SUNDAY LOOK BACK: John Ringling North and the Prince: How a Great Circus Festival Was (or might have been) Born ... And the Record Setting Unicycle Act It Shockingly Snubbed ... It’s All on the Inside!

 

Aboard his private car the Jomar, John Ringling North, second from left, and Henry, far right, entertain Bette Davis during a Los Angeles date in the 1940s.

Deep into the January night of '56, before flying out to Hollywood the next morning to announce his engagement to Grace Kelly, Prince Rainier was pumping drums in the kingdom of Sarasota, jamming  with his saxophone-playing friend, John Ringling North at the M’Toto room in the John Ringling Hotel. The world that night may have seemed a perfect place for both.

 

North, the visionary dreamer in his youth

His brainstorm, Ballet of the Elephants, 1942, was choreographed by George Balanchine, scored by Igor Stravinsky

At the time of their jam session, the young prince was 32 and North's celebrity was at its highest peak.  He had played himself in a cameo in DeMille's 1952 blockbuster The Greatest Show on Earth.  His mug appeared in newspaper and magazine ads, and his legendary talent-scouting travels through Europe each summer were dramatized as a secondary plot in the new film, Trapeze, about to be released on May 30.

Six weeks later, the magical aura of it all came crashing down in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.  Faced with a  nasty and prolonged labor strike, and the ultimate surrender to the crippling economics of moving so giant an organization over rails, North struck the big top for good, and moved the show into tentless venues. For this, he was reviled by the fans, myself included, as something akin to the man who killed Santa Claus.

Ringling to Rainer

 

By the time the prince and Princess Grace were raising a family of three children — Caroline, Albert and Stephanie --- John’s new all-indoor version of Ringling was winning back big profitable crowds, partly by his importing the best performers he could get from eastern Soviet-block countries (keep this in mind too). North sold the show to the Felds in 1967.  And seven years later, Prince Rainier created the International Circus Festival in Monte Carlo, which soon became the most respected of all such tournaments.  North, now a nearly forgotten figure, served on the jury now and then, was introduced to audiences and modestly nodded in return.  And that was it.

\

 Princess Grace and Prince Rainier, in the judges box

Princess Stephanie, the youngest of the three children, grew up under the spell of her father's glamorous festivals, and it seems likely that this is where she became romantically involved, one after another, with two of its competitors. She first fell for married elephant trainer Franco Knie, into whose caravan she and three children from previous relationships moved. Two years later, she married Portuguese acrobat Adans Lopez Peres, then performing in Knie's circus. The marriage was also short-lived, but the circus had claimed Stephanie's wild bohemian spirit.  

After Prince Rainier passed away in 2005,  Stephanie assumed directorship of the festivals. She became not just an honored and steady figure of support for circus everywhere,  but arguably the circus world’s most fearless talent scout. Today, she and her associates comb the globe for the best acts out there, who appear at the festival only by invitation.  And today, politics evidently does not affect their scores, as witness the list below.

My biggest complaint (or regret) with the festival is that it does not enjoy world wide coverage, nor am I aware of any efforts out of Monte Carlo to seek such. Circus art is the only major entertainment not honored, at least annually on a televised awards show here in the states.  The movies and Broadway.  Pop music. Television.  Even ballroom dancing and dog shows are televised. The circus?  The prospects were not helped any by Irvin  Feld taking  out a one-ring tent show featuring acts from Monte Carlo. It did not last a season.

Okay, the following list shows the number of Gold Clowns awarded by country.  I would love to see a list for Silver Clowns.

 * 21. All countries of Europe together

14 former USSR countries all together
14 China
10   Russia
10 North Korea
7 Italy
6 USSR
 5 USA, shared with Mexico, Columbia, Argentina, Italy, Algeria
4 USA alone (Bale, Nock, Gatto, Carl)
4 Switzerland
3 France
2 Canada
2 Spain
2 Ukraine
2 England
2 Germany
2  Hungary
1 Portugal
1 Bulgaria   
1 Romania  

Circus Therapy in America.

