The brittish expression for "chapiteau" perfectly fits what I mean today... If the "greatest show on Earth" is nowadays supposed to be offered by the Cirque du Soleil, the Cirque Gruss might well give the greatest show of France. The respect of the tradition and the familial side make the enterprise much warmer than its challenger.
Some dates...
The first circus arrived in France in 1774 thanks to Philip Astley, an english equestrian, who settled in the riding school of the Duke of Razade (Chez Razade). The first modern circuses were mainly equestrian. Read "A jamais et pour toujours", a lovely novel by Marie Hugon, on the loves of a 19th C. circus rider...
Some time later, in 1854, an italian familial circus arrived in Sainte-Marie-aux-Mines, in Alsace. Charles Grüss, stone-cutter, and Maria Martinetti, tightrope walker, fall in love. He joined the circus, they had 5 children... the fifth son, Armand, married a circus rider... Armand was the father of Alexis Gruss senior, master rider, maître écuyer. Alexis Gruss was the father of Arlette, who founded this new circus in 1985, and Lucien, reknown horses trainer, and the uncle of Alexis junior, who founded the Cirque national Gruss.
Arlette Gruss was, among other, a panther trainer... and she was quite a clever woman. She did an amazing job with this circus. Since her death, her son Gilbert took the reins, and kept the quality...
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| The clowns are really funny. Grégory Bellini et André. |
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| Jinan acrobatic troup |
10 young chinese men assume 2 shows (lassos, rings). They are amazing and received an award at the International circus Festival of Figueres in 2013. I want to go to this festival...
The costumes and the lights certainly help, too. Roberto Rosello draws the costumes since 1999 (he started for Holiday on Ice, the Paradis Latin...), and he is quite an artist. I bet he loves cinema, including Tsui Hark, Takeshi Kitano and Quentin Tarantino.
John Vernuccio, trainer of any kind of animals it seems, from geese to elephants, and grandson of the famous Cesare Togni.
Laura-Maria Gruss, daughter of Gilbert Gruss and Linda Biasini-Gruss, is the very young horse trainer... I wonder which of her professors she prefered - her grand-father, her father, her mother, her uncle? Talk about heredity...
A spectacular cuban pair: Liss Mery et Darien. They are as good on a bicycle than on a pole. I want the same muscles than she has.
Kevin Sagau was an handsome Monsieur Loyal for the 5th time, after a year of break. He's the proud owner of two nice horse rider's legs.
The Flying Regio, from Brazil, appeared there for the second year, and perform on the double flying trapeze. Great synchronicity... According to the program book, the double flying trapeze was invented in Bloomington (USA) in the beginning of the 20th C., but the Flying LaVans are much older than this!
The ladies were pretty and very smiling, but one of the two Alpha males (flying trapezists) just looked like a young Christopher Walken. He fell once and was pissed off till the end of the day, as Christopher Walken might look like in a movie. Very cute.
A little wonder costing 180€: a small hand-made reproduction of the Gruss circus. Got to love it!
Siberian tigers and white tiger. They were of course impressively beautifull, but also impressive for their calm and apparently soft temper. Their trainer, Alfredo Beautour, of course son of another trainer (and possibly apparented to Lucienne Beautour, the mother of Arlette Gruss), was quiet and assured - more than most trainers I've seen. He didn't force them to jump on fire, nor to roar... and it was much better.
I read he refuses to be called a tamer and only accepts to be called a trainer, as he explains that he doesn't teach them anything. Right and fair.
Tigers trained as horses... while horses are domesticated for a 6 or 7 thousand years. Nice.
Make sure your children have seen the danish movie "The two mosquitos" (Cykelmyggen og Dansemyggen) before, they will appreciate better ;-)
Mehdi Rieben or Ludovic (hard to tell) at the air-belts...
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| Julia Friedrich et Kevin Gruss |
The four ladies trapezists came back with somehow Brazil-inspired costumes (the are Brazilian), on the elephants. Nice little animals. I gave them some squashes after the show. They were amazingly delicate and sweet, and amazingly beautiful.
The plastic queen... Rich Metiku is a Ethiopian and looks a bit like Rihanna. A fascinating contorsionnist. If I was Pallas Athena I would certainly be jealous of this Arachne - and you too.
The Jinan boys came back as member of triads, or yakusas... And they visibly enjoy what they do with such apparent ease.
Mr. Walken, I presume?
ZOO
This looks like a tired Paco, with shorter hair, but no - Paco has never been so tired in his whole life, poor darling, even after a Summer night in a paddock with wild rabbits around...
They didn't take part to the show we watched, but we saw them jump from a closer distance - the little wallabies...
Seing how famous Andy Both and Stormy became, training a zebrule (the word zorse is improper) must be a challenge. I wonder if it is the challenge of John Vernuccio or of Laura Maria Gruss, or her father, or her mother...
Babies ostrichs???
The top of the day... meeting the elephants. They had melons as an award after the show, and the visitors (not so numerous) could give them. They took the fruits from the hands and played with them before eating. They were incredibly nice.
A Close Encounter of the Third Kind.
Friends?
I like you, I do.
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