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==In The Spotlight==
 
==In The Spotlight==
  
===VIRGINIE KENEBEL===
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===THE FALTYNY FAMILY===
[[File:Virginie_Kenebel_-_Bordeaux.jpg|right|300px]]
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[[File:Faltyny_Troupe_-_Monte_Carlo_(2014).jpeg|right|400px]]
Virginie Kenebel (1819-1884)—whose name is sometimes spelled Kennebel—was one of the brightest stars of the equestrian circus in its "Romantic" period (roughly from 1820 to 1880). She was one of the first écuyères de panneau, who danced various movements of classical ballet on a large flat saddle (the panneau). More than the equestriennes who practiced haute-école dressage, like their male counterparts, it was these ballerinas on horseback who truly defined the equestrian circus's Romantic period.
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Faltyny is a household name in the Czech circus world. The Faltyny family’s real name is Faltynek (plural: Faltynkovi), and they trace their roots to an old circus family from South Moravia. Its story began in the familiar fashion common to many circus families: In the late nineteenth century, in the small village of Kladky, some one-hundred kilometers north of Brno, the son of the miller Faltynek ran away with a troupe of itinerant acrobats for the love of a beautiful wire dancer.
  
Marie Virginie Kenebel was born into a circus family on April 23, 1819, in La Guillotière, a neighborhood of Lyon, in France. Her father, Ludwig (Louis) Daniel Knebel (or Knoebel, according to his signature—1794-1878), whose name was francized to Kenebel (or Kénébel), has been said to be a Sinti (a subgroup of the Romani people), but there is no clear documentation to support this assertion. If ever the Knebels had been seen as "outsiders" in Germany, it could also be because they were Jewish, as were many dynasties of German traveling entertainers: Ludwig's parents, Michel Knebel (or Knoebel) and Leonore, née Östermann, bore names with strong Jewish connections.
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Young Faltynek had fallen in love with the daughter of an acrobat named Flaks, who had visited the village with his family’s acrobatic troupe. The Flakses were traveling entertainers who performed outdoors on village squares and at local fairs. The lovely Miss Flaks had a slack wire act, with which she captured the heart of the miller’s son: Faltynek left his village and his family, and joined the troupe, married Miss Flaks, and eventually developed his own tight wire act.
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The Faltynkovi had a son, Vojtěch (1904-1988), who became a foot juggler; in time, Vojtěch married another circus performer, Fanny Kockova. They had their own small traveling outfit with which they performed outdoors, touring Moravia and Slovakia. Vojtěch and Fanny had eight children, four boys and four girls. Their second son, Frantisek (November 15, 1931-November 7, 2003), originated the present Faltynek (Faltyny) circus line.
  
According to Signor Saltarino (Valdemar Otto) in his ''Artisten Lexikon'' (1895), the Knebels were a "second-rate [circus] family," but they were capable and polyvalent. Principally a rope dancer but also an equestrian trick-rider, Ludwig was born in Mannheim, in Baden-Württemberg, Germany, on February 22, 1874. As for Virginie's mother, Françoise Sophie Avrillon (known as Sophie, 1799-1862), she was an equestrienne, also born into a circus family in Tuscany, Italy—in Prato, according to her marriage certificate, or in Florence, according to her death and other French certificates; Prato, which is very close to Florence, seems to be the right location.
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Frantisek’s parents retired from performing and put an end to their travels when their son was a teenager. Thence Frantisek went to school like any other kid of his age, and eventually joined the Army. Yet one day, he visited Cirkus Rozkvet, owned by Jan Novotny and Marie Dvorakova, and he fell in love with their beautiful daughter, Marie Novotna (born May 1st, 1934)—a contortionist and a wire dancer. Young Frantisek left the Army and returned to the circus. At Cirkus Rozkvet, he worked as a clown and put together a comedy unicycle act with Marie.... ([[Faltiny Family|more...]])
 
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Louis and Sophie had married on March1, 1819 in Colmar, France, just in time to welcome their daughter into an established family. With three brothers and two sisters, Virginie was the first born of a large brood: she was followed by André (1820-1876), François Amédée (known as Amédée, 1825-1877), Etienne Stephan Antoine (known as Stephan, 1830-18091), Clémentine (1831-1833), and Marie-Honorine (1835-1878).
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Except for Clémentine, who died in infancy, all followed in their parents' footsteps and embraced a circus career. Amédée created his own company and moved to England from where, in 1846, he sailed to Mauritius, along with his brother André, and then to India, where he eventually settled (he died in Calcutta). André returned to France and worked in Paris for the Franconis. Stephan married his cousin, the equestrienne Émilie Lambert (1824-1890—her mother, Anna, was an Avrillon), but it doesn't seem that his career was particularly brilliant. Marie Honorine married in 1855 the equestrian Jean-Baptiste Auriol, Jr. (1834-1857), son of the illustrious clown Jean-Baptiste Auriol (1806-1881)—a union that, sadly, was short-lived.
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The Avrillons were a French circus family. Claude Avrillon (1766-1819), Sophie's father, was an equestrian, as was her brother, François (1801-1845), who managed his own circus company; after having tried, unsuccessfully, to establish a permanent circus in Marseille, he had moved to Spain and opened there the first Madrilene circus in 1834, becoming in effect a pioneer of Spanish circus history. (Louis Kenebel and Sophie Avrillon would also create their own circus company with which they traveled intermittently in southern Europe: In 1831, they would find themselves in competition with François Avrillon in Barcelona!)... ([[Virginie Kenebel|more...]])
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==New Essays and Biographies==
 
