Difference between revisions of "Main Page"

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==In The Spotlight==
 
==In The Spotlight==
  
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===THE REVERHOS===
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===TEREZA DUROVA===
  
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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—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.  
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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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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…
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===Maria and Tereza Milva: Family Roots===
  
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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—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.  
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[[File:Milva_and_Maria_Durova.png|thumb|left|400px|Vasily Milva & Maria Durova (1917)]]The lineage of the various members of the [[The Durov Dynasty|Durov]] dynasty is generally complicated, due to an uncanny number of illegitimate unions and adopted names in both branches of the family (whether [[Vladimir Durov|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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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...]])
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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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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...]])
  
 
==New Essays and Biographies==
 
==New Essays and Biographies==

Revision as of 17:55, 1 January 2025


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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

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.

Maria and Tereza Milva: Family Roots

Vasily Milva & Maria Durova (1917)
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.

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) A fairground booth or theater. (Russian fairgrounds booth). The owners of the balagan(Russian) A fairground booth or theater. 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.

Vasily had a hand-to-handAn acrobatic act in which one or more acrobats do hand-balancing in the hands of an under-stander. 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-handAn acrobatic act in which one or more acrobats do hand-balancing in the hands of an under-stander. 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).... (more...)

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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
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