The name pass from generation to coevals : Wallenda . Bertini . Cortes . Anastasini . They ’re some of the world ’s famous carnival families , and have been for decades . 100 even . You might think the somewhat aimless lifestyle of a circus performing artist would lose its appeal in these modern clip . But for many in these vaunted families , it absolutely does not .
" I was never interested in not performing , " Alida Wallenda Cortestold PBS . A 7th - generation circus performing artist , her root come from three prominent European genus Circus families – the Wallendas , the Zoppés and the Bertinis .
Why are there so many multigenerational circus performer ? The circus becomes a way of life , and performer from circus dynasties often marry each other . Plus , the job is so fourth dimension - have – with copious amounts of practicing , perform and trip – that performing with your family members is sort of obligatory if you want to see them [ root : PBS ] .
Circus life must also get in your blood . And stick there . Alberto Zoppé , who brought his menage ’s renowned Italian circus to America in the mid - twentieth century , fail at 86 . The bareback rider was performing up until he was 85 . And Karl Wallenda , head of the Flying Wallendas , was still walk the high telegram when he pop off at years 73 [ sources : Ponsi , Wallenda ] .
Let ’s take a look at some of the more notable carnival families out there today .
10: The Caveagnas
The Caveagna family is on its way to multigenerational genus Circus prominence . A comical - melodious clowning group , the fun commence in Italy with patriarch Elicio Caveagna . Elicio was both a talented player and skilledclown , so he combined these two skills in an act he performed for Circo Nando Orfei , a famous Italian circus . finally Elicio trained his son , Artidoro , to follow in his clown - musician shoes , and Artidoro , in turning , clear on the skills to his Son Jones and Steve [ source : Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey ] .
Today the Clowning Caveagna Family – Artidoro , Jones and Steve – perform with the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus , interspersing trumpet and saxophone tunes with traditional silly clowning antics . The human activity also has performed throughout Europe , both in circus festival and as part of other circuses , such as Switzerland ’s noted Circus Nock [ informant : Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey ] .
9: The Clarkes
The Clarke carnival dynasty stretch out back to the very beginning of modern circus - hood . In the early 19th century , noted horseman John Clarke commence to work for Englishman Phillip Astley , the bloke credit with inventing the modern circus in the previous 1700s . ( A quick aside – supposedly Clarke serve as the example for Sleary , the carnival possessor in Charles Dickens ' novel " Hard Times . " ) Clarke ’s category continued on in the circus business , with his grandsons make a popular ethereal act that was land over the pond to America ’s Barnum & Bailey Circus in 1903 . Two of the grandson , Ernest and Charles Clarke , hone the triple back - somerset in 1909 [ source : Jando , The Telegraph ] .
Although the family number broke up during World War II , when the men were called to serve well their country , Ernest ’s girl , Ernestine , soldiered on alone . Ernestine was a gifted bareback passenger and trapeze creative person hired by the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus . She was so gifted , the party sacrifice her a solo taunt spot in its show , plus her own flying act . Ernestine left the carnival in the 1950s to produce the two daughters she had with husband Parley Baer , a circus performer and actor . Both girls followed in their mother ’s footstep , becoming trapeze artists . In 1962 , the Clarke category was inducted into the International Circus Hall of Fame for their corporate bareback skills , and in 1967 Ernestine was induct on her own [ sources : International Circus Hall of Fame , The Telegraph ] .
8: The Flying Nelsons
Nelson is not this notable circus family ’s real surname . It ’s Hobson . But when histrion Robert Hobson and his family leave England for the United States in 1868 and formed a kin athletic turn , Hobson knight it Professor Nelson and Sons as an homage to his former stage pardner . The troupe expanded over time , incorporating other performers in addition to household penis . Soon they were call The Great Nelson Family , and then The Flying Nelsons , due to their incredible gymnastic skills [ reference : Mount Clemens Public Library ] .
Not amazingly move over their talent , the family starred in Circus around the globe and in every major American carnival , including the Cole Brothers and the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey . Hollywood soon came calling . In 1928 , Hobson ’s granddaughter , Hilda , was tip to teach actor Lon Chaney to take the air the wire in " Laugh , Clown , Laugh " ; in the same film , she was Loretta Young ’s double on the conducting wire . The entire troupe also come out in the 1928 comedy " Circus Rookies . " The Nelson - Hobsons mostly all retire by 1935 , although some descendants continued to perform individually with various circuses for decades [ reference : IMDB , Mount Clemens Public Library ] .
