Difference between revisions of "Main Page"

From Circopedia

 
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-----------"Welcome to Circopedia" and article count---------->
 
-----------"Welcome to Circopedia" and article count---------->
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<div style="font-size:162%; border:none; margin:0; padding:.1em; color:#000;">Welcome to Circopedia,</div>
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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:95%;">the free encyclopedia of the international circus.<br />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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*[[:Category:Artists and Acts|Artists and Acts]]
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*[[:Category:Circus Arts|Circus Specialties]]
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*[[:Category:Circuses|Circuses]]
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*[[:Category:History|Circus History]]
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*[[:Category:Oral History|Oral History]]
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*[[:Category:Photo Archive|Photo Archive]]
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*[[:Category:Video Archive|Video Archive]]
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*[[Links|Circus Links]]
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==In The Spotlight==
 
==In The Spotlight==
[[File:Lola_Dobritch_GSOE.jpg|right|250px]]
 
===LOLA DOBRITCH===
 
A fourth-generation circus performer (through her mother), Lola Dobritch (1922-2008) was one of the great tight-wire artists of the mid-twentieth century, famous for crossing her wire on her toes like a ballerina&mdash;still a rare feat in her times&mdash;which, along with her natural grace and her use of a feather fan instead of an umbrella for balancing, won her to be advertised as “The Pavlova of the Silver Strand.”
 
  
She was born Vera Dobrich&mdash;the correct English spelling of her name&mdash;on October 14, 1922 in Sofia, Bulgaria, to Alexandre and Anna Dobrich. Alexandre and his brother, Lazar (1881-1970), owned the Royal Dobrich Circus in Bulgaria. “Lola”, as Vera would become known (she was often featured as "Miss Lola"), learned all traditional circus disciplines from her parents and took ballet classes in Sofia, before specializing as a wire dancer. She made her debut on the wire at age ten, in 1932, in the family circus.... ([[Lola Dobritch|more...]])
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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).
  
==New Biographies==
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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.
  
* [[Die Maiers]], Comedy Aerialists
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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.
* [[The Dobrich Family]] (History)
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* [[Uuve Jansson]], Aerialist
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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...]])
* [[Pieric]], Clown, Equestrian
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* [[Lola Dobritch]], Tight Wire Dancer
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==New Essays and Biographies==
 +
 
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* [[Émilien Bouglione/fr|Émilien Bouglione]], French version
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* [[Kremo Family]], icarists
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* [[The Ziratron]], Israel's first Circus
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* [[Carlos Guity]], acrobat
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* [[James Clowney]], acrobat
  
 
==New Videos==
 
==New Videos==
  
* [[Unus_Video_(1956)|Unus]], Hand Balancing Act (1956)
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* [[Rasshivkin_Video_(1983)|Trio Rasshivkin]], hand-to-hand balancing (1983)
* [[Rogana_Video_(c.1970)|Rogana]], Sword balancing Act (c.1970)
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* [[Acero_Duo_Video_(2025)|Duo Acero]], hand-to-hand balancing (2025)
* [[Die_Maiers_Video_(2007)|The Maiers]], Comedy Trapeze Act (2007)
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* [[Streltsov_Video_(1990)|Aleksandr Streltsov]], ''Angel'', strap act (1990)
* [[Elena_Panova_Video_(1997)|Elena Panova]], Swinging Trapeze (1997)
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* [[Larkina_Video_(1993)|Yelena Larkina]], hula-hoop act (1993)
* [[Spirin_and_Kotelnikov_Video_(2013)|Spirin & Kotelnikov]], Hand-to-Hand Balancing (2013)
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* [[Bondarenko_Video_(1993)|Duo Bondarenko]], jugglers (1993)
 +
 
 +
==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==
  
* [[Pavlenko_Interview_Video|Nikolai Pavlenko]], tiger trainer - Interview (RIA Novosti, 2012)
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* [[Circopedia Books|Philip Astley & The Horsemen who invented the Circus]], by Dominique Jando (2018)
* [[Alberto_Zoppé_Interview_2003|Alberto Zoppé]], Equestrian - Interview (McCutcheon & Distasio, 2003)
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* [[Olivier Taquin Interview 2008|Olivier Taquin]], Mime - Interview (Jando, 2008)
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* [[Barry Lubin Interview 2008|Barry Lubin]], Clown (Grandma) - Interview (Jando, 2008)
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* [[Fumagalli Interview 2008|Fumagalli]], Clown - Interview (Jando, 2008)
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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.''  
+
''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 02:06, 28 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