Difference between revisions of "Main Page"

From Circopedia

 
(33 intermediate revisions by the same user not shown)
Line 17: Line 17:
  
 
==In The Spotlight==
 
==In The Spotlight==
 +
[[File:Adi_Enders_and_Vauta.jpg|300px|right]]
 +
===ADI ENDERS===
  
===NINA KORNILOVA AND THE KORNILOV DYNASTY===
+
Adi Enders (1935-2025) was born Adolf Hermann Enders on April 16, 1935 in Köln (Cologne), Germany, to an old family of circus equestrians. His parents were Hugo Enders (1899-1952), a jockey and horse trainer, and Alma von der Gathen (1905-1944). Adi had five siblings: Rudolf, known as Rudi or "Männe" (February 22, 1927 - April 5, 2004, Aachen), who became an animal trainer; Jean, known as "Schengel" (April 9, 1929, Alsdorf - March 3, 2004, Breinig) who became a clown under the name of Pipo; Willi (1932 - December 6, 1988); and Jakob, known as Jacomo or Jacky (May 8, 1938 Neustadt an der Weinstraße - November 24, 1994) who became a jockey, but would also be known for his plate-spinning act, and as a clown; and his sister, Medi (born February 19, 1928).
  
[[File:Aleksandr_Kornilov_and_Nina_Kornilova.jpeg|right|thumb|410px|Nina & Aleksandr Kornilov]]
+
Adi and Jakob Enders grew up in the family of their aunt, Maria Althoff, née von der Gathen (1908-1999), who was Alma’s sister and was married to the circus director and animal trainer Adolf Althoff (1913-1998). Adi was trained in acrobatics by Mohamed "Momo" Saharaoui Faroki, who was a member of the [[Ben Mohamed Troupe]], a Morrocan tumbling act, and by his uncle Adolf, who took care of his education in equestrian arts and animal training.
There never have been many elephant acts in the Soviet and Russian circus. Several members of the Durov family have included one pachyderm or two in their animal presentations and a small number of animal trainers, such as Boris Fedotov, Sarvat Begbudi and Msistlav Zapashny have trained elephants. The Kornilov Dynasty, however, is the exception that confirms the rule: Since 1929, they have not only been the great Russian elephant-training specialists, but they also have been among the world’s very best—and the productions of their magnificent acts remain unequaled.
+
  
Born November 22, 1903 in Russia, Aleksandr Nikolaievich Kornilov (1903-1977), the founder of the Dynasty, began his professional life as a sailor. At the end of the 1920s, he landed in Samara, the great port city on the Volga river, where he discovered the traveling menagerie of Ivan Lazarevich Filatov (1873-1956)—the father of the legendary Russian bear trainer Valentin Filatov and scion of an old family of itinerant animal trainers.
+
In the 1950's and 1960's, Adi Enders was considered one of the world’s finest jockeys. He and his brother Jakob performed for many years their jockey act as Gebrüder Enders (The Enders Brothers), or sometimes as Enders Reitertruppe. (When they toured in 1956 with CCircus Scott-Williams, they were billed as ''Williams Reitertruppe''.) They had various partners over the years, among whom Carla Barlay (who married François Bronett, later Director of Cirkus Scott) and GGünther Gebel. For a long time, they also had for partner Claus Lehnert, who would later become Circus Krone’s operations manager.... ([[Adi Enders|more...]])
 
+
This unforeseen encounter changed Kornilov’s life: Although he was indeed fascinated by the Filatov Menagerie exhibitions, he was even more attracted to Masha, the pretty young girl who handled the box office. Masha (Maria Ivanovna Filatova, 1904-1975) was Ivan Lazarevich’s daughter: They quickly fell in love, and Aleksandr decided to stay on dry land and follow Masha, whom he eventually married.
+
 
+
Now part of the family, Aleksandr had to bring his contribution to his father-in-law’s business. Working as a simple cage and stable boy, he did his apprenticeship on the job. After having acquired enough experience caring for the menagerie’s animals, he finally made his public debut as a trainer in 1929 with a group that included brown bears, polar bears and lions. He presented also the menagerie’s single elephant in a sketch titled ''The Elephant at the Restaurant''.
+
 
+
Elephant training appealed to Aleksandr, and Ivan Filatov eventually trusted his pachyderm to him. Later, three additional elephants joined his original animal when Kornilov became part of the central system of Soviet circuses (G.O.M.E.Ts., which later became SoyuzGosTsirk); it allowed him to expand his act without having to bear personally the financial burden. (Ivan Filatov, for his part, was asked by the government to organize the zoological park system of the U.S.S.R.)
+
 
+
At a time when Russian elephant acts included only one or two animals, Kornilov’s four elephants looked like a herd! This effect was amplified in 1943 when he created his first "attraction," ''Elephants and Dancers'', with a group of fourteen dancers whose soloist was the young and talented Nina Suprun—the future Nina Kornilova (1926-2025).... ([[The Kornilov Dynasty|more...]])
+
  