7: The Flying Wallendas
Many hoi polloi are familiar with the Flying Wallendas , not surprising , since family members regularly do newsworthy acts . To wit , Nik Wallenda ’s 2014 partially blindfold tightrope walk between two Chicagoskyscrapers , 600 feet ( 182 beat ) in the air [ seed : Grinberg ] .
The family got its scratch line in the previous 18th hundred , function a mini - circus in the Austro - Hungarian Empire . Family member performed as acrobat , clowns , aerialists , jugglersand animal trainers . tight - forward to the twentieth century : descendent Karl Wallenda and his fellowship , then known as the Great Wallendas , starred in America ’s Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus throughout the 1930s and forties . The family shortly gained ill fame after creating a seven - person chairman pyramid performed on the high-pitched wire without base hit harness or a net [ author : Wallenda ] .
The Wallendas perform their pyramid legerdemain for more than a decade until 1962 , when , tragically , the pyramid collapsed . Two people died and Karl ’s boy , Mario , was paralyzed . After patriarch Karl died at years 73 from a decline off the conducting wire , the fellowship became as well known for its tragedies as its victory . But the Wallendas hang on . In 2001 , they snagged a Guinness World Record by creating the humanity ’s first and only 10 - person pyramid on the tightrope . The name " Flying Wallendas , " incidentally , came from a paper newspaper headline in the mid-20th hundred that , ironically , described four family members ' refined fall from the wire ; in that example they were unscathed [ germ : Wallenda ] .
6: The Hodginis
" The Great Hodges " does n’t really have a annulus to it . Especially if you ’re a performer . Which is in all probability why a promoter changed this English surname to the more exotic " Hodgini " sometime in the late 19th 100 . The familygenealogyisn’t easy to trace , but this much we know : The Hodginis have been talented performing artist for 350 year , begin in Europe and then coming to America . Albert Hodgini , for example , was a bareback passenger and horse flight simulator with the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus , where he also appeared in retarding force as a grapheme refer Miss Daisy . His kids Harriet and Albert were also neat withhorses ; Harriet somersault and busted dance move while on horseback . Other prolonged family members were aerialist and tightrope John Walker . Everyone do for all of the major circuses of the day [ source : Grossman , Heise ] .
And the show still goes on . Tom and Betty Hodgini of Peru , Indiana , retired from performing in 1956 , after 27 yr . Then local businessmen talked them into training some of the townspeople kids to put on a mini circus show . That was the start of today ’s Peru Amateur Circus , where 200 kids annually put on 10 performances in Peru every July before tens of thousands of appreciative spectators . Many alums have snuff it on to professional genus Circus careers [ informant : Grossman , Peru Amateur Circus ] .
5: The Konyots
The Konyot family is famed for its equestrian skills , hone in Europe for more than a century . Their narration begins in 1870 , when teenager Leopold Konyot of Hungary ran away from home and get together a circus . Over prison term he married a genus Circus performer , started a family and create Circus Leopold . The Konyots quickly became known for their acrobatic and equestrian acquirement , specially bareback riding . Traveling all over Europe , the family caught the attention of John Ringling in 1907 , who lured them to America [ rootage : Cristiani ] .
The Konyots performed for Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey for a few years , then returned to Europe , where they produce Konyot Bros. Great American Circus & Wild West Show , which became a huge hit . The house begin to focalize increasingly on the equestrian side of their show when they move to Spain and Portugal in 1926 . But in 1940 , with World War II gravel across Europe , the family again headed to America , this fourth dimension for good . The Konyots and their growing number of posterity performed in various circuses across the country , both together and solo . Eventually , they spend out of the genus Circus business ; many family members opened equestrian centers . In 1974 , Arthur Konyot , one of Leopold ’s Logos , was induct into the International Circus Hall of Fame for his equestrian skills [ sources : Cristiani , International Circus Hall of Fame ] .
4: The Stoinevs
One of the more prominent circus performers today is acrobat Christian Stoinev . Not amazingly , there are deep carnival source on both side of his family . Mother Maritza Atayde hails from Mexico ’s Atayde kinsperson , which have Circo Atayde Hermanos , Mexico ’s oldest ( and bombastic ) carnival . Dad Ivan Stoinev pull up stakes Bulgaria with a teeterboard company at the tender age of 13 to execute with the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus in America . Stoinev himself first begin performing at age 6 , and spent much of his childhood under the full-grown top at the Big Apple Circus , where Ivan served as carrying into action managing director and Maritza worked in administration . In 2001 , Stoinev became a Big Apple troupe fellow member . Stoinev is mainly known for a hand - balancing human activity performed with his dog Scooby [ sources : Christian Stoinev , Circopedia ] .