The U.S., I have long observed, is not a primary source of world-class action.  Don’t look for a dramatic turnaround anytime soon. If anything, the situation will only grow worse, no matter how many new “circus schools” on campuses emerge, given the woke choke that has them in a vice.  Forget about gymnastic power and skill. Look for more slow-moving narrative, including "character arc," equity equilibristics pushing gender-bending contortion and self-annihilation on the static trapeze. Real circus has no time for such gilded nonsense.  Have I lost you yet?  Now, let’s get our hopes high again.

They're Back! 

 

 

      Fanfare for the Colossally Snubbed 

Unicyclist wonder Wesley Williams, who competed this past January at Monte Carlo, beyond setting a world record riding the highest bike, must have been left thunderstruck for failing to earn even a bronze clown. I have seen Wesley’s act on You Tube, and was engaged by his feats and winning personality.  Since not awarded by the jury, he became qualified for special recognition by any of the sponsors, and two of them so honored him.  What he accomplished in my view is equal to a quad.   And, yes , I wasn't there to see it myself, so whom am I to?  ...

Let’s see if Kenneth Feld books him for the return of a reformed Ringling.  Of course, Wesley might say no. Or Feld might fear that so perilous an act could upset the snowflakes and ballet larks he may be being hoping to attract to his no-animals circus. 

The festival will endure as long as Stephanie endures.  And however controversial her screening procedures or judging criteria  may be, of this I am sure: Were he alive today, John Ringling North could well understand and appreciate the attention she gives to such far off places as North Korea.   The “ageless delight,” as Ernest Hemingway once called it, lives on in the darkest corners of the world.  And those  daring mortals who excel despite all hardships deserve our warmest accolades and support.

first posted 6.12.23

And the Winners Are! ...

GOLD  Turkmenistan’s Djiguite riders, China’s National Acrobatic Troupe, and the gravity-defying Flying Caballeros.

SILVER The Scandinavian Boards and the Martini Family’s enchanting exotic animals brought awe to the ring. Pastelito and Junior also earned this distinction, proving their comedic brilliance to be world-class.

BRONZE The Triple Breath High Wire trio, with their serene mastery of the tightrope, joined Duo Acero and Wolfgang Lauenburger in this category.

THREE GOLD CLOWNS AT MONTE CARLO TO ...

Charles and Alexandre Gruss for their horse juggling act

The Kolev Sisters, Michelle and Nicole, for their hand-to-hand performance

The elephants trained by Elvis and Cvetomira Errani

STEVE AND RYAN TO MONTE CARLO ...

America Calling:  There they are!  First row, left, our own Steve Copeland and Ryan Combs appearing in this year's festival.   High Honors for two dedicated goof balls helping to keep clowning alive.  

Defendng the Monte Carlo Circus Judges: Two Knowing Voices Check In

 Derring-do on a string: The Cassellys

A dance skating pro once told me, “You don’t have to be good to win, you just have to be the best.”

I won that way once.

These words came helpfully to mind after receiving an e-mail from Don Covington, offering his and Bill Hall’s high regard for the Rene Casselly horse riding act at the Monte Carlo Circus Festival in January. This, in reaction to my critique, At The Big Top Oscars, six posts below. The only act to take a Gold Clown, I had found it— based on the YouTube of their complete act — hardly worthy of such an honor (two big tricks botched and the use of a mechanic).

Okay, but let’s say one could argue they were the best of the pack, which, in a way, is what Don, joining Bill, advances in his persuasive reporting “No other act matched its impact.” Audience reception was overwhelming, I’ll grant you that.  

Don pointed me to a video recommended by Bill , the one which I had already seen three times. But I watched it again, just to be sure.  It does not change my thinking.  And then I watched the movie Ring of Fear, knowing that in it the Hannefords appear.  On, what a contrast.   What a perfectly sublime pleasure watching the crisp upright, agile riding of the family’s comedian.  They had the element that compels -- momentum.       

Onto another issue,  Bello Nock.  In my coverage of Gold Clowns given out over the years, I stupidly implied that Bello, one of only four recipients, was not really an American performer. Oh, really David?  “I would argue that Bello Nock is 100% American,” wrote Don.  Okay, upon googling up  Bello, there it was, and I should have known better: Born in Sarasota, and thus raised here,  which was bound to have influenced his artistic development.  As advanced  by  Don,  “His brand of comedy is unmistakably American.”

