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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
 
<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
 
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/>
 
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 was originally inspired and funded by the [http://www.sdrubin.org/ Shelley & Donald Rubin Foundation]''.</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==
  
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===ALEXANDRE PALISSE===
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===CIRCUS MEDRANO-SWOBODA===
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[[File:Medrano-Swoboda-1936.jpeg|right|400px]]
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[[File:Palisse_in_costume.png|350px|right]]In the first half of the twentieth century, Alexandre Palisse (1876-1932) managed one of the best circuses touring the French provinces (and some bordering countries); in addition, his traveling equipment, which he conceived, was extremely innovative at the time and would inspire some of his competitors' way of touring. Palisse was also a clown, well known in Europe and South America for his spectacular costumes, his impeccable makeup, and his talent for training small animals. After his death in 1932, Jérôme Medrano bought and continued to exploit his elegant and revolutionary touring circus.
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''Circus Medrano aus Wien'' was, between the two World Wars, one of Austria’s most important circuses&mdash;and one whose name was made famous in large part by the Medrano Sisters (Therese, Wanda, and Anita Swoboda), who performed one of the great equestrian acts of the period in top circuses and variety theaters all over Europe. The name of that circus was homonymous to that of the legendary Parisian circus, but had no connection with it. It was “the other Medrano”&mdash;and still is today, since the title has survived and belongs now (2011) to the Italian Casartelli Family.  
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Alexandre François Palisse was born in a circus family on November 17, 1876, during the family's stay in Saint-Chamond, an early industrial town in the Rhône-Alpes region of France. His father was Louis-Marius Palisse (1856-1891), an acrobat; his mother, Louise (1859-1895), née Bertoletti, was an equestrienne. Alexandre, who had a younger brother, Nicolas (1879-1938, an acrobat), was fifteen when he lost his father, and his mother died four years later: He had to help supporting his family at a young age, which developed in him earnestness and a sense of responsibility that was in no small part the reason of his success in life.
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He was a good acrobat and tumbler, and had a knack for training small domestic animals, notably dogs. This led him to clowning, since small animal training was at the time regarded as the domain of clowns (which was spectacularly demonstrated by many of them, notably Anatoly and Vladimir Durov). Palisse worked either alone or with partners such as Pierre Perié (who will also create his own, successful circus) and Leonardo Ceratto, with whom he worked extensively in Spain and Portugal, and even in Argentina, where he had an enormous success with his trademark trained bulldogs.  
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Its founder, Ludwig Swoboda (1881-1952), was born on December 9, 1881 in Dürnbach, Burgenland, in what was then the Hungarian part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire (Dürnbach became part of Austria in 1918). His parents were of Czechoslovakian descent and although they didn’t come from a circus family, they owned a small circus that traveled in the Austro-Hungarian Empire. They always called Ludwig, who was born in the family’s horse-drawn living wagon, Lajos&mdash;the Hungarian equivalent of his German name.  
  
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Around 1903-1904, Palisse was performing at the Cirque Plège, a popular French traveling circus of the period, which was showing at the annual fair of Amiens, in the north of France. Also at the fair was the ''Théâtre Grenier'', a well-known traveling theater created by Ernest Grenier (1855-1920), which presented a mixture of short films (a great novelty then) and variety acts. Adrienne Grenier (1882-1959), the owner's daughter, fell in love with Palisse, whom she went and see perform every day after her own performance at the Théâtre Grenier. Palisse reciprocated her feelings, and they were married in Caen, Normandy, on April 9, 1904&mdash;just before the start of this port city's annual fair. Then, in the summer of 1906, Palisse was touring in South America with Adrienne when, on July 4 in Montevideo, Uruguay, she gave him a son whom they named after his maternal grandfather, Ernest.
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Ludwig received a traditional circus education within his family and was trained in all facets of circus arts, from tumbling to equestrianism. He grew into an ambitious young man and, at twenty-three, he decided to run his own circus. ''Zirkus Lajos'', as he called it, opened in Vienna on June 3, 1904. It was not yet an important enterprise when Ludwig Swoboda married Therese Karfiol (1893-1971) on January 16, 1912 in Vienna. Therese was fifth-generation of an old family of comedians and entertainers, allied to the Czech Berouzek (Berosini) circus family; she was an equestrienne and she knew the circus business in and out. Therese would be instrumental in the management and development of her husband’s circus.
  
