Kannan Bombayo - Revision history

Djando: /* N.P. Kunchikannan */

2024-07-11T22:46:47Z

‎N.P. Kunchikannan

Djando: /* Image Gallery */

2024-07-11T22:46:09Z

‎Image Gallery

Djando at 17:26, 28 June 2019

2019-06-28T17:26:53Z

Djando: /* Triumphs And Tragedy */

2019-06-28T17:23:41Z

‎Triumphs And Tragedy

Djando: /* The Canestrellis */

2016-08-01T19:28:26Z

‎The Canestrellis

Djando: /* The Canestrellis */

2016-08-01T19:27:19Z

‎The Canestrellis

Djando: /* The Canestrellis */

2016-08-01T19:26:05Z

‎The Canestrellis

Djando: /* N.P. Kunchikannan */

2016-08-01T19:21:46Z

‎N.P. Kunchikannan

Djando: /* Suggested Reading */

2016-08-01T19:19:51Z

‎Suggested Reading

Djando: /* The Last Curtain */

2016-08-01T19:16:09Z

‎The Last Curtain

@@ Line 10: / Line 10: @@
 Kannan Bombayo was born May 30, 1907 in Chirakkara, a borough of Tellicherry (today Thalassery), on the Malabar Coast, in the Indian state of Kerala. His father, Eerayi Korumban, struggled as a small farmer, and was not connected with the circus. In India, children’s names are different from their father’s; Kannan Bombayo’s birth name was N. P. Kunchikannan&mdash;the Indian contracted spelling of Kunchi Kannan: He became familiarly known as Kunchy.
-[[File:Kannan_Bombayo.jpeg|left|thumb|300pix|Kannan Bombayo in 1932]]Kunchy’s place of birth had a definite impact on his life: Chirakkara was home to [[Keeleri Kunhikannan]]’s first Indian circus school. Considered the "Father of the [[The Indian Circus|Indian Circus]]", Keeleri Kunhikannan trained the first crop of India’s professional circus artists, several of whom went on to create their own shows, and the State of Kerala became known as "The Cradle of the Indian Circus." Furthermore, Keeleri was Kunchy’s uncle…
+[[File:Kannan_Bombayo_Portrait.jpg|left|thumb|300pix|Kannan Bombayo (c.1935)]]Kunchy’s place of birth had a definite impact on his life: Chirakkara was home to [[Keeleri Kunhikannan]]’s first Indian circus school. Considered the "Father of the [[The Indian Circus|Indian Circus]]", Keeleri Kunhikannan trained the first crop of India’s professional circus artists, several of whom went on to create their own shows, and the State of Kerala became known as "The Cradle of the Indian Circus." Furthermore, Keeleri was Kunchy’s uncle…
 Keeleri enrolled Kunchy in his school when the young boy was just seven years old. There he was trained in acrobatics, perch-pole balancing and other circus skills; he was a remarkable tumbler who could turn a roundoff-double back somersault on the ground. He later specialized in acrobatics on the bouncing rope, an act popularized in India by Keeleri’s brother-in-law, O. K. Chandu (known as Charlie), who was in all probability Kunchy’s original teacher in that discipline. (Kunchy later christened his son, Charlie.)

@@ Line 82: / Line 82: @@
 File:Kannan_Bombayo.jpeg|Kannan Bombayo (1932)
 File:Kannan_Bombayo_-_Hagenbeck-Wallace.jpg|Kannan Bombayo at Hagenbeck-Wallace Circus (1933)
 File:Bombayo_-_Bertram_Mills_Circus.jpeg|Kannan Bombayo at Bertram Mills Circus (1935)
 File:Kannan_and_Filomena_Bombayo.jpg|Kannan Bombayo with Filomena (c.1935)

← Older revision		Revision as of 17:26, 28 June 2019
Line 2:		Line 2:

	''By Dominique Jando''		''By Dominique Jando''
		+

	Between the two World Wars, in Europe and in America, the diminutive Indian acrobat Kannan Bombayo (1907-1939) was considered the world’s greatest acrobat on the bouncing rope—which indeed he was. His career, unfortunately, was meteoric: he was only thirty-two when he died on his return voyage to India. Still, his name holds a major place in Indian circus lore and legend, and in circus history in general: Not only was Kannan Bombayo incontestably the best in his specialty—he also introduced it to the West.		Between the two World Wars, in Europe and in America, the diminutive Indian acrobat Kannan Bombayo (1907-1939) was considered the world’s greatest acrobat on the bouncing rope—which indeed he was. His career, unfortunately, was meteoric: he was only thirty-two when he died on his return voyage to India. Still, his name holds a major place in Indian circus lore and legend, and in circus history in general: Not only was Kannan Bombayo incontestably the best in his specialty—he also introduced it to the West.

