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<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 ήρθατε!</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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<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:98%;"> ''Circopedia was originally created with the support of the Big Apple Circus Ltd. and inspired and funded by the [http://www.sdrubin.org/ Shelley & Donald Rubin Foundation]''.</div><br/>
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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==
  
===MOSCOW'S BOLSHOI CIRCUS===
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===THE GREAT CARMO===
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[[File:Carmo_in_turban.jpg|right|300px]]
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Relatively little has been written of Harry Cameron (1881-1944), better known as "The Great Carmo," apart from a small volume entitled ''The Great Carmo, The Colossus of Mystery'', by magician and writer Val Andrews in 2001. Yet, Carmo was at one time one of the leading illusionists of the British variety theatre scene, and for a short period, the owner of a circus stalked by tragedy. He might also be considered the man who launched the Bertram Mills Circus on its first tour, having had a short connection with Bertram W. Mills and his two sons in 1929, prior to the appearance of the full-fledged Mills tenting show in 1930.
 +
 
 +
Although of Scottish origins (his parents had emigrated to Australia in about 1880), Harry Cameron was born in Brunswick, a suburb of Melbourne, Australia on November 8, 1881. His father was an engineer; unbeknownst to him, Harry was destined to become a magician and illusionist who would rival the "greats" of his era: Lafayette, Chung Ling Soo, Lyle, Dante, Murray, Chefalo, and Kalanag, whose huge stage presentations were among the finest in theatrical history.
  
[[File:Bolshoi_Circus_Aerial.png|right|400px]]The "Great Moscow Circus on Vernadsky Avenue" (''Большой Московский цирк на проспекте Вернадского'' in Russian), better known as Moscow's ''Bolshoi Circus'' ("Grand Circus") was built under the tenure of Leonid Brezhnev as First Secretary of the Communist Party of the USSR, and opened its doors on April 30, 1971. It is located on Vorobiovy Hills (formerly Lenin Hills), in the Gagarin District, between Vernadsky Prospect (avenue), which separates it from the Moscow University campus, and Nikolai Kopernik (Copernic) Street; Lomonosov Avenue joins them on the southern side. Although it is far from Moscow's center, it is well deserved by the ''Universitet'' metro station.
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As a youngster, and without any encouragement from his family, Harry developed a love for show business. He had been first entranced by the magic quality of a travelling circus he had visited, and then by Paul Cinquevalli, the greatest juggler of his time, whom he saw in a variety theatre in Melbourne: Harry set out to emulate the feats of his new idol in his juggling, balance and strongman routines.  
  
The building was conceived by Yakov Borisovich Belopolsky (1916-1993)&mdash;one of the busiest official architects of the Brezhnev era&mdash;in cooperation with E. Bulikh, S. Feoktistov and V. Khavin, the engineers who developed the unique technology of this revolutionary circus. With its 3,350-seat house, 56 meters in diameter (approximately 185 feet) and a height of 28 meters (92 feet) under the cupola, and its numerous specialized features and facilities, it is the world's largest and technically most advanced circus building.
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Hence Harry started practising juggling, and whenever possible, without his parents’ knowledge, he frequented theatres and travelling shows. Leaving school at fourteen, he was first apprenticed to a grocer and developed his muscles carrying sacks of flour up to a ladder. Next, he worked in a brass foundry and, in his spare time, took part in a Minstrel show, where he began learning the business of entertainment and formed his flair for showmanship and his stage-sense.
  
Its unique fittings make it an exceptional tool for the presentation of all sorts of large-scale circus productions. The ensemble includes a rehearsal ring, located backstage behind the ring entrance in a space vast and high enough to accommodate aerial acts; a stage above the ring entrance, which can connect to the ring with a telescopic staircase that unfolds automatically; the possibility for aerialists and technicians to access the house or their apparatus from the ceiling; a multitude of dressing rooms, offices, and workshops (for costumes and equipment), a canteen and a cafeteria for the personnel, and several spacious rooms with controlled temperatures to accommodate the upkeep of all sorts animals.  
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When his father found out about Harry’s clandestine affair with show business, he gave him an ultimatum: Either to abandon his artistic ambitions, or to leave home. Harry chose the second option and went on to travelling with the Minstrel show for a year, and later with Rowley’s Waxworks and Varieties&mdash;where he performed his budding juggling and strongman act. He then continued to develop it in other shows.
  