==New Essays and Biographies==
  
* [[Virginie Kenebel]], equestrienne
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* [[Émilien Bouglione/fr|Émilien Bouglione]], French version
* [[Chongqing_Acrobatic_Troupe|Chongqing Acrobatic Troupe]], History
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* [[Kremo Family]], icarists
* [[Cirkus_Verdensteater_(Oslo)|Cirkus Verdensteater]], Oslo Circus Building
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* [[The Ziratron]], Israel's first Circus
* [[Eddie Murillo]], Circus Agent and Producer
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* [[Carlos Guity]], acrobat
* [[The Biasini Family]], Circus Owners, Artists
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* [[James Clowney]], acrobat
  
 
==New Videos==
 
==New Videos==
  
* [[The_Royals_Video_(1993)|The Royals]], jugglers (1993)
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* [[Xing_Yunwei_Video_(2019)|Xing Yunwei]], hand balancing (2019)
* [[Didier_et_Jade_Video_(1995)|Didier & Jade]], high wire (1995)
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* [[Rasshivkin_Video_(1983)|Trio Rasshivkin]], hand-to-hand balancing (1983)
* [[Mateo_et_Aelia_Video_(2025)|Matéo & Amélia]], diabolo act (2025)
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* [[Acero_Duo_Video_(2025)|Duo Acero]], hand-to-hand balancing (2025)
* [[Golyshev_Video_(1984)|Golyshev Troupe]], comedy acrobatics (1984)
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* [[Streltsov_Video_(1990)|Aleksandr Streltsov]], ''Angel'', strap act (1990)
* [[Nazarova_Video_(1960)|Margarita Nazarova]], tiger act (excerpts) (1960)
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* [[Larkina_Video_(1993)|Yelena Larkina]], hula-hoop act (1993)
  
 
==New Oral Histories==
 
==New Oral Histories==
  
 +
* [[Gneushev_Video_(c.1990)|Valentin Gneushev interview]] on Russian Television (c.1990)
 
* [[Dominique_Jando_Video_(2025)|Dominique Jando interview]] by the Circus Historical Society (2025)
 
* [[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)
 
* [[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)
 
  
 
==Circopedia Books==
 
==Circopedia Books==

Latest revision as of 22:20, 1 May 2026


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Circopedia is an independent educational website, initially created as a project of the original, non-profit Big Apple Circus.

In The Spotlight

THE FALTYNY FAMILY

Faltyny Troupe - Monte Carlo (2014).jpeg

Faltyny is a household name in the Czech circus world. The Faltyny family’s real name is Faltynek (plural: Faltynkovi), and they trace their roots to an old circus family from South Moravia. Its story began in the familiar fashion common to many circus families: In the late nineteenth century, in the small village of Kladky, some one-hundred kilometers north of Brno, the son of the miller Faltynek ran away with a troupe of itinerant acrobats for the love of a beautiful wire dancer.

Young Faltynek had fallen in love with the daughter of an acrobat named Flaks, who had visited the village with his family’s acrobatic troupe. The Flakses were traveling entertainers who performed outdoors on village squares and at local fairs. The lovely Miss Flaks had a slack wireA Tight Wire, or Low Wire, kept slack, and generally used for juggling or balancing tricks. act, with which she captured the heart of the miller’s son: Faltynek left his village and his family, and joined the troupe, married Miss Flaks, and eventually developed his own tight wireA tight, light metallic cable, placed between two platforms not very far from the ground, on which a wire dancer perform dance steps, and acrobatic exercises such as somersaults. (Also: Low Wire) act.

The Faltynkovi had a son, Vojtěch (1904-1988), who became a foot juggler; in time, Vojtěch married another circus performer, Fanny Kockova. They had their own small traveling outfit with which they performed outdoors, touring Moravia and Slovakia. Vojtěch and Fanny had eight children, four boys and four girls. Their second son, Frantisek (November 15, 1931-November 7, 2003), originated the present Faltynek (Faltyny) circus line.

Frantisek’s parents retired from performing and put an end to their travels when their son was a teenager. Thence Frantisek went to school like any other kid of his age, and eventually joined the Army. Yet one day, he visited Cirkus Rozkvet, owned by Jan Novotny and Marie Dvorakova, and he fell in love with their beautiful daughter, Marie Novotna (born May 1st, 1934)—a contortionist and a wire dancer. Young Frantisek left the Army and returned to the circus. At Cirkus Rozkvet, he worked as a clown and put together a comedy unicycle act with Marie.... (more...)

New Essays and Biographies

New Videos

  • Xing Yunwei, hand balancing (2019)
  • 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)

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