@@ Line 57: / Line 57: @@
 After a last appearance in the United States in February 1935 with the Al Sirat Grotto Circus in Cleveland, Ohio (a Shrine circus), Kunchy and Filomena returned to England for the 1935 season with the Bertram Mills Circus tenting show. As in the United States, Bombayo was duly heralded with his own poster. That same year, Filomena gave birth to their son, Charlie. Mills's touring contracts were signed for two years (Mills covered the United Kingdom in two seasons), but Kunchy would do a third season, and finished his long association with Mills at the end of the 1937 tour.
-In November 1935, Kannan Bombayo had been featured at Paris’s legendary [[Cirque Medrano (Paris)|Cirque Medrano]], where he was a huge hit with Medrano’s circus-savvy audience. He returned to the Parisian circus as a headliner in December 1936, after a stint at Berlin’s Wintergarten in November. At Medrano, he was reunited with his old friend Lalo Codona. (Lalo now worked with the triple-somersaulter [[Clayton Behee]], who had replaced Alfredo after his accident in 1933.) In the magazine ''Cœmedia'', the famous French circus chronicler [[Serge]] admiringly dubbed Bombayo "le félin du câble" ("the feline of the wire").
+In November 1935, Kannan Bombayo had been featured at Paris’s legendary [[Cirque Medrano (Paris)|Cirque Medrano]], where he was a huge hit with Medrano’s circus-savvy audience. He returned to the Parisian circus as a headliner in December 1936, after a stint at Berlin’s WinterGarten in November. At Medrano, he was reunited with his old friend Lalo Codona. (Lalo now worked with the triple-somersaulter [[Clayton Behee]], who had replaced Alfredo after his accident in 1933.) In the magazine ''Cœmedia'', the famous French circus chronicler [[Serge]] admiringly dubbed Bombayo "le félin du câble" ("the feline of the wire").
 When Serge saw again Kannan Bombayo, probably at Bertram Mills Circus in 1937, Kunchy’s health was visibly deteriorating; in his book ''Histoire du Cirque'' (Paris, Librairie Gründ, 1947), Serge said he saw in him a man who knew he was dying. It may have been hindsight, but Kunchy was very ill indeed. He spent 1938 playing dates in variety theaters in Scandinavia and Germany, including Berlin’s WinterGarten, where he had the dubious honor to perform for Adolph Hitler.

@@ Line 25: / Line 25: @@
 The Canestrellis were (and still are) an old and numerous Italian circus family, whose origins date back to the mid-nineteenth century in Padua; they created their own circus in 1903. Ottavio was third-generation Canestrelli, the son of Riccardo (c.1878-1958) and Teresa, née Fumagalli. He was an extremely versatile performer: Originally trained as an acrobat and a bareback rider, he was also an excellent juggler and equilibrist. He had married a Neapolitan opera singer, Genoveffa Lentini (1902-1995), known as Giovanna. With her, their children Riccardo and [[La Tosca Canestrelli|Tosca]], and his brother Federico, Ottavio had been engaged since 1928 in a series of circus tours in South-East Asia, the Middle East and India. The family’s main specialty then was a free ladder act, but they could perform a variety of acts, notably Ottavio's juggling and bareback riding.
-[[File:The_Canastrellis_on_the_Conte_Grande.jpeg|right|400px|thumb|The Canestrelli and Kannan Bombayo on the SS Conte Grande (1932)]]At the turn of 1931, the Canestrellis were ready to sail back to Europe for a contract with the giant [[Cirkus Kludsky]] in Czechoslovakia. Since they had six weeks to wait before their sea passage, Ottavio accepted a short engagement with Kunhikannan’s Whiteway Circus, where he met Kunchi Kannan. Ottavio was duly impressed by his skills&mdash;albeit less so by his costume, which consisted of white tights and a red trunk, or his showmanship (often lacking with Indian and Asian performers). Kunchy’s apparatus also seemed a little precarious... Nonetheless, Federico Canestrelli and Kunchy, who were about the same age, became fast friends, and Federico convinced Ottavio (with some help from Keeleri Kunhikannan) to take Kunchy, who wanted to see the world, in the family troupe.
+[[File:The_Canastrellis_on_the_Conte_Grande.jpeg|right|400px|thumb|The Canestrelli and Kannan Bombayo on the SS Conte Grande (1932)]]At the turn of 1931, the Canestrellis were ready to sail back to Europe for a contract with the giant [[Cirkus Kludsky]] in Czechoslovakia. Since they had six weeks to wait before their sea passage, Ottavio accepted a short engagement with Kunhikannan’s Whiteway Circus, where he met Kunchi Kannan.
 The Canestrellis debuted at Cirkus Kludsky in 1931 with three acts: Ottavio’s juggling act; a clown trio composed of Giovanna, Ottavio and Federico; and the family’s free ladder act, which included an amazing three-man-high column on an unsupported ladder. Meanwhile, Ottavio began concocting an "Indian production" that would include Kunchy and his bouncing rope act. In order to do so, however, he had to build for him a new and more practicable apparatus that could work in a European circus.