But the true jewel of the crown is without a doubt its interchangeable ring: It is placed on a hydraulic circular platform that can be lowered into a gigantic basement, where four other full-size specialized rings are stored around this central elevator, and can roll on and off its platform.... ([[Bolshoi Circus|more...]])
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Next, Harry moved on to Ashton’s Circus, playing in the bush townships of Australia, a hard grounding in the circus life. There, attempting to learn wire walking, he had a fall followed by a penniless period in hospital, which led to reconciliation with his parents. Eventually, Harry developed a successful variety career with an act that combined juggling, feats of strength, quick-changes, and impressions. He married his singer-assistant, Nellie Lloyd, in Sydney, on January 5, 1903.... ([[The Great Carmo|more...]])
  
 
==New Essays and Biographies==
 
==New Essays and Biographies==
  
* [[Pablo Noel]], Animal Trainer
+
* [[The Biasini Family]], Circus Owners, Artists
* [[Big Apple Circus]], History
+
* [[Paul Jerome]], Clown
* [[Gerry Cottle]], Circus Owner
+
* [[Evelyn and André]], Aerialists, Acrobats
* [[Sarah Chapman]], Aerialist
+
* [[Ramón Rampin]], Clown
* [[The 3 Bragazzi]], Comedy Acrobats
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* [[Elsane]], Aerialist
  
 
==New Videos==
 
==New Videos==
  
* [[Shirokalovi_Video_(2013)|Andrey & Natalya Shirokalov]], Leopard and Tiger Act (2013)
+
* [[Skating_Pilar_Video_(2025)|The Skating Pilars]], roller-skating act (2025)
* [[Spirin-Kotelnikov_Video_(2013)|Viacheslav Spirin & Stanislav Kotelnikov]], Hand-to-Hand Balancing (2013)
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* [[Segura_Family_Video_(1984)|The Segura Family]], Risley act (1984)
* [[Veronika_Teslenko_Video_(2013)|Veronika Teslenko]], Aerial Straps (2013)
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* [[Pipo_Gougou_Zippo_Video_(2004)|Pipo, Petit Gougou & Zippo]], clown entrée (2004)
* [[Zander_Video_(2018)|Carmen Zander]], Tiger Act (2018)
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* [[Pipo_Gaston_Zippo_Video_(1993)|Pipo, Gaston & Zippo]], clown entrée (1993)
* [[Bolshoi_Circus_Video_(2021)|The Bolshoi Circus]], Documentary (2021)
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* [[Krone_Video_(2025)|Circus Krone]] Press Confernece (2025)
  
 
==New Oral Histories==
 
==New Oral Histories==
  
 +
* [[Dominique_Jando_Video_(2025)|Dominique Jando interview]] by the Circus Historical Society (2025)
 +
* [[Evelyn_and_Andre_Video_(2015)|Evelyn & André Interview]] on Blikk TV (2015)
 
* [[BAC_Blumberg_Video_(1977)|''For A Moment You Fly'']], The First Season of The Big Apple Circus (1977)
 
* [[BAC_Blumberg_Video_(1977)|''For A Moment You Fly'']], The First Season of The Big Apple Circus (1977)
 
* [[Durov_Documentary_Video_(c.2000)|Vladimir Durov Documentary]] on Russian Television (c.2000)
 
* [[Durov_Documentary_Video_(c.2000)|Vladimir Durov Documentary]] on Russian Television (c.2000)
 
* [[Dolly_Jacobs_Interview_Video_(2018)|Dolly Jacobs Interview]] at The Ringling (2018)
 
