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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 ήρθατ
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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
 
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/>
<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, originally created as a project of the non-profit [[Big Apple Circus]]''.</div><br/>
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==In The Spotlight==
 
==In The Spotlight==
  
===LITTLE BILLY===
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===THE REVERHOS===
[[File:Little_Billy.jpg|right|400px]]
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Little Billy (1919-2001) was a very popular English auguste whose long and rich career, which began on the music-hall stage, took him to some of the most prestigious circuses of Britain and Europe. He truly came to the spotlight when he eventually partnered with the popular auguste Jacko Fossett, a successful association that began at Bertram Mills Circus and morphed into a lifelong friendship.  
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[[File:Reverhos_-_Scala.jpg|right|400px]]From the early 1930s through the late 1950s, The Reverhos were major circus and variety performers; however, they didn't leave the same mark in circus history as other, less talented performers may have. The reason is probably that their act was difficult to classify: It mixed juggling, acrobatics, and hand- and head-balancing, some of it performed on a slack wire&mdash;and the sheer difficulty of their vast repertoire prevented imitations. The fact that they worked principally on variety stages is perhaps another factor. Nonetheless, their act was extremely spectacular and has remained unique to this day.  
  
He was born William Alfred Merchant on July 31, 1919, in Bristol, England. His father was unknown&mdash;and practically nothing is known of his mother, either. This lack of a father may be the reason why&mdash;along with the fact that William was afflicted with achondroplasia (dwarfism)&mdash;his mother chose to abandon him at an early age. Billy, as he became known, was placed in an orphanage in Bristol where he spent his childhood and adolescence.
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It was created by two French brothers who were not born in the circus, nor in the entertainment business for that matter: They began their professional lives as brick masons. Gustave Revereau (1902-1969) was born on February 8, 1902, in Bressuire, a small town in the Deux-Sèvres department, in the Poitou province. His brother André (1906-1996) followed him there four years later, on June 2, 1906. Their father, Adrien, was a Master Brick Mason, and they were destined to follow in his footsteps&mdash;which they did. Or did at first…
  
As a teenager, he became increasingly attracted to show business and spent his free time visiting the local music-halls, notably Bristol's Hippodrome and Empire theatres. In 1937, the Empire featured the celebrated troupe of performing "midgets" of John Lester (1870-1950), a former American aerialist turned impresario. Lester's troupe was mostly composed of little people, perfectly proportioned, as opposed to dwarves such as Billy. Nonetheless, he went to the theater to see John Lester. Asked by the impresario what he could do, Billy answered that he could tumble; that was good enough for a comedy part, and he was hired.
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Predictably, the brothers were very physical and, in their spare time, they joined a local gymnasium where they learned the basics of acrobatics, mostly by imitating their elders&mdash;among whom circus artists who trained there to improve their act or create new ones during their off time between seasons, as it was customary then: Many a circus career at the time began in one of these gymnasiums. There, Gustave and André must have seen some jugglers practice, and they began to learn juggling by themselves, developing in time a solid foundation.  
  
Billy did a tumbling act with two diminutive partners that was in effect a visual parody of popular acts of the genre, such as The Craddocks and, later, The Charlivels. Lester was not the easiest of directors, and after a while, Billy, who now had stage experience, joined the acrobatic troupe of Joe Boganny (John Clifton, 1874-1943), whose act, very popular on the British variety circuit, traditionally included dwarf acrobats. With Boganny, Billy became truly exposed to "big time" variety and what is more, he could fully express his nascent comedic talents. He finally was in show business, and there to stay.... ([[Little Billy Merchant|more...]])
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Performers who trained along them were duly impressed by the brothers' skills, and they eventually suggested they build a juggling act. Thus, so did Gustave and André, juggling with tennis rackets at first. However, they quickly began to add a few spectacular acrobatic elements to their act: André juggled upside-down, head-balancing, while passing clubs with Gustave, and Gustave performed a one-arm stand, twirling hoops on his balancing cane, his free hand, and his feet: Traditional juggling increasingly became just an appetizer to the rest of the act. It was highly original, and through their gymnasium connections, they soon attracted agents' attention.... ([[The Reverhos|more...]])
  