@@ Line 29: / Line 29: @@
 The Canestrellis debuted at Cirkus Kludsky in 1931 with three acts: Ottavio’s juggling act; a clown trio composed of Giovanna, Ottavio and Federico; and the family’s free ladder act, which included an amazing three-man-high column on an unsupported ladder. Meanwhile, Ottavio began concocting an "Indian production" that would include Kunchy and his bouncing rope act. In order to do so, however, he had to build for him a new and more practicable apparatus that could work in a European circus.
-He came up with a manila rope stretched between two metallic A-frame, and rigged with bungees at each end&mdash;a new and original system then, which replaced Kunchy’s rudimentary coconut and bamboo contraption. It took time for Kunchy to get used to it, but it worked. Ottavio also gave Kunchy much needed performing lessons... and a new costume. After several months of practice, the new act was ready, and it was introduced in the Kludsky show, where Kunchy performed for the last two months of the season. He was an overnight sensation.
+He came up with a manila rope stretched between two metallic A-frames, and rigged with bungees at each end&mdash;a new and original system then, which replaced Kunchy’s rudimentary coconut and bamboo contraption. It took time for Kunchy to get used to it, but it worked. Ottavio also gave Kunchy much needed performing lessons... and a new costume. After several months of practice, the new act was ready, and it was introduced in the Kludsky show, where Kunchy performed for the last two months of the season. He was an overnight sensation.
 His act was also ready just in time for the auspicious visit of one of [[The Ringling Brothers|John Ringling]]’s talent scouts: The family was immediately offered a contract to perform in the United States with [[Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey]] Circus the following season. It was a bonanza that owed mostly to the Canestrelli’s "Indian production" and its main feature, ''The Mystery Man from India'' (as Kunchy was anonymously announced in early press releases). They would be part of the first tour of ''The Greatest Show On Earth'' under the management of [[Sam Gumpertz]], who was taking over the circus from the ailing and cash-strapped John Ringling.