 
==New Essays and Biographies==
 
==New Essays and Biographies==
  
 +
* [[Virginie Kenebel]], equestrienne
 
* [[Chongqing_Acrobatic_Troupe|Chongqing Acrobatic Troupe]], History
 
* [[Chongqing_Acrobatic_Troupe|Chongqing Acrobatic Troupe]], History
 
* [[Cirkus_Verdensteater_(Oslo)|Cirkus Verdensteater]], Oslo Circus Building
 
* [[Cirkus_Verdensteater_(Oslo)|Cirkus Verdensteater]], Oslo Circus Building
 
* [[Eddie Murillo]], Circus Agent and Producer
 
* [[Eddie Murillo]], Circus Agent and Producer
 
* [[The Biasini Family]], Circus Owners, Artists
 
* [[The Biasini Family]], Circus Owners, Artists
* [[Paul Jerome]], Clown
 
  
 
==New Videos==
 
==New Videos==
  
* [[Belui_Music_Video_(2025)|Duo Belui]], musical comedy act (2025)
+
* [[Bennett_Video_(1979)|Archie & Diana Bennett]], contortion act (1979)
* [[Chongqing_Diabolo_Video_(2011)|Chongqing Acrobatic Troupe]], diabolo act (2011)
+
* [[Azizov_Video_(2025)|Azizov Troupe]], Russian barre (2025)
* [[Arturo_Alegria_Video_(1989)|Arturo Alegria]], juggler (1989)
+
* [[Coudoux_Video_(1973)|Les Coudoux]], contortionists/hand-to-hand balancing (1973)
* [[Jacqueline_Alvarez_Video_(1993)|Jacqueline Alvarez]], hand balancer (1993)
+
* [[Guliaeva-Fedorenko_Video_(2025)|Ekaterina Guliaeva & Sergei Fedorenko]], aerial straps (2025)
* [[Bobby_Roberts_Video_(1991)|Bobby Roberts, Jr.]], elephant act (1991)
+
* [[Fratellini_Video_(1931)|The Fratellinis]], clowns (1931)
  
 
==New Oral Histories==
 
==New Oral Histories==

Latest revision as of 18:24, 2 October 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, initially created as a project of the original, non-profit Big Apple Circus.

In The Spotlight

Adi Enders and Vauta.jpg

ADI ENDERS

Adi Enders (1935-2025) was born Adolf Hermann Enders on April 16, 1935 in Köln (Cologne), Germany, to an old family of circus equestrians. His parents were Hugo Enders (1899-1952), a jockeyClassic equestrian act in which the participants ride standing in various attitudes on a galoping horse, perform various jumps while on the horse, and from the ground to the horse, and perform classic horse-vaulting exercises. and horse trainer, and Alma von der Gathen (1905-1944). Adi had five siblings: Rudolf, known as Rudi or "Männe" (February 22, 1927 - April 5, 2004, Aachen), who became an animal trainer; Jean, known as "Schengel" (April 9, 1929, Alsdorf - March 3, 2004, Breinig) who became a clown under the name of Pipo; Willi (1932 - December 6, 1988); and Jakob, known as Jacomo or Jacky (May 8, 1938 Neustadt an der Weinstraße - November 24, 1994) who became a jockeyClassic equestrian act in which the participants ride standing in various attitudes on a galoping horse, perform various jumps while on the horse, and from the ground to the horse, and perform classic horse-vaulting exercises., but would also be known for his plate-spinning act, and as a clownGeneric term for all clowns and augustes. '''Specific:''' In Europe, the elegant, whiteface character who plays the role of the straight man to the Auguste in a clown team.; and his sister, Medi (born February 19, 1928).

Adi and Jakob Enders grew up in the family of their aunt, Maria Althoff, née von der Gathen (1908-1999), who was Alma’s sister and was married to the circus director and animal trainer Adolf Althoff (1913-1998). Adi was trained in acrobatics by Mohamed "Momo" Saharaoui Faroki, who was a member of the Ben Mohamed Troupe, a Morrocan tumbling act, and by his uncle Adolf, who took care of his education in equestrian arts and animal training.

In the 1950's and 1960's, Adi Enders was considered one of the world’s finest jockeys. He and his brother Jakob performed for many years their jockeyClassic equestrian act in which the participants ride standing in various attitudes on a galoping horse, perform various jumps while on the horse, and from the ground to the horse, and perform classic horse-vaulting exercises. act as Gebrüder Enders (The Enders Brothers), or sometimes as Enders Reitertruppe. (When they toured in 1956 with CCircus Scott-Williams, they were billed as Williams Reitertruppe.) They had various partners over the years, among whom Carla Barlay (who married François Bronett, later Director of Cirkus Scott) and GGünther Gebel. For a long time, they also had for partner Claus Lehnert, who would later become Circus Krone’s operations manager.... (more...)

New Essays and Biographies

New Videos

  • Archie & Diana Bennett, contortion act (1979)
  • Azizov Troupe, Russian barreFlexible pole, held horizontally by two catchers, or under-standers, with which they propelled a flyer in acrobatic figures from and to the pole. (2025)
  • Les Coudoux, contortionists/hand-to-handAn acrobatic act in which one or more acrobats do hand-balancing in the hands of an under-stander. balancing (1973)
  • Ekaterina Guliaeva & Sergei Fedorenko, aerial strapsPair of fabric or leather straps used as an apparatus for an aerial strap act. (2025)
  • The Fratellinis, clowns (1931)

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