 
==New Essays and Biographies==
 
==New Essays and Biographies==
  
* [[Little Billy Merchant]], Clown
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* [[Cirque Medrano (Paris)/fr|Cirque Medrano]], History &mdash; Version Française (French Version)
* [[Jacko Fossett]], Clown
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* [[The Reverhos]], Acrobatic Jugglers
* [[Circus Ring of Fame]], History
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* [[Francis Brunn]], Juggler
* [[Natalya Jigalova]], Aerialist
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* [[Tereza Durova]], Animal Trainer
* [[Guangzhou Acrobatic Troupe]], History
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* [[Alessandro Guerra]], Equestrian, Circus Director
  
 
==New Videos==
 
==New Videos==
  
* [[Filinov_Video_(2022)|The Filinov Troupe]], Russian swing (2022)
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* [[Shalamova-Martini_Video_(2024)|Anna Shalamova-Martini]], hand-balancer/contortionist (2024)
* [[Huyen_Video_(2022)|Chu Thi Khanh Huyen]], aerial sword balancing (2022)
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* [[Amara_Video_(2024)|Amara Troupe]], teeterboard (2024)
* [[Palchikov_Video_(2022)|Ernest Palchikov]], hand-balancing act (2022)
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* [[Archie_and_Diane_Bennett_Video_(1977)|Archie & Diana Bennet]], contortionists (1977)
* [[Ethiopia_Troupe_Video_(2022)|Troupe Ethiopia]], basket acrobatics (2022)
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* [[Chu_Chuan_Ho_Video_(2023)|Chu Chuan Ho]], diabolo act (2023)
* [[Eva_Vida_Video_(1964)|Eva Vida]], juggler (1964)
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* [[Reverhos_Video_(1947)|The Reverhos]], acrobatic jugglers (1947)
  
 
==New Oral Histories==
 
==New Oral Histories==

Latest revision as of 21:49, 21 December 2024


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 REVERHOS

Reverhos - Scala.jpg
From the early 1930s through the late 1950s, The Reverhos were major circus and variety performers; however, they didn't leave the same mark in circus history as other, less talented performers may have. The reason is probably that their act was difficult to classify: It mixed juggling, acrobatics, and hand- and head-balancing, some of it performed on a slack wireA Tight Wire, or Low Wire, kept slack, and generally used for juggling or balancing tricks.—and the sheer difficulty of their vast repertoire prevented imitations. The fact that they worked principally on variety stages is perhaps another factor. Nonetheless, their act was extremely spectacular and has remained unique to this day.

It was created by two French brothers who were not born in the circus, nor in the entertainment business for that matter: They began their professional lives as brick masons. Gustave Revereau (1902-1969) was born on February 8, 1902, in Bressuire, a small town in the Deux-Sèvres department, in the Poitou province. His brother André (1906-1996) followed him there four years later, on June 2, 1906. Their father, Adrien, was a Master Brick Mason, and they were destined to follow in his footsteps—which they did. Or did at first…

Predictably, the brothers were very physical and, in their spare time, they joined a local gymnasium where they learned the basics of acrobatics, mostly by imitating their elders—among whom circus artists who trained there to improve their act or create new ones during their off time between seasons, as it was customary then: Many a circus career at the time began in one of these gymnasiums. There, Gustave and André must have seen some jugglers practice, and they began to learn juggling by themselves, developing in time a solid foundation.

Performers who trained along them were duly impressed by the brothers' skills, and they eventually suggested they build a juggling act. Thus, so did Gustave and André, juggling with tennis rackets at first. However, they quickly began to add a few spectacular acrobatic elements to their act: André juggled upside-down, head-balancing, while passing clubs with Gustave, and Gustave performed a one-arm stand, twirling hoops on his balancing cane, his free hand, and his feet: Traditional juggling increasingly became just an appetizer to the rest of the act. It was highly original, and through their gymnasium connections, they soon attracted agents' attention.... (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. 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