@@ Line 23: / Line 23: @@
 ===The Canestrellis===
-The Canestrellis were (and still are) an old and numerous Italian circus family, whose origins date back to the mid-nineteenth century in Padua; they created their own circus in 1903. Ottavio was third-generation Canestrelli, the son of Riccardo (c1878-1958) and Teresa, née Fumagalli. He was an extremely versatile performer: Originally trained as an acrobat and a bareback rider, he was also an excellent juggler and equilibrist. He had married a Neapolitan opera singer, Genoveffa Lentini (1902-1995), known as Giovanna. With her, their children Riccardo and [[La Tosca Canestrelli|Tosca]], and his brother Federico, Ottavio had been engaged since 1928 in a series of circus tours in South-East Asia, the Middle East and India. The family’s main specialty then was a free ladder act, but they could perform a variety of acts, notably Ottavio's juggling and bareback riding.
+The Canestrellis were (and still are) an old and numerous Italian circus family, whose origins date back to the mid-nineteenth century in Padua; they created their own circus in 1903. Ottavio was third-generation Canestrelli, the son of Riccardo (c.1878-1958) and Teresa, née Fumagalli. He was an extremely versatile performer: Originally trained as an acrobat and a bareback rider, he was also an excellent juggler and equilibrist. He had married a Neapolitan opera singer, Genoveffa Lentini (1902-1995), known as Giovanna. With her, their children Riccardo and [[La Tosca Canestrelli|Tosca]], and his brother Federico, Ottavio had been engaged since 1928 in a series of circus tours in South-East Asia, the Middle East and India. The family’s main specialty then was a free ladder act, but they could perform a variety of acts, notably Ottavio's juggling and bareback riding.
 [[File:The_Canastrellis_on_the_Conte_Grande.jpeg|right|400px|thumb|The Canestrelli and Kannan Bombayo on the SS Conte Grande (1932)]]At the turn of 1931, the Canestrellis were ready to sail back to Europe for a contract with the giant [[Cirkus Kludsky]] in Czechoslovakia. Since they had six weeks to wait before their sea passage, Ottavio accepted a short engagement with Kunhikannan’s Whiteway Circus, where he met Kunchi Kannan. Ottavio was duly impressed by his skills&mdash;albeit less so by his costume, which consisted of white tights and a red trunk, or his showmanship (often lacking with Indian and Asian performers). Kunchy’s apparatus also seemed a little precarious... Nonetheless, Federico Canestrelli and Kunchy, who were about the same age, became fast friends, and Federico convinced Ottavio (with some help from Keeleri Kunhikannan) to take Kunchy, who wanted to see the world, in the family troupe.

@@ Line 7: / Line 7: @@
 ===N.P. Kunchikannan===
-Kannan Bombayo was born May 30, 1907 in Chirakkara, a borough of Tellicherry (today Thalassery), on the Malabar Coast, in the Indian state of Kerala. His father, Eerayi Korumban, struggled as a small farmer, and was not connected with the circus. In India, children’s names are different from their father’s; Kannan Bombayo’s birth name was N. P. Kunchikannan&mdash;the Indian contracted spelling of Kunchi Kannan: he became familiarly known as Kunchy.
+Kannan Bombayo was born May 30, 1907 in Chirakkara, a borough of Tellicherry (today Thalassery), on the Malabar Coast, in the Indian state of Kerala. His father, Eerayi Korumban, struggled as a small farmer, and was not connected with the circus. In India, children’s names are different from their father’s; Kannan Bombayo’s birth name was N. P. Kunchikannan&mdash;the Indian contracted spelling of Kunchi Kannan: He became familiarly known as Kunchy.
 [[File:Kannan_Bombayo.jpeg|left|thumb|300pix|Kannan Bombayo in 1932]]Kunchy’s place of birth had a definite impact on his life: Chirakkara was home to [[Keeleri Kunhikannan]]’s first Indian circus school. Considered the "Father of the [[The Indian Circus|Indian Circus]]", Keeleri Kunhikannan trained the first crop of India’s professional circus artists, several of whom went on to create their own shows, and the State of Kerala became known as "The Cradle of the Indian Circus." Furthermore, Keeleri was Kunchy’s uncle…

@@ Line 71: / Line 71: @@
 ==Suggested Reading==
-Ottavio Canestrelli & Ottavio Gesmundo, ''The Grand Gypsy'' (Lulu Publishing, 2016) &mdash; ISBN 978-1-4834-4894-7
+Ottavio Canestrelli & Ottavio Gesmundo, ''The Grand Gypsy'' (Lulu Publishing Services, 2016) &mdash; ISBN 978-1-4834-4894-7
 ==Image Gallery==

← Older revision		Revision as of 19:16, 1 August 2016
Line 68:		Line 68:

	Kannan Bombayo had not only become a legend in India, where he is still revered today by the circus community, but he also became a legend in the West. Although he shone in circus rings and on variety stages for only seven years, he is still remembered today as one of the greatest circus artists of the twentieth century, and although his skills on the bouncing rope may have been equaled today, they have not yet been surpassed.		Kannan Bombayo had not only become a legend in India, where he is still revered today by the circus community, but he also became a legend in the West. Although he shone in circus rings and on variety stages for only seven years, he is still remembered today as one of the greatest circus artists of the twentieth century, and although his skills on the bouncing rope may have been equaled today, they have not yet been surpassed.
		+
		+	==Suggested Reading==
		+
		+	Ottavio Canestrelli & Ottavio Gesmundo, ''The Grand Gypsy'' (Lulu Publishing, 2016) — ISBN 978-1-4834-4894-7

	==Image Gallery==		==Image Gallery==