| Maud Gruss #1 |
Saturday, January 05, 2008
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8 comments:
Two thing of great interest:
A dynamic photo of "The Courier" and in the seats "A FULL HOUSE".
The Kenny/Nicole/Alana club should book tickets to France ASAP.
It Can't be too good of a show I don't see a "Big and Little"
signed
Truly Anonymous
I saw Geraldine Knie do her act like this in Munich, and she was "GOOD", "BUT", this is the most "exciting", "thrilling", act I have ever seen in a circus ring!
At that time I seem to remember 16 horses two abreast, running so fast that if either she or her father had fallen, there is no way they could keep from getting trampled, now they are three wide. "Unglaublich"!!(incredible,,,,unbelievable)
Mr. 24-Hour-Man's reaction was, "UGLAUBLICH" while my reaction was "SON OVLAU BITCH"
I might be only be 100 years in the business but I've never seen anything like this.
WOW!
The ancient act of the “Courier of St. Petersburg” has each horse passing between the rider’s legs as he stands astride two horses. As each horse passes underneath, the rider (thus astride 3 horses for the moment) gathers the reins of that horse, each horse symbolizing a country through which the courier rides. The act was the creation in 1827 of the English rider (and onetime owner of Astley’s Amphitheatre) Andrew Ducrow who was able, ultimately, to be astride an amazing five horses! Ducrow used nine horses in the act (seven passing under him and between the two horses he straddled) but it has been done with as many as 24 horses (that would require 22 horses to pass under the rider!). In the photo shown here of Maud Gruss, I count 11 horses that have passed beneath enabling her to pick up their reins and a twelfth horse approaching from the rear with its reins ready to be seized.
The only times I have seen this performed in its true form in the US was by Katja Schumann on Big Apple in 1985 and Gunther Gebel-Williams in the late 1970s. Each, as I recall, had difficulty in gathering the reins of each horse as it passed beneath them!
This set of Gruss photos is an elegant presentation capturing classic circus and many thanks to Raffaele de Ritis for sharing them!
Dick Flint
Baltimore
I didn't know anybody still did acts like this. I've only seen photos from days gone by. Really beautiful!
Maud Gruss do this trick with 17 horses.
It was never attempted by a woman. Her aunt Martine was the first woman to do it (but with fewer horses) after long time, under Alexis direction. Katja Schumann then followed, and in 1993 Mare Jose and Geraldine Knie did a double version (at the same time) with fresian horses. Geraldine did later a reduced version for Roncalli circus.
Maud did last time this trick upon request of Monte Carlo Festival two years ago, as the closing act of the gala program of 30th anniversary program.
You just imagine this act closing a 5-hours show (I was there...)having featured Fredy Knie's liberty, Flavio Togni elephants, both the Lacey brothers cage acts, Oleg Popov, David Larible, the Alexis brothers, Kris Kremo, Anthony Gatto, and as opening appetizer the Quiros...
Dear Lord please let my wife and I live long enough to get to europe to see acts like these.
Dick Flint please, please tell me it hasn't been 23 years since Katja did The Courier.
Aging faster than I'd like,
Paul G.
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