Difference between revisions of "Main Page"

From Circopedia

 
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<div style="font-size:165%; border:none; margin:0; padding:.1em; color:#996666;">Welcome! Bienvenue! Willkommen! Добро Пожаловать!</div><div style="font-size:165%; border:none; margin:0; padding:.1em; color:#996666;">Bienvenida! Benvenuto! 歡迎 ! Vítejte! Καλώς ήρθατε!</div><div style="font-size:165%; border:none; margin:0; padding:.1em; color:#996666;">Üdvözöljük! Добре Дошли! Welkom! • Ласкаво Просимо!</div><div style="font-size:165%; border:none; margin:0; padding:.1em; color:#996666;">Velkommen! Tervetuloa! Дабро Запрашаем! • Välkommen!</div><br/>
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<br><div style="font-size:175%; border:none; margin:0; padding:.1em; color:#996666;">Welcome! Bienvenue! Willkommen! Добро Пожаловать!</div><div style="font-size:175%; border:none; margin:0; padding:.1em; color:#996666;">Bienvenida! Benvenuto! 歡迎 ! Vítejte! Καλώς ήρθατ
<div style="top:+0.2em; font-size:110%;"> Circopedia is a project of the [http://www.bigapplecircus.org/ Big Apple Circus],<br />inspired and funded by the [http://www.sdrubin.org/ Shelley & Donald Rubin Foundation].</div>
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ε!</div><div style="font-size:175%; border:none; margin:0; padding:.1em; color:#996666;">Üdvözöljük! Добре Дошли! Welkom! ✫ Ласкаво Просимо!</div><div style="font-size:165%; border:none; margin:0; padding:.1em; color:#996666;">Velkommen! Tervetuloa! Дабро Запрашаем! ✫ Välkommen!</div><br/>
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<div style="top:+0.2em; font-size:98%;"> ''Circopedia is an independent educational website, initially created as a project of the original, non-profit [[Big Apple Circus]]''.</div><br/>
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==In The Spotlight==
 
==In The Spotlight==
[[File:Gene_Mendez_jumping.jpeg|right|220px]]
 
===GENE MENDEZ===
 
  
Gene Mendez (1937-1993) is a legendary figure among high wire artists, a talented and fearless performer who helped popularize the style of the solo “daredevil” high-wire artist—as opposed to the often slow-moving high wire troupes that were the norm until the early 1970s. Energetic, nimble, with a wonderful “Latino” temperament, he worked without a balancing pole and without a net, in the manner of low wire artists such as Con Colleano.
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===ÉMILIEN BOUGLIONE===
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[[File:Emilien_Bouglione_Courier.jpg|right|350px]]
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Émilien Bouglione (1934-2026) was the fourth of Joseph and Rosa Bouglione’s seven children (Odette, 1929-2025 – Josette, 1930-? – Firmin, 1933-2022 – Émilien – Sandrine, 1936-2012 – Sampion III, 1938-2019 – Joseph, b. 1942). Of the four brothers, he was by far the most artistically minded; he succeeded his uncle Sampion II at the helm of Cirque Bouglione’s equestrian department and presented with infinite taste and great gusto equestrian presentations that were often prepared with the help of his mentor, Master Equestrian André Vasserot (1911-1991).
  
He was born Giner E. Mendez in 1937 in Moca, in the U.S. Territory of Puerto Rico. His family moved to Brooklyn, New York, when Gene was still a child. He wanted to be a circus artist; it was not just a vague childhood dream: As a teenager, he began to train seriously in gymnastics (notably on the horizontal bars) and did some bodybuilding. In 1951, after seeing Harold Alzana in the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Baily show at Madison Square Garden in New York, Gene began self-training in wire walking… in his mother’s apartment! He quickly developed a talent for the craft, and eventually participated in a televised talent show in Philadelphia, where Karl Wallenda noticed him.
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He was born Jules Émilien Buffalo-Bill Bouglione on July 20th, 1934, in Coulommiers (a town famous for its cheese, east of Paris), where his family's circus was performing. His father, the legendary circus director Joseph Bouglione (1904-1987), and his Belgian mother, Rosalie Van Been (1910-2018), were both of Roma descent and came from the world of fairground menageries, which were, between the two world wars, restructuring into the modern traveling circus.  
  