Although he ’s still young ( born in 1991 ) , Stoinev has already ferment with Circo Atayde , won a bronze decoration at Monte Carlo ’s Festival Première Rampe and the Bolshoi Circus ' special accolade in the International Circus Festival - Città di Latina . This 5th - generation genus Circus performing artist is the first college graduate in his family , holding a degree in broadcast news media . He ’s also perform on many boob tube shows including " America ’s Got Talent " [ sources : Christian Stoinev , Circopedia ] .
3: The Tognis
One of Italy ’s big genus Circus dynasty , the Togni family has been in action since the 1870s , when founder Aristide Togni fled his studies at the university and headed for the self-aggrandizing top . Once Togni had a small experience , he created his own performance , the Circo Togni , with his married woman and , subsequently , their eight children . Their genus Circus quickly develop and excelled in everything from equestrian turn and tumbling to acrobatics and brute training . In addition to their tyke , away performing artist were comprise into the company , including some from other prestigious Italian circus families such as the Milettis and Casartellis . In 1919 , King Victor Emmanuel III bestow upon Circo Togni the prestigious title Circo Nazionale , or National Circus [ source : Di Ritis ] .
Eventually , three of Togni ’s son decided to separate the operation into three unlike circus . While the circuses morphed over metre and some family phallus pose out of the business , many continue . Circo Lidia Togni , for example , is one of the largest circuses in Europe . The dynasty is also known for raise gifted acrobats , brute trainers and circus managers . In increase , the family is heralded for its gift in circus engineering ; the Tognis make the world ’s most popular big top system : the round cupola , the Italian oblong cupola , the quarter pole - free and the round - cupola - after part - pole - free [ origin : Di Ritis ] .
2: The Uriases
In 1912 , José Urias built what he dubbed the " Globe of Death . " A 16 - foot- ( 5 - meter- ) diameter metal meshing eyeball , Urias used it as the fundament for hismotorcyclestunt – zooming around its interior at breakneck speed . Urias execute in his globe all across America and beyond . before long his Word joined him , then his grandson . Today , Urias ' corking - grandsons and their families are still performing in his original Globe of Death , riding customized 125 mil bike inside it at speeds up to 60 miles per hour ( 96 kph ) . The family has tour with the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus on and off since 1978 , where their act is a devotee favorite [ sources : Ringling , Urias Globe of Death ] . Along the means , the Uriases have pile up an impressive list of " firsts . "
The family was the first to place a char in the orb ’s centre while motorcycle speed around ; the first to feature a distaff bike passenger ( in the early 1960s ) ; the first and only to sport two female rider ( the 1970s ) ; and the first to stick three motorcycles and a woman in the globe . One trick features Jodie Urias performing a neck spin while hoist by rope , as her family member careen on bicycle inches aside . Though other bike acts have come along , it looks like the Urias fellowship tradition will carry on ; one of José Urias ' great - grandson has two children , a girl and boy [ author : Ringling , Urias Globe of expiry ] .
1: The Zoppés
The Zoppé carnival dynasty hail from Italy , although its founding father , Napoline and Ermenegilda Zoppé , were really Gallic and Hungarian , respectively . The two meet in Hungary in 1842 . Napoline was a clown street performing artist and Ermenegilda an equestrian danseuse . Ermenegilda ’s pappa disapprove of the mates – he deemed buffoon beneath equestrian ballerinas – so the pair fled to Italy and create their own circus . The couple and their company move across Europe via horse - drawn wagons , performing outside of churches [ source : Ponsi , Zoppe ] .
A one C subsequently , the genus Circus still thriving , the Zoppés ' great - grandson , Alberto , was offered a task by John Ringling North of the Ringling Bros. – perform in Cecil B. DeMille ’s film , " The Greatest Show on Earth . " Alberto said yes , provide North give his family ’s circus an elephant to supplant him . North agreed . Alberto end up staying in America , where he produced carnival for Charles Ringling and started his own family . Over the years , kinfolk member worked in various circus until 2001 , when Giovanni Zoppé , one of Alberto ’s Word , created a Zoppé Family Circus in the U.S. Like the archetype in Italy , it ’s an knowledgeable one - band circus where sensation Nino the clown assure the audience a history , which is punctuated by various acts and interview participation . No doubt Napoline and Ermenegilda would be proud [ source : Zoppe ] .
Lots More Information
Writing this article made me wonder – what deed would our family have if we were a multigenerational genus Circus household ? We ’re not particularly athletic , so all of the acrobatics are out . I do n’t think we ’d be good with creature , either . That leaves the clowns , but my baby sister is terrified of clown . Hmmm …