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Now that he was Enest Grenier's son-in-law, Palisse became a regular fixture of the Théâtre Grenier's programs. Grenier liked Palisse as a clown, but he also appreciated his seriousness; Palisse was helpful, hard-working, and a good addition to the family. The Théâtre Grenier was a successful business and, as an insider, Palisse had the opportunity to learn how to run efficiently a traveling entertainment organization; furthermore, not a simple employee anymore, he enjoyed his new status as member of a performing family that ran its own business, and he began entertaining the possibility of creating his own traveling circus. He eventually shared his aspirations with his father-in-law, who was willing to help finance his project..... ([[Alexandre Palisse|more...]])
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In 1914, at the outset of the First World War, Ludwig was drafted into the Imperial Army and the circus went into a long hibernation. The war over, Zirkus Lajos finally reopened; the year was 1919, and it started its tour in its home city of Vienna, where it played during the Easter season. After the deadly conflict that had devastated Europe, popular entertainment was much in demand, and circuses were flourishing; under the management of Ludwig and Therese Swoboda, Zirkus Lajos was no exception, and by 1920, it performed under a large, two-pole big top and was one of Austria’s largest circuses..... ([[Circus Medrano-Swoboda|more...]])
  
 
==New Essays and Biographies==
 
==New Essays and Biographies==
  
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* [[Francis Brunn]], Juggler
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* [[The Blumenfeld Family]], circus owners, artists
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* [[Tereza Durova]], Animal Trainer
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* [[Émilien Bouglione/fr|Émilien Bouglione]], equestrian, circus owner (French version)
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* [[Alessandro Guerra]], Equestrian, Circus Director
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* [[Kremo Family]], icarists
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* [[Jimmy Scott]], Clown
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* [[The Ziratron]], Israel's first Circus
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* [[Alexis Gruss, Jr.]], Equestrian, Circus Owner
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* [[Carlos Guity]], Acrobat
  
 
==New Videos==
 
==New Videos==
  
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* [[Cyclopes_Video_(2024)|Trio Cyclopes]], jugglers (2024)
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* [[Panteleenko_Video_(1983)|The Panteleenko Brothers]], strap act (1983)
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* [[Triple_Breath_Video_(2023)|Triple Breath]], high wire act (2023)
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* [[Selenge_Video_(2026)|Selenge Troupe]], contortion act (2026)
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* [[Evsukevich Video (2010)|Pavel Evsukevich]], juggler (2010)  
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* [[Sukhorukov_Video_(2026)|Egor Sukhorukov]], aerial straps (2026)
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* [[Acroart_Video_(2024)|Duo AcroArt]], Cyr wheel (2024)
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* [[Teslenko_Video_(2026)|The Teslenko Family]], group juggling (2026)
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* [[Koechlin_Video_(2024)|Stephanie & Valerie Koechlin]], aerial hoop (2024)
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* [[Fumagalli_Video_(2003)|Fumagalli & Daris]], clown entrée (2006)
  
