Monday, November 20, 2006

Ladies of the Steel Arena #2



Struppi Hanneford Posted by Picasa

Posted by Buckles at 11/20/2006 06:10:00 AM

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

Ya know, it's just not fair that most of us look our age and then some...and here is Struppi who will forever look like a kid.
cc

20 November, 2006 11:11
Anonymous said...

Another example of a pure circus girl who did not originally break in on cats, coming along like a trouper, learning the work, performing successfully, and all the while looking like a million dollars. In this same tradition came Trudy Strong. Both enjoyed world acclaim, and both are lasting credits to the steel arena.

20 November, 2006 14:25
Anonymous said...

To Jimmy Cole: any idea when this photo of Struppi was taken? Thanks.

22 November, 2006 16:43
Anonymous said...

Where did the cats that Struppi worked come from? What was the size of the act?

22 November, 2006 18:09
Anonymous said...

This piece is from the Hanneford Circus website - - -
Struppi Hanneford, Tiger Trainer and Aerial Director, is one of the truly great circus stars of our time. She is one of the few performers who has not only mastered three of the most difficult circus acts but became a headliner in each one.

Struppi in tandem with her teacher, billed as the Luvas Sisters, played major vaudeville and circus engagements on the European Continent and in England. There they were discovered by an American circus owner and brought to this country in 1953 to appear in his circus.

In the United States, they again rose the ladder of stardom and appeared on such TV shows as Ed Sullivan and Super Circus and in most major circuses.

When Struppi married Tommy Hanneford she immediately set about forming a new act. It became what many believe to be the greatest single trapeze act of the time. She performed it many years under the name of 'Princess Tajana, Goddess of Flight' and won numerous awards and again appeared on many TV shows, circuses, in films, and at such theaters as Radio City Music Hall. Retiring from her trapeze work some years ago, she took up the high wire, and again, mastered a difficult act.

Then she developed the finest trained tiger act presented in modern circus times.

Her talent as a performer is equaled by an intuitive sense of timing, showmanship and theatrical effect, which contributes greatly to the smashing audience impact of every Royal Hanneford Circus performance.

On January 22, 2005 Struppi was inducted into the 'Ring of Fame' on St. Armand's circle in Sarasota, FL honoring her lifetime achievements.

With the passing of her husband of fifty years, Struppi now steps forward as the driving force behind Hanneford Circus. She is determined to carry on Tommy's vision of producing the finest in family entertainment and realizing his dream of being the greatest circus producer in the modern era.

23 November, 2006 13:00
Bob Cline said...

Strangely, I don't remember her tiger act. I do remember her having a leopard act or possibly a mixed act. The entire act was transported in a school bus with the cages being loaded through the rear exit door. That gives you an idea how small the travel cages were at the time. This was about 1973 I'm guessing.
Bob

23 November, 2006 21:05

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