Magyar Hírek, 1987 (40. évfolyam, 1-23. szám)
1987-05-30 / 11. szám
fite KtagEfa feare CIRCUS APPEAL “Circus on Land and Water” the most recent programme offered by the Budapest Municipal Grand Circus — directed by György Heitz — differed from traditional circus treats not only in using crocodiles instead of brave lions jumping through rings of fire but also in its determination to keep out of the programme almost all of the classical circus numbers. The members of the Schneller Group of acrobats were speeded up to the regions of the dome by a rapidly gyrating special steel swing of doublesemaphore shape instead of a trapeze. The balancing artists performing nimbly on the outside and inside of a Ferris-wheel rising and sinking at the heights of several stories driven by their impetus could really suggest to the audience watching them with bated breath, that they were exempt from the law of gravity, since they performed their daring routine — including running high up there in the air blindfolded - without the protection of safety nets and belts. "JAWS" Theirs was not the only production in this splendid circus revue that would get top-rating anywhere in the world. The snake and crocodile tamers who visited dozens of tropical countries with their exotic number are relatives of the daring Schnellere, being descendants of the same old circus dynasty as the acrobats. Károly Schneller and his wife also used to tour the world — with Károly’s brother and his wife — as acrobats until about 15 years ago. They enchanted US circus audiences with their bicycle and jumping programmes for a year. Circus life, the constant exposure to the weather and often to adverse conditions undermined the health of Mrs Schneller, a one-time dancer. If they wanted to stay in the profession they had to choose another line that did not require so much physical strength. They decided in favour of crocodiles, who proved rather expensive, surprisingly delicate, and initially impossible to tame. It took months to temper the grudge Mitzi and Rosie nursed against each other, then to persuade them to start feeding, finally to make them tolerate the company of strangers too. In their case taming in the traditional sense was out of the question. These reptiles are not responsive either to the whip or to lumps of sugar. The tamer had to adjust to the crocodiles. Even so, it happened once that Mitzi, the lady with the shiny skin, who regularly sun-bathes in the summer with the boss lady whose commands she allegedly obeys, did not want to release the beloved hear! from her jaws. Dressed as Sheherezade, Mi's Schneller just began to wonder why the highlight of their performance was taking such a long time; She learned only in their dressing room from her husband, who kept his composure throughout, that the old instinct to close her jaws was about to overcome the favourite lady crocodile, and had Károly Schneller not had the presence of mind to wait motionless for the release of the cramp of the jaw which occurs on such occasions their performance on that day could easily have been the last. Of course circus artists do not like to talk shop. Sometimes it can be useful, to leak some secrets to let the public appreciate better what they see. The writer of these lines, for instance, does not find snakes as repulsive as before since he learned from Mis Károly Schneller, who wears giant boas coiled up on her body like attractive dress decorations, that the touch of these venomous beasts is not at all unpleasant since their skin is as pleasant to touch as the fines velvet. Snakes are not revolting, but merely lethal. This, however, is enough for most of us to want to meet them at the most in the circus or in the zoo. NEW TRICKS The audience could witness during this memorable super production not only the renewal of the traditional circus members, but also a generational change. Of the artists of the future Krisztián Kristóf, getting ready for his school leaving examinations, already looks back to a past in the arena. He is the son of circus acrobats, he grew up in caravans, and performed in the programmes of many circuses ever since he was a tiny child. He was only seven when he met Rudi Schweitzer, the world-famous juggler on an Australian tour, who cast a spell on him with his magic skill. The childhood idol even tried to teach the nimble boy at the time. He is now a student of the State Artiste-training Institute and has polished his entrancing technique through training seven or eight hours a day. He shows a splendid sense of humor when presenting his hat-balancing and brickstack throwing numbers which require extraordinary concentration and skill. He fitted in increasingly difficult elements into his act. Indeed, for the last few months he has been successfully presenting a trick to the audience no other juggler could perform before him: a quadruple pirouette under cubes thrown high up into the air. "HAND IN HAND" Being bom into the art is not the only way one can become a circus artist. The dynasties continue but talented people can also break into the world of the circus from the outside. The members of the Trio Gazotti group of acrobats (Gabriella Pillok, Tibor Kőműves and Zsolt Szörényi who created their Italian sounding stage-name from the first letters of their Christian names) were competition gymnasts before they applied for admission to the artistetraining institute. They took their expertese in gymnastics with them. Nevertheless, they learnt the tricks of throwing acrobatics which is based on maximum dependence on each-other, at the acrobats’ school —as they did all the other circus skills. Another literal as well as metaphorical name of their group is “Hand in hand”. While they are rollerskating around a tiny water-stage they cannot let each other’s hands go for a minute. Gabi, Tibor and Zsolt, however, built up as close a relation with each other during their years at the artiste training institute, as if they were brothers and sisters. The Trio Gazotti and the young juggler, Krisztián appeared at the Paris festival of artistes in February this years, as the best of the young Hungarians. ANNA VALACHI PHOTO: VINCE SZERB I I 30
