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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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===TITO GAONA===
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[[File:Tito_Gaona_1982.jpg|right|400px]]
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The Gaonas are a large Mexican circus family. Since the flying trapeze has long been a specialty of the Mexican circus, it was inevitable that flying acts featuring members of the Gaona family would call themselves, with some legitimacy, the Flying Gaonas. And indeed, this has happened. To the circus world, however, there has been one and only one Flying Gaonas: the act in which, for 35 years, Tito Gaona caught flawless triple somersaults with extraordinary grace and astonishing consistency.
  
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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Victor Gaona Murillo (1925-2016) was born to an old, prolific Mexican circus family that traces its roots to the Circo Gaona y León, created in 1891 by Bernabé Gaona Ramos, a former military officer (whose brother, Rodolfo, was a well-known torero), and Carlos León, a trapeze artist. Victor's father, also named Bernabé, was a celebrated clown in Mexico under the name of Yoyito.
  
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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Victor married María Teresa Palencia, who didn't belong to a circus family. Together they had six children: Maria Guadalupe ("Lupe"), Jorge Armando ("Mando," born November 19, 1943), Silvia Graciela ("Chela," born May 23, 1945), Victor Daniel ("Tito," born August 29, 1947), Ricardo ("Richie," born May 25, 1957), José, and Marco Antonio.
  
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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The children weren't thrown immediately into the world of the circus. They went to school like any other kids in their hometown of Guadalajara. During their summer vacations, they visited their father, who toured with various circuses in the United States. But they had circus blood in their veins, and Tito often claimed that, by age three, he already wanted to join the circus. When he saw the film Trapeze (1956)—Carol Reed's tale of an aging flyer and his gifted young pupil, starring Burt Lancaster, Tony Curtis, and Gina Lollobrigida—Tito decided he wanted to be a flyer. Or so he claims. By the time the movie came out, he'd already had a taste of the trapeze: in the summer of 1954, at age seven, he was announced as "the world's youngest flyer," with the Flying Valentines at Tom Packs Circus in New Orleans.... ([[Flying Gaonas|more...]])
  
 
==New Essays and Biographies==
 
==New Essays and Biographies==
  
 +
* [[Elsane]], Trapezist
 
* [[Nouveau_Cirque_(Paris)/fr|Nouveau Cirque]], History — Version Française (French Version)
 
* [[Nouveau_Cirque_(Paris)/fr|Nouveau Cirque]], History — Version Française (French Version)
 
* [[Cirque Medrano (Paris)/fr|Cirque Medrano]], History — Version Française (French Version)
 
* [[Cirque Medrano (Paris)/fr|Cirque Medrano]], History — Version Française (French Version)
 
* [[The Reverhos]], Acrobatic Jugglers
 
* [[The Reverhos]], Acrobatic Jugglers
 
* [[Francis Brunn]], Juggler
 
* [[Francis Brunn]], Juggler
* [[Tereza Durova]], Animal Trainer
 
  
 
==New Videos==
 
==New Videos==
  
* [[Tihany_Video_(1989)|Tihany]], magic act (1989)
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* [[Yasmine_Smart_Video_(c.1971)|Yasmine Smart]], horses at liberty (1971)
* [[Emil_Smith_Video_(2002)|Emil Smith]], leopards, panthers and jaguars (2002)
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* [[Berousek_Troupe_Video_(c.1980)|The Berousek Troupe]], teeterboard (c.1980)
* [[Zhavnenko_Video_(2024)|Artëm Zhavnenko]], hand balancer (2024)
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* [[Fomenko_Trio_Video_(c.1980)|Fomenko Trio]], foot jugglers (c.1980)
* [[Savadra_Video_(2001)|Carlos Savadra]], liberty act (2001)
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* [[Ochir_Erdene_Video_(2024)|Ochir Erdene]], chair balancing (2024)
* [[Kostiuk_Video_(1979)|Kostiuk Troupe]], perch-pole balancing (1979)
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* [[Adele_Fame_Video_(2021)|Adèle Fame]], aerial straps (2021)
  
 
==New Oral Histories==
 
==New Oral Histories==
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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

Revision as of 02:28, 24 March 2025


Welcome! ✫ Bienvenue! ✫ Willkommen! ✫ Добро Пожаловать!
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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

TITO GAONA

Tito Gaona 1982.jpg

The Gaonas are a large Mexican circus family. Since the flying trapezeAerial act in which an acrobat is propelled from a trapeze to a catcher, or to another trapeze. (See also: Short-distance Flying Trapeze) has long been a specialty of the Mexican circus, it was inevitable that flying acts featuring members of the Gaona family would call themselves, with some legitimacy, the Flying Gaonas. And indeed, this has happened. To the circus world, however, there has been one and only one Flying Gaonas: the act in which, for 35 years, Tito Gaona caught flawless triple somersaults with extraordinary grace and astonishing consistency.

Victor Gaona Murillo (1925-2016) was born to an old, prolific Mexican circus family that traces its roots to the Circo Gaona y León, created in 1891 by Bernabé Gaona Ramos, a former military officer (whose brother, Rodolfo, was a well-known torero), and Carlos León, a trapeze artist. Victor's father, also named Bernabé, was a celebrated clown in Mexico under the name of Yoyito.

Victor married María Teresa Palencia, who didn't belong to a circus family. Together they had six children: Maria Guadalupe ("Lupe"), Jorge Armando ("Mando," born November 19, 1943), Silvia Graciela ("Chela," born May 23, 1945), Victor Daniel ("Tito," born August 29, 1947), Ricardo ("Richie," born May 25, 1957), José, and Marco Antonio.

The children weren't thrown immediately into the world of the circus. They went to school like any other kids in their hometown of Guadalajara. During their summer vacations, they visited their father, who toured with various circuses in the United States. But they had circus blood in their veins, and Tito often claimed that, by age three, he already wanted to join the circus. When he saw the film Trapeze (1956)—Carol Reed's tale of an aging flyerAn acrobat that is propelled in the air, either in a flying act, or in an acrobatic act (i.e. teeterboard). and his gifted young pupil, starring Burt Lancaster, Tony Curtis, and Gina Lollobrigida—Tito decided he wanted to be a flyerAn acrobat that is propelled in the air, either in a flying act, or in an acrobatic act (i.e. teeterboard).. Or so he claims. By the time the movie came out, he'd already had a taste of the trapeze: in the summer of 1954, at age seven, he was announced as "the world's youngest flyerAn acrobat that is propelled in the air, either in a flying act, or in an acrobatic act (i.e. teeterboard).," with the Flying Valentines at Tom Packs Circus in New Orleans.... (more...)

New Essays and Biographies

New Videos

  • Yasmine Smart, horses at liberty"Liberty act", "Horses at liberty": Unmounted horses presented from the center of the ring by an equestrian directing his charges with his voice, body movements, and signals from a ''chambrière'' (French), or long whip. (1971)
  • The Berousek Troupe, teeterboardA seesaw made of wood, or fiberglass poles tied together, which is used to propel acrobats in the air. (c.1980)
  • Fomenko Trio, foot jugglers (c.1980)
  • Ochir Erdene, chair balancing (2024)
  • Adèle Fame, aerial strapsPair of fabric or leather straps used as an apparatus for an aerial strap act. (2021)

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