 
==New Oral Histories==
 
==New Oral Histories==
  
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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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* [[Evelyn_and_André_Interview_(2025)|Evelyn & André]] Interview by the Fővárosi Nagycirkusz (2025)
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* [[Durov_Documentary_Video_(c.2000)|Vladimir Durov Documentary]] on Russian Television (c.2000)
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* [[Bouglione_Video_(2013)|The Bouglione Family]] France 3 TV documentary (2013)
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* [[Dolly_Jacobs_Interview_Video_(2018)|Dolly Jacobs Interview]] at The Ringling (2018)
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* [[Gneushev_Video_(c.1990)|Valentin Gneushev interview]] on Russian Television (c.1990)
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* [[Pinito_del_Oro_RTE_Video_(1970)|Pinito del Oro's Interview]] on Spanish Television (1970)
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* [[Dominique_Jando_Video_(2025)|Dominique Jando interview]] by the Circus Historical Society (2025)
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* [[Eradze_Video_(2015)|Gia Eradze]]'s Interview on SSU TV (2015)
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* [[Evelyn_and_Andre_Video_(2015)|Evelyn & André Interview]] on Blikk TV (2015)
  
 
==Circopedia Books==
 
==Circopedia Books==
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==A Message from the Founder==
 
==A Message from the Founder==
  
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''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.''  
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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 20:41, 4 October 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

CIRCUS MEDRANO-SWOBODA

Medrano-Swoboda-1936.jpeg

Circus Medrano aus Wien was, between the two World Wars, one of Austria’s most important circuses—and one whose name was made famous in large part by the Medrano Sisters (Therese, Wanda, and Anita Swoboda), who performed one of the great equestrian acts of the period in top circuses and variety theaters all over Europe. The name of that circus was homonymous to that of the legendary Parisian circus, but had no connection with it. It was “the other Medrano”—and still is today, since the title has survived and belongs now (2011) to the Italian Casartelli Family.

Its founder, Ludwig Swoboda (1881-1952), was born on December 9, 1881 in Dürnbach, Burgenland, in what was then the Hungarian part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire (Dürnbach became part of Austria in 1918). His parents were of Czechoslovakian descent and although they didn’t come from a circus family, they owned a small circus that traveled in the Austro-Hungarian Empire. They always called Ludwig, who was born in the family’s horse-drawn living wagon, Lajos—the Hungarian equivalent of his German name.

Ludwig received a traditional circus education within his family and was trained in all facets of circus arts, from tumbling to equestrianism. He grew into an ambitious young man and, at twenty-three, he decided to run his own circus. Zirkus Lajos, as he called it, opened in Vienna on June 3, 1904. It was not yet an important enterprise when Ludwig Swoboda married Therese Karfiol (1893-1971) on January 16, 1912 in Vienna. Therese was fifth-generation of an old family of comedians and entertainers, allied to the Czech Berouzek (Berosini) circus family; she was an equestrienneA female equestrian, or horse trainer, horse presenter, or acrobat on horseback. and she knew the circus business in and out. Therese would be instrumental in the management and development of her husband’s circus.

In 1914, at the outset of the First World War, Ludwig was drafted into the Imperial Army and the circus went into a long hibernation. The war over, Zirkus Lajos finally reopened; the year was 1919, and it started its tour in its home city of Vienna, where it played during the Easter season. After the deadly conflict that had devastated Europe, popular entertainment was much in demand, and circuses were flourishing; under the management of Ludwig and Therese Swoboda, Zirkus Lajos was no exception, and by 1920, it performed under a large, two-pole big topThe circus tent. America: The main tent of a traveling circus, where the show is performed, as opposed to the other tops. (French, Russian: Chapiteau) and was one of Austria’s largest circuses..... (more...)

New Essays and Biographies

New Videos

  • The Panteleenko Brothers, strap actAerial act performed hanging from a pair of fabric or leather straps. (See Aerial Straps.) (1983)
  • Selenge Troupe, contortion act (2026)
  • Egor Sukhorukov, aerial strapsPair of fabric or leather straps used as an apparatus for an aerial strap act. (2026)
  • The Teslenko Family, group juggling (2026)
  • Fumagalli & Daris, clown entrée(French) Clown piece with a dramatic structure, generally in the form of a short story or scene. (2006)

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
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