I stand impressively corrected. Thank you, Don!

END RINGERS: Wesley Williams at Monte Carlo could not even  get a bronze medal from the judges, but he landed what Europeans once considered the most honored place in the world to perform: Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey. Turns out,  in the high-flying audience at Monte Carlo was  Kenneth Fled, back in his prime scouting acts for his comeback edition, uncorking this fall.  The Feld of Felds offered the Wesley of Williams a contract.  Reads the show’s website:  “We’re SO excited to announce that world-renowned unicyclist Wesley Williams 'the One Wheel Wonder,' is joining the Greatest Show on Earth.”
 

At the Big Top Oscars: What Defines Monte Carlo Gold? Jaw Dropping Judging at Latest Fest Crowns Mediocrity, Snubs High Achievement

Here I go, treadling on sacred ground, hoping you will go with me.   There are people out there whose opinions I respect who will disagree with me, and I hope you/they will check in.  I was not there.  Maybe you were.
                  
We are talking what makes an act worthy of a Gold Clown.  Is it merely best of show?   No, because often the festival hands out multiple Gold Clowns.  So it’s not a true competition.

Is it an act marked by a legendary trick never before witnessed, such as the quad?  Such as a new high in the number of clubs or hoops kept in motion by the juggler? Or a mode of showmanship so inventive as to in itself please?   If this were so, then it could be argued that the American lad on his wondrous unicycle, Wesley Williams, should have earned a clown of some kind for the unprecedented height of his single wheeler.  But he did not, so it is not always the ground breaking trick.  

Then what is it?  In fact, I haven’t a clue what makes these judges tick, other than a mixture of interests seeming to favor  the most respected names — or countries — in the business.   Some years back, spectators were outraged over an act from Vietnam getting the royal cold shoulder.

So, let’s take a look at this years sole recipient of the Gold Clown, from Germany, horse riders Rene Casselly, sister Marylou and their partner Quincy Azzario, seen above. I watched the complete act on You tube, three times. This is the one that clocks in at 13.08   It starts out  with promise, but gradually runs low on  energy.   Overall, the entire display included time-consuming before and after ground acrobatics that made no sense; in fact ironically, the highly polished acro-dancing may only have set up an unflattering contrast to what followed on horseback. I was left distinctly wanting. May I explain?

1.  PACING.  Slow and plodding, looking more like a labored work in progress not yet quite ready for prime time.  I recalled the gusto and comedy of the Hannefords before my eyes, the thundering Cristianis in photos.  And how the  Russian Cossack riders whirled around their steeds as their steeds whirled around the sawdust.

2.  EXECUTIONS: Some  tricks were flubbed or struggled through, or simply failed. The head-to-head stand on horseback is theoretically stunning , I can’t recall such a feat, if only it had lasted more than half a second. It did not hold, and either a trick holds, even after a heroic wavering to save it, think Colleano on the wire  — or it folds, as this one did. Tantamount to a quad flyer missing connection. Another failing end point: Rene turned a double somersault, only to land as much on his hands as on  his feet.  There is a word that comes to mind — agility.  Sad to concede I saw too little of it here.  Are you still with me?  

Emphatically triumphal executions, I believe, are infinitely satisfying and the single most defining moment of any great  circus trick or act. The artist either succeeds or does not.   In this regard, I was surprised to read in a rich in-depth write up on the festival’s “fairy-tale history” by Raffaele de Ritis, of his giving the three German riders the highest marks for  “a polished anthology of acrobatic rarities, balancing absolute technical brilliance with a smooth, easy going presentation.”  Absolute technical brilliance?  In fact,  I saw the very opposite.

3.  LIFELINES.  Worst of all, Rene’s riders use a mechanic for at least one of their items, which spells the instant death of risk-taking integrity. Please, will somebody at Monte Carlo beg, urge, push, bride the Princess to mandate that, henceforth, no act resorting to lifelines will qualify to be considered for a Gold Clown?  Let them compete for the honor of Silver, the validation of Bronze.  Rene’s ground choreography and the mechanic epitomize that murky intersection between circus and ballet that we are living through, where each lessens and dilutes the impact of the other’s core elements. Which is why, I believe, shows like the gutsy Brit Circus Xtreme are actually more like the legit circus in its pre PETA, pre CDS heydays.  (Read Helen Stoddart, kids)

So ... was it Rene’s inclusion of two tricks alleged by de Ritis  never to have been seen before in any circus – a three-high balance on two horses, and a double somersault on horseback?  Might the content alone have won the judges?  Perhaps.

