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==In The Spotlight==
 
==In The Spotlight==
[[File:Tereza_Durova_(c.1985).jpg|300px|right]]
 
===TEREZA DUROVA===
 
  
A talented animal trainer and a member of one of Russia's oldest and most celebrated circus dynasty, Tereza Durova (1926-2012) was born Tereza Vasilievna Milva on September 5, 1926, in Voronezh, in the southwestern part of Russia. Her mother was Maria Anatolievna Durova (1891-?), the daughter of the legendary clown and animal trainer Anatoly Durov (1864-1916), and her father was Vasily Vasilievich Milva (1884-1962—or Milwa, its German spelling), an acrobat.
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===WALTER NONES===
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[[File:Walter_Nones.jpeg|right|400px]]
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Even though he was not born in the circus, Walter Nones (1934-2016) was, in Italy, a reformer of the classic circus form, one of the few circus visionaries who have marked the second half of the 20th century (from Arturo Castilla to Jean Richard and Gerry Cottle) and built true circus empires in their own countries equating in strength the circus empires of yore.
  
The lineage of the various members of the Durov dynasty is generally complicated, due to an uncanny number of illegitimate unions and adopted names in both branches of the family (whether Vladimir's or Anatoly's), to which one may add the fact that this lineage was continued in large part by women. Tereza Durova's lineage is indeed no exception.  
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Walter Nones was also a remarkable acrobat and a superb animal trainer; he had an engaging personality—as much when ha addressed his audience as when, away from the spotlight, he acted as the "general" of his enterprises, or in his dealing with the media and the Italian administration. Endowed with a solid intuition and a rare ability for taking calculated risks, he was able to change directions and diversify his company many times; his constant imperative was novelty, for which he was faithful to the style and methods of the great Italian variety entrepreneurs.
  
Vasily Milva's birth name was Hundadze; he was of Georgian origins, but he had been abandoned by his parents when he was a baby: They left him in a cat's basket in front of a ''balagan'' (Russian fairgrounds booth). The owners of the balagan adopted the child, and gave him the name of Vasily, which was the name of the basket's true owner, their cat! Vasily’s new family, who were traveling entertainers, trained him as an acrobat. As such, he later went to work in Denmark, where he eventually took the Danish nationality, with the chosen name of Milva. Vasiliy would discover his true identity much later in life.
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Walter Nones was able to build with his wife, Moira Orfei, a legend that went well beyond their circus—a circus that was certainly unique in the fact that it traveled constantly for fifty-five years without ever taking a true break! Nones was among the Italian pioneers of the internationalization of show business and, as such, he even became instrumental in the establishment of new relations between the former USSR and the Vatican.
  
Vasily had a hand-to-hand balancing act with a partner named Nader. He met Maria Durova at Circus Ciniselli in St. Petersburg (Russia's oldest circus building, which is still extent) where they were working in the same program just before the Bolshevik Revolution—she as an assistant to her brother, Anatoly Anatolievich Durov, he as a hand-to-hand balancer with his partner. There, they fell in love, and they eventually got married. In 1926, Maria gave birth to a daughter in Voronezh, Anatoly Durov's family seat, whom she called Tereza in homage to her own mother, Tereza Stadtler (who never legally married Anatoly Durov).... ([[Tereza Durova|more...]])
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Walter Nones was born in Trent, capital of the Trentino province in northern Italy, on June 18, 1934, the oldest of the four children of Giuseppe Nones and his wife, Adele, née Medini, a circus artist. Giuseppe was a cabinet maker; he spent his life between his workshop and the gym, following in that an old Trent tradition: A great number of its citizen had developed over the years a passion for gymnastics. With three of his gymnast friends, he had gone to perform as an acrobat in Bernardo Medini’s circus, where he met Adele, the seventh of the fourteen children that Medini had with his wife, Adalgisa Caroli. They fell in love and got married…
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At the outbreak of World War II, however, Giuseppe Nones stopped his circus escapades and returned to his workshop and a stable and more secure occupation. Walter, his brother Guglielmo, and his sister Loredana, were sent to study in a Salesian college. Sharing their father's passion for acrobatics, the siblings began to perform in school shows and took lessons from a well-known acrobat, Bruno Marcantoni, who had performed in the United States with the Barnum and Bailey Circus in 1910.... ([[Walter Nones|more...]])
  