The famous high wire artist contacted Gene and offered him to become a member of his troupe. Mendez trained with the Master, who had a special method for teaching confidence on the wire (which was close to the ground during rehearsals): He shook it violently to test his students’ balance. One day, the exercise led Gene to lose his balance pole and violently sway the cable as he fought to stay on it; Karl Wallenda had to jump down, but Gene quickly resumed his composure and remained on the wire, walking without his balance pole "à la Alzana." In fact, he always found it difficult to keep the pole in balance—even though the pole was meant to help ''him'' keep his balance!... ([[Gene Mendez|more...]])
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The father and uncles of "Julot" (the diminutive by which Emilien was known by his close friends and family) had already paraded under a succession of picturesque banners&mdash;including one that helped them build their fortune: ''Stade Bufalo-Bill''&mdash;before settling on the proud ''Cirque des 4 Frères Bouglione''. It is said that the day after their newest family member, Jules Émilien, had arrived, they signed the contract making them tenants of the Cirque d'Hiver in Paris, the world's oldest circus building, which eventually became their property.
  
==New Biographies==
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The Bougliones were a large family whose school had been the circus ring. Émilien entered it at the age of two and was already in the saddle two years later. Like in every circus, the Bougliones' ring was a school of life, the curriculum of which was written in the pungent smell of horse manure, wild animals, leather, and sawdust. Their approach to equestrian art owed nothing to the classical academic style (already fading away): Theirs was fierce and more romantic; it was the world of mythical horses that gallop through folklore and dime novels, ridden by a family whose Roma blood gave it a stamp of dazzling wonder.... ([[Émilien Bouglione|more...]])
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* [[Gene Mendez]], High Wire Artist
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==New Essays and Biographies==
* [[Franz Czeisler (Tihany)]], Magician, Circus Owner
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* [[Cirque_Medrano_(Paris)|Circuses Fernando and Medrano]], History
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* [[The Ziratron]], Israel's first Circus
* [[Kannan Bombayo]], Rope Dancer
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* [[Carlos Guity]], acrobat
* [[Réjean St. Jules]], Juggler
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* [[James Clowney]], acrobat
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* [[Émilien Bouglione]], equestrian, circus director
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* [[Alexis Gruss, Jr/fr|Alexis Gruss, Jr]] (version française)
  
 
==New Videos==
 
==New Videos==
  
* [[Shchukin_Video_(1976)|Stanislav Shchukin]], Clown (1976)
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* [[Rasshivkin_Video_(1983)|Trio Rasshivkin]], hand-to-hand balancing (1983)
* [[Shchukin_and_Serebriakov_Video_(1976)|Shchukin & Serebriakov]], Clowns (1976)
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* [[Acero_Duo_Video_(2025)|Duo Acero]], hand-to-hand balancing (2025)
* [[Sky_Angels_Video_(2016)|Sky Angels]], Strap Act (2016)
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* [[Streltsov_Video_(1990)|Aleksandr Streltsov]], ''Angel'', strap act (1990)
* [[Grechushkin_Video_(2016)|Grechushkin Troupe]], Tumbling Act (2016)
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* [[Larkina_Video_(1993)|Yelena Larkina]], hula-hoop act (1993)
* [[Franky_Ferrer_Video_(1976)|Franky Ferrer]], Object Balancing (1976)
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* [[Bondarenko_Video_(1993)|Duo Bondarenko]], jugglers (1993)
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==New Oral Histories==
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* [[Gneushev_Video_(c.1990)|Valentin Gneushev interview]] on Russian Television (c.1990)
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* [[Dominique_Jando_Video_(2025)|Dominique Jando interview]] by the Circus Historical Society (2025)
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* [[Evelyn_and_Andre_Video_(2015)|Evelyn & André Interview]] on Blikk TV (2015)
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* [[BAC_Blumberg_Video_(1977)|''For A Moment You Fly'']], The First Season of The Big Apple Circus (1977)
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* [[Durov_Documentary_Video_(c.2000)|Vladimir Durov Documentary]] on Russian Television (c.2000)
  
==Featured Oral Histories==
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==Circopedia Books==
  