Back to Wesley Williams, without whom these posts I am doing  on Monte Carlo might never have happened, one thing leading to another.. I have stronger reason to believe  that the showmanly Wesley was incredibly snubbed.  Not enough ballet?  Not from the right family? The right country?   

More reason to rue the absence of outside critics like Lz Arratoon and Ernest Albrecht.  I would love to have read what they might have written about this one.  Their differing summary comments about the 2014 may leave you wishing, too.

From Arratoon, “This year the jury, headed by Princess Stephanie, was spot on with the Gold Clown awards, which went to the wildly popular Desire of Flight and the Sokolov Troupe.”

From Albrecht, judging the festival against others he has attended over 13 years:  "The lineup of acts was not only the slimmest in terms of number of acts, but also the quality."

The princess may be listening to too many insiders. 

Fearlessly a Princess, Faithfully a Fan: Princess Stephanie Slams French for Banning Circus Animals

 

 

She grabbed Daily Mail Headlines.  And she did not hold back this time.

How refreshing!  The woman has guts. The woman pokes holes in nonsense.  The woman spots hypocritical bias against select animal events a mile away.

And she appears to have had it with those fussy French.  And, for that matter, with the whole lot of the whole earth loonies bent on running every last performing non-human out of the ring. Blasting the antagonists "'a minority who wish to impose their will upon others."

She nailed it in The Daily Mail, and they ran with her rage, the story reported by By Claire Toureille

Circus animals are "loved and spoiled" 'declared she, just warming up into a royal snit. "We've come a long way since the stool and the whip,"

'They're members of the family. They are not trained or mistreated, but simply loved, fed, spoilt"' 

Once more, French logic is prejudicially applied:  "Other trades where animals are exploited should be banned under the logic of the new French ruling"

 

 You're on a roll, Princess.  More, please!   'I will add that in France, everyone is free to work, or else you'd have to forbid farmers from making money from cattle breeding."

Boffo!   "They'd have to ban horses races, because it's also animal exploitation,"

And .., and ...?  'If I want to eat a good steak, I'm not keeping someone else from enjoying soybeans.'

Lima beans, too, Princess?

Notes The Daily Mail, " It's not the first time she has lashed out at those who criticize circuses for using performing animals, claiming they're just trying to be 'fashionable'."

Summing up, says the circus worlds greatest defender and preservationist,   'This is part of our cultural heritage. It's a whole, with clowns and acrobats"

Encore, please!

"They should ban everything rather than hammering on the circus families. Circus has changed, it lives with its times." 

We need more voices like these on our side of the pond, who can command media attention and expose blatant bias. Who have we here? Of course, the biggest name is Kenneth Feld, but he is out of the circus business at the moment, and bears a ragged history of his own.  Paul Binder is a natural, but I fear he is on the fence, and certainly not easy about  lobbying for the elephants.

The saddest truth of all is how the world is closing down on wild animal acts -- a turning away I fear it may take a long time to reverse.  In the meantime, please do roll on, fearless Princess of the ring.  You may start a new movement "Performing animals matter, too!"

Monte Carlo Gold to Shanghai Acrobats, Richter Animals .... Colossal Ueckert Circus Collection to The Milner ... Big Apple Circus to the Road Without Grandma ...

 

Enter Princess Stephanie and Circusdome's Royal Family

Once again, Asian acrobats shine in the circus world’s most honored spotlights.  One of two Gold Clowns handed out at the recent 42nd competition went to the Shanghai Acrobatic Troupe, the other to the extraordinary animal acts of the Richters –  and how pictures of them inspire.  One Silver Clown was awarded to D'Argent Prosvirnin Duo Stauberti Duo Balance.  And two acts received the Bronze: the inner Mongolian Acrobats Duo 2-Zen-O, and the Troupe Vavilov Michael Ferrerir performing on monocycles.  A shower of other awards, as well, from different groups, made the festival a glorious affirmation of great good  cheer.  Touring these dazzling images, how impressed,  proud, and hopeful I feel for the future of world circus arts. Thank you for another spectacular showcase,  Princess Stephanie!