* [[Dolly_Jacobs_Interview_Video_(2018)|Dolly Jacobs Interview]] at The Ringling (2018)
* [[Pinito_del_Oro_RTE_Video_(1970)|Pinito del Oro's Interview]] on Spanish Television (1970)
 
* [[Eradze_Video_(2015)|Gia Eradze]]'s Interview on SSU TV (2015)
 
  
 
==Circopedia Books==
 
==Circopedia Books==
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* [[Circopedia Books|Philip Astley & The Horsemen who invented the Circus]], by Dominique Jando (2018)
 
* [[Circopedia Books|Philip Astley & The Horsemen who invented the Circus]], by Dominique Jando (2018)
  
==A Message from Dominique Jando==
+
==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 [[Circopedia: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'''
 
:Founder and Curator
 
:Founder and Curator

Latest revision as of 20:10, 16 June 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

THE GREAT CARMO

Carmo in turban.jpg

Relatively little has been written of Harry Cameron (1881-1944), better known as "The Great Carmo," apart from a small volume entitled The Great Carmo, The Colossus of Mystery, by magician and writer Val Andrews in 2001. Yet, Carmo was at one time one of the leading illusionists of the British variety theatre scene, and for a short period, the owner of a circus stalked by tragedy. He might also be considered the man who launched the Bertram Mills Circus on its first tour, having had a short connection with Bertram W. Mills and his two sons in 1929, prior to the appearance of the full-fledged Mills tenting show in 1930.

Although of Scottish origins (his parents had emigrated to Australia in about 1880), Harry Cameron was born in Brunswick, a suburb of Melbourne, Australia on November 8, 1881. His father was an engineer; unbeknownst to him, Harry was destined to become a magician and illusionist who would rival the "greats" of his era: Lafayette, Chung Ling Soo, Lyle, Dante, Murray, Chefalo, and Kalanag, whose huge stage presentations were among the finest in theatrical history.

As a youngster, and without any encouragement from his family, Harry developed a love for show business. He had been first entranced by the magic quality of a travelling circus he had visited, and then by Paul Cinquevalli, the greatest juggler of his time, whom he saw in a variety theatre in Melbourne: Harry set out to emulate the feats of his new idol in his juggling, balance and strongman routines.

Hence Harry started practising juggling, and whenever possible, without his parents’ knowledge, he frequented theatres and travelling shows. Leaving school at fourteen, he was first apprenticed to a grocer and developed his muscles carrying sacks of flour up to a ladder. Next, he worked in a brass foundry and, in his spare time, took part in a Minstrel show, where he began learning the business of entertainment and formed his flair for showmanship and his stage-sense.

When his father found out about Harry’s clandestine affair with show business, he gave him an ultimatum: Either to abandon his artistic ambitions, or to leave home. Harry chose the second option and went on to travelling with the Minstrel show for a year, and later with Rowley’s Waxworks and Varieties—where he performed his budding juggling and strongman act. He then continued to develop it in other shows.

Next, Harry moved on to Ashton’s Circus, playing in the bush townships of Australia, a hard grounding in the circus life. There, attempting to learn wire walking, he had a fall followed by a penniless period in hospital, which led to reconciliation with his parents. Eventually, Harry developed a successful variety career with an act that combined juggling, feats of strength, quick-changes, and impressions. He married his singer-assistant, Nellie Lloyd, in Sydney, on January 5, 1903.... (more...)

New Essays and Biographies

New Videos

  • The Skating Pilars, roller-skating act (2025)
  • The Segura Family, Risley actAct performed by Icarists, in which one acrobat, lying on his back, juggles another acrobat with his feet. (Named after Richard Risley Carlisle, who developed this type of act.) (1984)
  • Pipo, Petit Gougou & Zippo, clown entrée(French) Clown piece with a dramatic structure, generally in the form of a short story or scene. (2004)
  • Pipo, Gaston & Zippo, clown entrée(French) Clown piece with a dramatic structure, generally in the form of a short story or scene. (1993)
  • Circus Krone Press Confernece (2025)

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