* [[Jean_Richard_Video_(1979)|Jean Richard and Jean-Pierre Richard]] at the Cirque jean Richard - Christian Boner Interview (1979)
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* [[Circopedia Books|Philip Astley & The Horsemen who invented the Circus]], by Dominique Jando (2018)
* [[Buster_Keaton_Video_(1947)|Jérôme Medrano about Buster Keaton]] at the Cirque Medrano (1947)
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* [[Moira_Orfei_Video_(2012)|Moira Orfei]], Circus Owner - Davide Maggio Interview (2012)
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* [[Oleg_Popov_Circus_Legends_Video_(2014)|Oleg Popov]], clown - Russian Television Feature (2014)
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* [[Albert_Fratellini_Interview_(1957)|Albert Fratellini]], clown - French Television Interview (1957)
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==A Message from the Editor==
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==A Message from the Founder==
  
''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&mdash;and sometimes daily&mdash;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 [[Special:Contact|contact us]]: we will definitely consider your remarks and suggestions.''  
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''CIRCOPEDIA is a constantly evolving and expanding archive of the international circus, maintained by reliable circus historians and specialists. New videos, biographies, essays, and documents are added to the site on a weekly&mdash;and sometimes daily&mdash;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 [[Circopedia:Contact|contact us]]: we will definitely consider your remarks and suggestions.''  
  
 
:'''Dominique Jando'''
 
:'''Dominique Jando'''
:Editor/Curator
+
:Founder and Curator

Latest revision as of 05:57, 27 April 2026


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 is an independent educational website, initially created as a project of the original, non-profit Big Apple Circus.

In The Spotlight

ÉMILIEN BOUGLIONE

Emilien Bouglione Courier.jpg

Émilien Bouglione (1934-2026) was the fourth of Joseph and Rosa Bouglione’s seven children (Odette, 1929-2025 – Josette, 1930-? – Firmin, 1933-2022 – Émilien – Sandrine, 1936-2012 – Sampion III, 1938-2019 – Joseph, b. 1942). Of the four brothers, he was by far the most artistically minded; he succeeded his uncle Sampion II at the helm of Cirque Bouglione’s equestrian department and presented with infinite taste and great gusto equestrian presentations that were often prepared with the help of his mentor, Master Equestrian André Vasserot (1911-1991).

He was born Jules Émilien Buffalo-Bill Bouglione on July 20th, 1934, in Coulommiers (a town famous for its cheese, east of Paris), where his family's circus was performing. His father, the legendary circus director Joseph Bouglione (1904-1987), and his Belgian mother, Rosalie Van Been (1910-2018), were both of Roma descent and came from the world of fairground menageries, which were, between the two world wars, restructuring into the modern traveling circus.

The father and uncles of "Julot" (the diminutive by which Emilien was known by his close friends and family) had already paraded under a succession of picturesque banners—including one that helped them build their fortune: Stade Bufalo-Bill—before settling on the proud Cirque des 4 Frères Bouglione. It is said that the day after their newest family member, Jules Émilien, had arrived, they signed the contract making them tenants of the Cirque d'Hiver in Paris, the world's oldest circus building, which eventually became their property.

The Bougliones were a large family whose school had been the circus ring. Émilien entered it at the age of two and was already in the saddle two years later. Like in every circus, the Bougliones' ring was a school of life, the curriculum of which was written in the pungent smell of horse manure, wild animals, leather, and sawdust. Their approach to equestrian art owed nothing to the classical academic style (already fading away): Theirs was fierce and more romantic; it was the world of mythical horses that gallop through folklore and dime novels, ridden by a family whose Roma blood gave it a stamp of dazzling wonder.... (more...)

New Essays and Biographies

New Videos

  • Trio Rasshivkin, hand-to-handAn acrobatic act in which one or more acrobats do hand-balancing in the hands of an under-stander. balancing (1983)
  • Duo Acero, hand-to-handAn acrobatic act in which one or more acrobats do hand-balancing in the hands of an under-stander. balancing (2025)
  • Aleksandr Streltsov, Angel, strap actAerial act performed hanging from a pair of fabric or leather straps. (See Aerial Straps.) (1990)
  • Yelena Larkina, hula-hoop act (1993)
  • Duo Bondarenko, jugglers (1993)

New Oral Histories

Circopedia Books

A Message from the Founder

CIRCOPEDIA is a constantly evolving and expanding archive of the international circus, maintained by reliable circus historians and specialists. 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