Colossal Collection, Sarasota to Normal: 250,000 circus items bequeathed to the Milner Library at Illinois State University by partners Herb Ueckert and Neil Cockerline.  I had no idea that  Herb, a retired school librarian, was such a prolific collector.  In a statement he issued through ISU, said Ueckert,  “We are absolutely thrilled they have accepted our collection and look forward to seeing the items shared and used for educating ISU students and the larger public.”  Thrilled to accept was the Milnar’s  Special Collection librarian, Maureen Brunsale,  seen above, at her post since 2008, calling it “the largest donation during my time here ... When you think of circuses, these are the kinds of things you think of ... I would love to be able to show this stuff off." ... The awesome archival acquisition follows another formidable gift — the papers of none other than Henry Ringling North.  All of which should give CFA circus fans, who convene for their annual convention in Normal, come April, reason, I suspect, to await tantalizing previews of the goodies from Brunsdale & Company ... Take your bows, mighty Milner!

 

END RINGERS:   Carson & Barnes Circus is on the road. Show opened season in McAllen, TX, there now through Feb. 5. ...  Watching old Ed Sullivan TV programs — my, did Ed know how to pace a program  — the occasional circus act, unadorned by modern day pretensions, reminding me of how wonderful it was, long ago, when watching a circus act on its own terms was easier to appreciate and enjoy, and more than enough ... Do you know the name Deyanira Rosales?  I do now, having been blown away by her dazzling hula hoop routine on a video John Ringling North II sent me, of the last performance of Kelly Miller under his ownership. WOW!  You older ones, think of Francis Brunn manipulating hula hoops like he juggled clubs over his body.  The best damn act on the show.  And from a garden variety hula hoop  hater, that’s the kiss of exaltation.  Indeed, one of only two hula hoop acts I can recall sitting through that swept me away, the other being the wondrous work of a Russian kid with Jim Judkin’s old Circus Chimera, whose mother dazzled equally well with big box illusion ... What a segue -- I’m hoping that Jim, Kelly Miller’s new owner to the rescue, will route his show out my way into markets he played annually with Chimera.  We are in desperate need of a real circus out here, Jim!   But, please, at least give us a dog act.
 

 

, .

And finally, about Grandma and Barry Lubin. I think we are all suffering a silently shared shock and sadness over what recently happened.  It hit me hard.  I’ve read the New York Times report at least five times, and find it somewhat meager.  I do not know what to say, and so I will not say much, other than to express my great sorrow and sadness to all parties concerned, and to note that sometimes a fuller truth not known in the beginning may eventually surface ... This will not diminish my respect for the wonderful character that Barry created, a character I hope will ultimately live on in some form.  Most of all, I feel a deep sadness for the American Circus, at a time when it struggles to reverse an ominous downward trend, and so, the best I can do is to end this on a note of admonition, to quote from my musical, Those Ringings:

The show must go on,

must be moved every night

If you love it, you shove it,

you push, you pull,

and you fight! 

Their Photos Failed Finals at the Last World Circus Federation Contest; They Remain “Outraged and Insulted”

Does cute and charming belong here?

Nobody likes entering a contest that feels to them rigged, or having their work pushed aside for that of an insider with connections to the powers that be.

Happens all the time.

When Photographer X (PX), a highly credible source who has asked not to be named,  e-mailed me to complain about the "most recent" World Circus Federation photo contest results (2013), I did not know what to think.  And, in fact, had I not been able to compare the 12 winning entries with a like number from a sampling of those that lost, I might not be addressing this issue at all.

PX and a number of fellow photographers were “outraged and insulted” by the 12  finalists, especially by the federation’s claim about “blind judging.”  My source believes it to be dubious. 

What PX and smoldering cohorts offer as prime evidence of biased judging is one of the finalists – the photo seen here of a little girl standing cutely next to a horse.  The little girl’s name is Chanel Knie.  Her godmother is Princess Stephanie. 

They believe she and the horse hardly exemplify the contest’s theme, “Circus: Strength, Balance,  Courage and Grace.”

