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==In The Spotlight==
 
==In The Spotlight==
  
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===ALEXANDRE PALISSE===
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===FRANCIS BRUNN===
  
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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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Francis Brunn (1922-2004) is justly considered one of the greatest jugglers of the twentieth century. In 1950, the legendary ''New York Times'' theater critic Brooks Atkinson said that he was "the greatest juggler of the ages," adding with his usual humor: "Not many people in the world are as perfectly adjusted as Mr. Brunn is. He will never have to visit a psychiatrist."
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What characterized Francis Brunn was not so much the tricks he performed (although they were spectacular) as the speed, precision and balletic quality of his act.
  
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Alexandre François Palisse was born in a circus family on November 17, 1876, during a family 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 born Franz Josef Brunn on November 15, 1922, in Aschaffenburg, southwest of Frankfurt, in Bavaria (Germany). His parents were not in show business: his father, Michael Aloysius Brunn (1898-1980) was a restaurant owner, but he was also a three-time champion diver; his mother Pauline, née Schobert, was a homemaker. Franz had three sisters, Lotti (1925-2008), Jutta, and Anni. He also had a half-brother, Ernst Kuhn, later known as Ernest Montego (1936-2016), who would also become a great juggler. (All siblings and their parents would eventually resettle in the U.S.)
  
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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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Juggling entered the family during WWI, when Michael Brunn was interned in a prisoner camp in France. Through the barbed wires, he observed a man who was juggling three balls. Out of boredom, Michael decided to teach himself to do the same with three stones. Later, he taught his children the basics of juggling using three oranges: Under his guidance, Franz and Lotti acquired the basics of the craft, but didn't yet seriously consider developing their skills.
  
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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—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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Like his champion-diver father, Franz was very physical. Michael trained him in gymnastics, diving, and acrobatics, which gave his son a strong base. Franz then attended Berlin's University of the Arts, which had an important performing arts section. It is in 1937, in the brand-new ''Menschen, Tiere, Sensationen'' show at Berlin's Deutschlandhalle, that Franz saw an artist who truly inspired him, the Italian juggler Angelo Picinelli (1921-2004). Picinelli worked mainly in variety theaters, which were numerous and very popular then in Germany, and this charismatic and gifted juggler was a major variety star.
  
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Now that he was Ernest 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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Franz was hooked: he already knew the basics, and then, a friend took him to watch a juggler rehearsing; he saw what could be done with training, and he liked it. He heard of the legendary Enrico Rastelli (1896-1931), the greatest juggler of all times who died untimely at age thirty-five, and he watched the films that had recorded his work. He also read ''Das Wunder der tanzenden Bälle'' ("The Miracle of the Dancing Balls", 1938) by the great circus chronicler and novelist A.H. Kober, which became another source of inspiration.
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Ball manipulation, which was one of Rastelli's many talents and became a Francis Brunn trademark, was not completely unknown to him thanks to his practice of football (soccer). Then, to pure juggling, Francis added his acrobatic and dancing abilities. (He developed in time a passion for Flamenco, which eventually defined his style.) His sister Lotti also entered the game, and became his partner—although she developed impressive skills of her own, sometimes comparable to her brother's.... ([[Francis Brunn|more...]])
  
 
==New Essays and Biographies==
 
==New Essays and Biographies==

Revision as of 03:29, 1 November 2024


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

In The Spotlight

FRANCIS BRUNN

Francis Brunn (1922-2004) is justly considered one of the greatest jugglers of the twentieth century. In 1950, the legendary New York Times theater critic Brooks Atkinson said that he was "the greatest juggler of the ages," adding with his usual humor: "Not many people in the world are as perfectly adjusted as Mr. Brunn is. He will never have to visit a psychiatrist." What characterized Francis Brunn was not so much the tricks he performed (although they were spectacular) as the speed, precision and balletic quality of his act.

He was born Franz Josef Brunn on November 15, 1922, in Aschaffenburg, southwest of Frankfurt, in Bavaria (Germany). His parents were not in show business: his father, Michael Aloysius Brunn (1898-1980) was a restaurant owner, but he was also a three-time champion diver; his mother Pauline, née Schobert, was a homemaker. Franz had three sisters, Lotti (1925-2008), Jutta, and Anni. He also had a half-brother, Ernst Kuhn, later known as Ernest Montego (1936-2016), who would also become a great juggler. (All siblings and their parents would eventually resettle in the U.S.)

Juggling entered the family during WWI, when Michael Brunn was interned in a prisoner camp in France. Through the barbed wires, he observed a man who was juggling three balls. Out of boredom, Michael decided to teach himself to do the same with three stones. Later, he taught his children the basics of juggling using three oranges: Under his guidance, Franz and Lotti acquired the basics of the craft, but didn't yet seriously consider developing their skills.

Like his champion-diver father, Franz was very physical. Michael trained him in gymnastics, diving, and acrobatics, which gave his son a strong base. Franz then attended Berlin's University of the Arts, which had an important performing arts section. It is in 1937, in the brand-new Menschen, Tiere, Sensationen show at Berlin's Deutschlandhalle, that Franz saw an artist who truly inspired him, the Italian juggler Angelo Picinelli (1921-2004). Picinelli worked mainly in variety theaters, which were numerous and very popular then in Germany, and this charismatic and gifted juggler was a major variety star.

Franz was hooked: he already knew the basics, and then, a friend took him to watch a juggler rehearsing; he saw what could be done with training, and he liked it. He heard of the legendary Enrico Rastelli (1896-1931), the greatest juggler of all times who died untimely at age thirty-five, and he watched the films that had recorded his work. He also read Das Wunder der tanzenden Bälle ("The Miracle of the Dancing Balls", 1938) by the great circus chronicler and novelist A.H. Kober, which became another source of inspiration.

Ball manipulation, which was one of Rastelli's many talents and became a Francis Brunn trademark, was not completely unknown to him thanks to his practice of football (soccer). Then, to pure juggling, Francis added his acrobatic and dancing abilities. (He developed in time a passion for Flamenco, which eventually defined his style.) His sister Lotti also entered the game, and became his partner—although she developed impressive skills of her own, sometimes comparable to her brother's.... (more...)

New Essays and Biographies

New Videos

  • Trio Cyclopes, jugglers (2024)
  • Triple Breath, high wireA tight, heavy metallic cable placed high above the ground, on which wire walkers do crossings and various acrobatic exercises. Not to be confused with a tight wire. act (2023)
  • Pavel Evsukevich, juggler (2010)
  • Duo AcroArt, Cyr wheel (2024)
  • Stephanie & Valerie Koechlin, aerial hoopA heavy metallic hoop used as a variance of trapeze, usually with contortion moves. (Also called Cerceau.) (2024)

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
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