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 was originally created with the support of the [http://www.bigapplecircus.com/ Big Apple Circus],<br />and has been 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, originally created as a project of the non-profit [[Big Apple Circus]]''.</div><br/>
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==In The Spotlight==
 
==In The Spotlight==
[[Image:Philip_Astley.jpg|right|300px|Philip Astley]]
 
===A SHORT HISTORY OF THE CIRCUS===
 
  
If the history of theater, ballet, opera, vaudeville, movies, and television is generally well documented, serious studies of circus history are sparse, and known only to a few circus enthusiasts and scholars. What little the public at large knows, on the other hand, is circus history as told over the years by imaginative circus press agents, and repeated&mdash;and often misunderstood and distorted&mdash;by writers of popular fiction, Hollywood screenwriters, and journalists too busy to investigate further. One of the most popular misapprehensions about circus history is the oft-repeated idea that circus dates back to the Roman antiquity. But the Roman circus was in actuality the precursor of the modern racetrack; the only common denominator between Roman and modern circuses is the word itself, ''circus'', which means in Latin as in English, "circle".
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===EVELYN & ANDRÉ===
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[[File:Evelyn_and_Andre_US.png|right|300px]]
 +
During the communist era in Eastern Europe, circus arts experienced a spectacular evolution in terms of quality and originality, spearheaded by the Soviet Union, where this renaissance had started in 1928 with the creation of the State College of Circus and Variety Arts in Moscow. If the achievements of the Soviet circus were well known in the West thanks to the international tours of the Moscow Circus that started in the 1960s, top performers of the Eastern Bloc countries are often overlooked. However, Hungary, amidst other Eastern bloc states, had a strong independent spirit, and the Hungarian State Circus (as well as, individually, many Hungarian acts) had done countless forays in Western Europe and the U.S. The husband-and-wife duo of Evelyn & André are among those who managed to pursue a brilliant international career.
  
The modern circus was actually created in England by [[Philip Astley]] (1742-1814), a former cavalry Sergeant-Major turned showman. The son of a cabinet-maker and veneer-cutter, Astley had served in the Seven Years' War (1756-63) as part of Colonel Elliott's 15th Light Dragons regiment, where he displayed a remarkable talent as a horse-breaker and trainer. Upon his discharge, Astley chose to imitate the trick-riders who performed, with increasing success, all over Europe. Jacob Bates, an English equestrian based in the German States, who performed as far away as Russia (1764-65) and America (1772-73), was the first of these showmen to make a mark. Bates's emulators&mdash;Price, Johnson, Balp, Coningham, Faulkes, and "Old" Sampson&mdash;had become fixtures of London's pleasure gardens and provided Philip Astley with his inspiration. ([[Giuseppe Chiarini|more...]])
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The duo consisted of Éva Páviács (1941-2021) and Endre Takács (b.1933). Both came from families that had no ties with the circus world. Éva (Evelyn) was born on March 10, 1941, in Budapest, the Hungarian capital. She was a very physical kid, and she soon enrolled in the Ferencváros Torna Club, Budapest's gymnastics club. As soon as she became a teenager, she joined Baross Imre Artistaképző (Imre Baross school for Circus and performing arts) where she continued high school while training in various circus disciplines. She graduated in 1960, and began her professional circus career, first in a parallel bars act, The 4 Hunor with three partners (Károly Deltai, Gábor Hunfi, and Imre László), then in an acrobatic act named the Trio Evelyn, with Károly Deltai and Gábor Hunfi.
  
==New Biographies==
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Born in Pàpoc, a village in the Western Transdanubia region of Hungary, on April 28, 1933, Endre Takács (André) trained in gymnastics, and joined the Magyar Testgyakorlók Köre (MTK) club in Budapest, with which he competed in acrobatic gymnastics. He and his team won a silver medal at the 1952 Hungarian Acrobatic Gymnastics Championships. For a living, Endre worked as a mechanic, but after his competitive career had reached an end, he was encouraged to join the circus by his friend, the artistic gymnast and Olympic champion (1948) Ferenc Pataki&mdash;or "Szefi bácsi" (Uncle Szefi) as he was affectionately called&mdash; who was a teacher at the Baross Imre Artistaképző.... ([[Evelyn and André|more...]])
  