What riles my source the most  is the girl’s close relationship to Princess Stephanie.  In fact, Stephanie’s intimate association with the Knie family goes deeper than that of Godmother.  Years ago, the Princess and her children traveled with the circus for over a year, and the Princess enjoyed a relationship with Franco Knie, Sr.

Do little Chanel and the horse even constitute an actual act?  PX could not answer the question for sure (PX believes they do not), nor am I about to go that in-depth on this.  Chanel, guesses our source, is “probably too young to perform yet.”

Now, if the judges were drawn to the young, that is one thing.  But this charming photo – possibly my personal favorite among the variable entries for its charm alone -- could have been easily upstaged by any number of images of kids a little older in compelling action, had such a photo even been submitted.  Kids in circus rings do remarkable things that constitute “strength, balance, courage, and grace.”  Except for perhaps grace, I see none of those qualities in the Knie photo.

 Eleven of the losing photographs, selected by Photographer X at my request.

Let me be clear:  There are some fine entries among the winners (you can link to them below), but altogether, as I view the lot, they foster a rather tepid redundancy not high on the Wow factor.

Of a total of 283 photographs entered (each photographer could submit up to four photos), judges from a number of countries, including the U.S,. selected the final 12.  Ten are European.  One each comes from Canada and the U.S.  Over, then, to the Princess of Monaco, who chose the grand champion.  In this phase, she did not favor her goddaughter.

Let’s let PX say a few things: 

“How did this photo make it into the finalists?  Coincidence?  Nepotism.”

Sure sounds more than coincidental to me.

Driving our photographer's acute discontent with the girl and the horse, is this: “Not a circus performance and does not even fit the theme.”

Well, I have to agree.

Is "blind judging" even possible?  “At some point in the judging, someone is looking at names to force it to be one per photographer, therefore the twelve best photographs are not selected but rather the top twelve photographers.”  Interesting thesis. 

I asked for examples of photos that were not chosen which PX believes to be superior to those that were.  PX sent the eleven images seen above, stating that all but two were taken by photographers beyond PX's circle of fellow shutter bugs. 

Here is mostly why I have gone with this story.  In total, the finalists create an impression of action more abstract than active.  They bring to mind the emergence of the “static trapeze,” making me wonder if our big tops will increasingly default to static sawdust, thus furthering the movement towards circus ballet.

I find the losing photos, on balance, a more engaging lot.  Together, they form a more diversified and interesting spread of circus action.

Surely the 7-high pyramid across the wire effectively addresses the theme.   And I don’t know who took the picture.

The official winner, below, leaves me baffled and wanting. Does this demonstration of proper and polite carriage driving supply exemplary evidence of "Strength, Balance, Courage and Grace”? Okay, grace.

Maybe next year they'll skip grace. Wait!  Next year is already upon us. They are now soliciting  2014 entries. The theme:  World Circus Day.

Thank you, Photographer X, for sharing your experience, knowledge of the rules, and insights with us.  May you and your cohorts stay in the running,  and hope for a better day.  

Here is Princess Stephanie's 2013 favorite:

The grand champion

Your link to the Federation’s finalists: www.circusfederation.org/photo_archive_2013

SUNDAY MORNING JUDGEMENT at Monte Carlo Circus Festival, 2014: Two Critics Critique the Same Acts, Any Shockers? You be the Judge

4.26.23  Monte Carlo, as once judged by two  expert outsiders. This may interest you.  This is why I miss so much the voices of Arratoon and Albrecht, who once provided objective outside reviews of the acts.  They are generally much in agreement here---  but in Part 2 of this, to be posted soon, they register sharp differences of opinion.  Which is why I believe the festival might benefit by more of such independent coverage.

MONTE CARLO 2014
Rating the Acts – Judges  to Critics and Special Prizes

Following are excerpts from two reviews of the Festival, one by Liz Arratoon, the other by Ernest Albrecht.  

ABOUT THE NUMERICAL SCORES

The score before each review excerpt was NOT assigned by the reviewer but by myself.  It is based completely upon how I was made to feel about the act after reading the reviewer’s comments.

My score range:  10 (best) to 5 (average) to 0.