 
==New Essays and Biographies==
 
==New Essays and Biographies==
  
* [[Nouveau_Cirque_(Paris)/fr|Nouveau Cirque]], History — Version Française (French Version)
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* [[Cirkus_Verdensteater_(Oslo)|Cirkus Verdensteater]], Oslo Circus Building
* [[Cirque Medrano (Paris)/fr|Cirque Medrano]], History — Version Française (French Version)
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* [[Eddie Murillo]], Circus Agent and Producer
* [[The Reverhos]], Acrobatic Jugglers
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* [[The Biasini Family]], Circus Owners, Artists
* [[Francis Brunn]], Juggler
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* [[Paul Jerome]], Clown
* [[Tereza Durova]], Animal Trainer
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* [[Evelyn and André]], Aerialists, Acrobats
  
 
==New Videos==
 
==New Videos==
  
* [[Patricia_White_Video_(1998)|Patricia White]], mixed animal act (1998)
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* [[Rudi-Llata_Video_(1956)|The Rudi-Llatas]], clown entrée (1956)
* [[Yvonne_Kludsky_Video_(2009)|Georg & Yvonne Kludsky]], elephant act (2009)
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* [[Steve_Bor_Video_(1985)|Steve Bor]], juggler (1985)
* [[Amanat_Video_(2024)|Duo Amanat]], aerial straps (2024)
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* [[Casartelli_Elephants_Video_(1997)|Eros Casartelli]], elephant act (1997)
* [[Tihany_Video_(1989)|Tihany]], magic act (1989)
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* [[Hng_Thean_Leong_Video_(2024)|Hng Thean Leong]], diabolo act (2024)
* [[Emil_Smith_Video_(2002)|Emil Smith]], leopards, panthers and jaguars (2002)
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* [[Trixie_Zavatta_Video_(2024)|Trixie Zavatta]], hand balancer/contortionist on hoverboard (2024)
  
 
==New Oral Histories==
 
==New Oral Histories==
  
 +
* [[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)
 
* [[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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==A Message from the Founder==
 
==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—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 [[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—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 [[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 05:55, 1 July 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

WALTER NONES

Walter Nones.jpeg

Even though he was not born in the circus, Walter Nones (1934-2016) was, in Italy, a reformer of the classic circus form, one of the few circus visionaries who have marked the second half of the 20th century (from Arturo Castilla to Jean Richard and Gerry Cottle) and built true circus empires in their own countries equating in strength the circus empires of yore.

Walter Nones was also a remarkable acrobat and a superb animal trainer; he had an engaging personality—as much when ha addressed his audience as when, away from the spotlight, he acted as the "general" of his enterprises, or in his dealing with the media and the Italian administration. Endowed with a solid intuition and a rare ability for taking calculated risks, he was able to change directions and diversify his company many times; his constant imperative was novelty, for which he was faithful to the style and methods of the great Italian variety entrepreneurs.

Walter Nones was able to build with his wife, Moira Orfei, a legend that went well beyond their circus—a circus that was certainly unique in the fact that it traveled constantly for fifty-five years without ever taking a true break! Nones was among the Italian pioneers of the internationalization of show business and, as such, he even became instrumental in the establishment of new relations between the former USSR and the Vatican.

Walter Nones was born in Trent, capital of the Trentino province in northern Italy, on June 18, 1934, the oldest of the four children of Giuseppe Nones and his wife, Adele, née Medini, a circus artist. Giuseppe was a cabinet maker; he spent his life between his workshop and the gym, following in that an old Trent tradition: A great number of its citizen had developed over the years a passion for gymnastics. With three of his gymnast friends, he had gone to perform as an acrobat in Bernardo Medini’s circus, where he met Adele, the seventh of the fourteen children that Medini had with his wife, Adalgisa Caroli. They fell in love and got married…

At the outbreak of World War II, however, Giuseppe Nones stopped his circus escapades and returned to his workshop and a stable and more secure occupation. Walter, his brother Guglielmo, and his sister Loredana, were sent to study in a Salesian college. Sharing their father's passion for acrobatics, the siblings began to perform in school shows and took lessons from a well-known acrobat, Bruno Marcantoni, who had performed in the United States with the Barnum and Bailey Circus in 1910.... (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