crystalle]], tight wire (2016)
* [[Ayala_Video_(2022)|The Ayala Troupe]], high wire (2022)
+
* [[Ferkos_Video_(1969)|The Ferkos]], Russian swing (1969)
* [[Filinov_Video_(2022)|The Filinov Troupe]], Russian swing (2022)
+
* [[Kroplin_Video_(1969)|Klaus Kröplin]], small animal act (1969)
* [[Huyen_Video_(2022)|Chu Thi Khanh Huyen]], aerial sword balancing (2022)
+
* [[Alexis_Sisters_Video_(1987)|The Alexis Sisters]], hand-to-hand balancing (1987)
  
 
==New Oral Histories==
 
==New Oral Histories==

Revision as of 02:51, 7 June 2023

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

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

In The Spotlight

ELENA PANOVA

Elena Panova (1991).jpg

Elena Panova is credited with having originated a new swinging trapeze style and technique, which she developed quite by accident at Moscow's State College for Circus and Variety Arts, along with her teachers, Tereza Durova and Victor Fomine. When it was presented for the first time in the West in 1987 (it was at a time when communist Eastern Europe was still secluded), her act was a sensation that triggered the creation of a string of new swinging trapeze acts in a similar style, notably in Canada.

Elena Panova was born Elena Nikolaevna Borisova on July 18, 1964 in Murom, four hundred kilometers from Moscow, the third daughter of Nikolai Borisov and his wife, Klavdia, née Kazanskaya. Her parents had nothing to do with the circus: they came from peasant stock and both worked in a local factory.

Murom is one of Russia's oldest cities, dating back to the 9th century, and "home" to the Kievan Rus folk hero of yore, Ilya Muromets. It is also a Holy City that managed to keep some of its monasteries and convents open during the communist era. Yet, it is a small town, and although the Soviet government gave it a theater building, it didn't have a circus, neither was it important enough to receive the summer visit of a shapito (or chapiteau(French, Russian) A circus tent, or Big Top. in French—a traveling circus). In fact, Elena never saw a live circus performance while growing up.

She did see circus shows on television, however, as well as ballet performances, and in her early teens, she enrolled herself in her school's amateur dance company. Meanwhile, a friend of hers had joined the local "Circus Club" and suggested that Elena, who was then fourteen, came with her. "Circus Clubs" were the Soviet equivalent of European or American youth circuses, though generally at a much higher level in terms of the training they provided. They flourished in the Soviet Union, where circus arts were held in high esteem.

During these years, Elena trained in basic acrobatics, but her tastes drew her to aerial apparatuses; while still at the Circus Club, she and a fellow student developed a "bambou(French - Russian: Bambuk) Aerial apparatus, generally a hanging perch, from where the performers hang with the help of hand or ankle loops. See also: Aerial perch." (aerial perchA hanging perch, from where the performers hang with the help of hand or ankle loops. (French: Bambou - Russian: Bambuk)) act. Her performance debut came in April 1978, when she presented a static trapeze act in the Easter show the Circus Club staged in Murom’s Grand Theatre.... (more...)

New Essays and Biographies

New Videos

  • The Crocksons, comedy tumbling (1969)
  • Crystalle, 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) (2016)
  • The Ferkos, Russian swingGiant swing used to propel flyers into acrobatic figures onto the shoulders of a catcher, on a crash mat, or into a net. (1969)
  • Klaus Kröplin, small animal act (1969)
  • The Alexis Sisters, hand-to-handAn acrobatic act in which one or more acrobats do hand-balancing in the hands of an under-stander. balancing (1987)

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