The score is NOT a rating of how the review was written. 

Under Identical Scores, reviewer’s position follows simple alphabetical order. Thereafter, the first review quoted is that of the reviewer to whose comments I assigned the higher score.

ALB:  Ernest Albrecht, Spectacle
ARR  Liz Arratoon, The Stage, London
MCJ: Monte Carlo Judges’ Awards -- Gold, Silver, and Bronze Clowns
SP: Number of special prizes awarded. I am only listing for acts that received at least 2, given   the insignificantly large number of prizes handed out.

IDENTICAL SCORES      

Dessre of Flight - Russian Duo on Aerial Straps
ALB:  10 – Both stylishly beautiful and thrillingly daring ... nothing short of breathtaking.
ARR:  10 – Simply sensational ... This is what circus should be about: skill, beauty, and danger in equal measure.
MCJ:  GOLD
SP: 2

Sokolov Troupe - Teeterboard
ALB:   10 – Executed brilliantly ...supported by Mozart’s music ... what we have is a beautifully realized collaboration of circus and theatre.
ARR:  10 – Thrilling teeterboard act .. [with] a stagey Mozart theme ... a female flyer lands cleanly on a three-man column without the aid of a lunge.  It is breathtaking.
MCJ:  GOLD
           
Wuhan Acroatic Troupe - Trampoline and Risley
ALB:   8 – The most unusual act in this or any other festival was a.complicated combination of trampoline and risley ... flyers were propelled to the topmost section of the revolving arm where they were caught in the classic risely position.
ARR:   8 – Truly dangerous and daring act ,,, but with ugly equipment and costumes and bombastic music, this seems ill-considered.
MCJ:  SILVER                           
       
Alexandra “Sasha” Pivaral - Contortion
ALB:   8  – Amazingly fluid moves and poses ... fast and extreme.
ARR:   8 – Pure class ... many unique moves without a hint of arm wobble..
MCJ:  BRONZE   

Rosi Hochegger - Dogs and Comedy Horse
ALB:  8:  – Had me smiling throughout ... presented with a minimum of human intervention.
ARR:  8: – A whale of a time.
MCJ:  SILVER
SP: 4

Mike Leclair and Karen Bourre - Have a Ball Juggling Duo
ALB:   8  –  Enormously charming.
ARR:   8  – Superb ball-balancing display ... They also throw in some neat dance moves.
SP: 2
       
Vlad Kostenko and Anton Savchenko, Duo Kvas - Strong Men Hand-to-Hand
ALB:   5 – A class version of the act made famous by numerous other pairs.
ARR:   5 – Great exponents of the art ... Hand-to-hand act is so familiar you feel you’ve seen it all before ...all a bit too clinical.
MCJ:  BRONZE

Kolganov and Belogorlov, Clowning
ALB:   0  –  They never drew any laughs.
ARR:   0   – Wearying antics ... Neither is funny.  Enough.

.
IN CLOSE AGREEMENT

Duo Suining Troupe - Hand- to-Hand
ARR:   10  – Astounding strength and balance in an overly melodramatic number ...[ finale] brings down the house.
ALB:   9  – One of the most impressive displays of strength and balance ... enhanced by Zen-like chanting.
MCJ:  SILVER

Troupe Dobrovitskiy - Aerial Casting
ARR:  8 – All manner of somersaults, pirouettes, and layouts ... most attractive and entertaining.
ALB: 7 –  Most impressive were several passing leaps in which two flyers passed each other in midair, between catchers ... [flyers were thrown back and forth] as if they were rag dolls.
MCJ: SILVER
       
Vavilov Troupe - 7 male acrobats
ALB:   7 – The flyers were propelled from the ground to a swinging elevated platform and then flipped off ... eight girls helped dress this act which had a zombie theme, lots of gory makeup and decaying costumes.
ARR:   6 – It’s all a bit messy and frantic.