* [[Irina Naumenko]], Hand Balancer
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==New Essays and Biographies==
* [[The Owl and The Pussycat]], Trapeze Act
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* [[Walter Nones]], Circus Director, Animal Trainer
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* [[Evelyn and André]], Aerialists, Acrobats
* [[Norman Crider]], Juggler
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* [[Ramón Rampin]], Clown
* [[Zhejiang Acrobatic Troupe]], Chinese Acrobatics
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* [[Elsane]], Aerialist
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* [[Nouveau_Cirque_(Paris)/fr|Nouveau Cirque]], History &mdash; Version Française (French Version)
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* [[Cirque Medrano (Paris)/fr|Cirque Medrano]], History &mdash; Version Française (French Version)
  
 
==New Videos==
 
==New Videos==
  
* [[Geddy_Pavlovich_Video_(2017)|Geddy Pavlovich]], Rola-Bola (2017)
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* [[Namayca_and_Paul_Video_(2024)|Namayca & Paul]], Farm Animals (2024)
* [[Duss_Video_(2001)|Petra & Roland Duss]], Sea Lion Act (2001)
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* [[Gruss_Family_Video_(2024)|The Gruss Family]], Equestrian Tableau (2024)
* [[Samoylenko_Video_(2016)|Yulia Samoylenko]], Foot Juggler (2016)
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* [[Gruss_Brothers_-_Juggling_Video_(2024)|Alexandre & Charles Gruss]], juggling on horseback (2024)
* [[Anton_and_Antoschka_Video_(1981)|Anton & Antoschka]], Clowns (1981)
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* [[China_Troupe_Bicycle_Video_(2024)|China Acrobatic Troupe]], bicycle act (2024)
* [[Rokardy_Video_(2017)|Rokardy]], Chair Balancing (2017)
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* [[Monte_Carlo_Video_(1974-2019)|Monte Carlo Festival Highlights]], 1974-2019 (2019)
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==New Oral Histories==
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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)
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* [[Dolly_Jacobs_Interview_Video_(2018)|Dolly Jacobs Interview]] at The Ringling (2018)
  
==Featured Oral Histories==
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==Circopedia Books==
  
* [[Circo_Price_Video_(2017)|A Short History of Madrid's Old Circo Price]], Circus History (1970)
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* [[Circopedia Books|Philip Astley & The Horsemen who invented the Circus]], by Dominique Jando (2018)
* [[Anastasia_Dementieva_Video_(2017)|Anastasia Dementieva-Kornilova]] – Vadim Vernik Interview (2017)
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* [[Freres_Knie_Video_(1962)|''Les Frères Knie'']], Documentary (1962)
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* [[Jean_Richard_Video_(1979)|Jean Richard and Jean-Pierre Richard]] at the Cirque Jean Richard – Christian Boner Interview (1979)
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* [[Buster_Keaton_Video_(1947)|Jérôme Medrano about Buster Keaton]] at the Cirque Medrano (1947)
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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 archive of the international circus. 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 [[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'''
 
:Founder and Curator
 
:Founder and Curator

Latest revision as of 05:41, 12 May 2025


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, originally created as a project of the non-profit Big Apple Circus.

In The Spotlight

EVELYN & ANDRÉ

Evelyn and Andre US.png

During the communist era in Eastern Europe, circus arts experienced a spectacular evolution in terms of quality and originality, spearheaded by the Soviet Union, where this renaissance had started in 1928 with the creation of the State College of Circus and Variety Arts in Moscow. If the achievements of the Soviet circus were well known in the West thanks to the international tours of the Moscow Circus that started in the 1960s, top performers of the Eastern Bloc countries are often overlooked. However, Hungary, amidst other Eastern bloc states, had a strong independent spirit, and the Hungarian State Circus (as well as, individually, many Hungarian acts) had done countless forays in Western Europe and the U.S. The husband-and-wife duo of Evelyn & André are among those who managed to pursue a brilliant international career.

The duo consisted of Éva Páviács (1941-2021) and Endre Takács (b.1933). Both came from families that had no ties with the circus world. Éva (Evelyn) was born on March 10, 1941, in Budapest, the Hungarian capital. She was a very physical kid, and she soon enrolled in the Ferencváros Torna Club, Budapest's gymnastics clubA juggling pin.. As soon as she became a teenager, she joined Baross Imre Artistaképző (Imre Baross school for Circus and performing arts) where she continued high schoolA display of equestrian dressage by a rider mounting a horse and leading it into classic moves and steps. (From the French: Haute école) while training in various circus disciplines. She graduated in 1960, and began her professional circus career, first in a parallel bars act, The 4 Hunor with three partners (Károly Deltai, Gábor Hunfi, and Imre László), then in an acrobatic act named the Trio Evelyn, with Károly Deltai and Gábor Hunfi.

Born in Pàpoc, a village in the Western Transdanubia region of Hungary, on April 28, 1933, Endre Takács (André) trained in gymnastics, and joined the Magyar Testgyakorlók Köre (MTK) clubA juggling pin. in Budapest, with which he competed in acrobatic gymnastics. He and his team won a silver medal at the 1952 Hungarian Acrobatic Gymnastics Championships. For a living, Endre worked as a mechanic, but after his competitive career had reached an end, he was encouraged to join the circus by his friend, the artistic gymnast and Olympic champion (1948) Ferenc Pataki—or "Szefi bácsi" (Uncle Szefi) as he was affectionately called— who was a teacher at the Baross Imre Artistaképző.... (more...)

New Essays and Biographies

New Videos

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