Eliza Katchatryan - High Wire on Pointe
ALB:   7 – Seemed to make a big impression here ... the oddest part of her act was the tiny air blower stationed at one end of her wire [giving the impression] she were a high fashion model on a photo shoot.
ARR:  6 –  [in pointe shoes]  she is limited in the number of ways she can move ... [her tricks] are inevitably a bit similar.   
MCJ:   BRONZE   
           
Tom Dieck Jr. Tigers, Ligers and Lions
ARR:   7  –  Looking super smart, he zips his [animals] through the customary rollovers, hind leg walks, leaps and sit ups but then adds an open-sided metal drum that rolls like a wheel of death.   
ALB:   6  – A very fast paced act with only a few other tricks.  Its greatest problem was the layout of the ring [some of it ] blocking the audience view.               
MCJ:   BRONZE 
SP: 3

Robert Murgaine, Contortion-Robotic Dancing
ARR:  7  – It may all be very clever and although he causes a storm ... he’ll never have universal appeal.
ALB:  6  – The strangest act of all ... a grotesque eccentric contortion dancer ... proves there is still room in the circus for the seriously bizarre.
SP: 2

NEXT, DUE IN TIME:

PART II: From the Two Critics:  A Difference of Opinion to Marked Disagreement
And my conclusions.

original posted 3.14.2014 Judging the judges at Monte Carlo ...

Monte Carlo Judged by Two Outsiders, Part II ... When Critics Disagree ... And Some Thoughts on the Festival

From the 2014 festival as seen and reviewed by Liz Arratoon of the UK, writing for The Stage. and  Ernest Albrecht of the U.S.

PART II

For an explanation of how to read the following, please scroll down to my first post. 

                 A DIFFERENCE OF OPINION

Vinicio Canastrelli Togni -  24 Liberty Horses, 6 ponies
ALB:  10  – The one [act] most worthy of a second viewing ... circling the ring in concentric circles in opposition ...an experience one is unlikely to encounter again any time soon.
ARR   8 –  Organization is marvelous, but how much better to see them running naturally than walking on hind legs or jumping all hooves off the ground.
MCJ:  SILVER
SP:  4

Faltyny Family - Unicycles with Slack Wire [one of three of their acts I am looking at here)
ARR;   8 –  Amazing balance skills.
ALB:   6 – A fairly routine act except for ...[a]  woman balanced on a slack wire held between the two men on giraffe  unicycles.
SP: 2                

David Burlet - Comedy Plate Spinning
ARR:   7 – Has built his nippy act round a comedy of errors .... His timing is spot on.
ALB:   5  – Strangely devoid of the kind of hysterical humor that usually characterizes such an act.

Daring Jones Duo - Static Trapeze
ARR:  8 – Fast paced, beautifully costumed and choreographed ... with no safety measures, they nip through a series of casting and catching, drops and feet-to-feet catches set to jazz age music.
ALB:  6   – They received little attention ... music did not support the final trick, which left them with a flat ending.

       
Joe Gartner Family - Children with Indian Elephants, first routine:
ARR:   6 – Eight very young children ...the third New Generation Circus festival [upcoming] would have suited them better.  However, they all show great maturity.
ALB:   4 – Very youngest members ... attempting to be vaulted [onto an elephant] ...the ring was crowded to the point of chaos.

Joe Gartner Family - Second routine with Elephants Tableaux, second routine
ALB:   8 – A blindfolded elephant ...elephants wore futuristic head gear and created several interesting group poses.  No bull hooks were used by anyone, anywhere in the act.   
ARR:   6 – The close relationship between humans and animals is obvious.”
MCJ:  (overall grade for their appearances) BRONZE
SP: 2
                       
                      MARKED DISAGREEMENT    

    
   
Hans Klok - Illusions
ARR:   8  – One of the night’s most entertaining spots ...the master of speed-substitution stunts ...so showbiz, so slick, so quick, ... you can’t help but buy into his shtick.
ALB:   5  – One illusion after another in an overly familiar style heavy on the s and m ... almost every one of his illusions was based on the same escape and replacement technique.
MCJ:  SILVER
                   
Anastasia Makeeva - Double Aerial Loop Cloud swing
ARR:   8  – Most stylish act of the night ... she executes any number of flexible posses, again with no lunge... hearts stop when she slides serenely into the splits, supported only by one foot in either loop.
ALB:   5 –  Less impressive than her [eight female dancers) introduction.
MCJ:  BRONZE
SP: 2     

Conchi Munoz and Gary Jahn - SEA Lions
ARR:   8  – With very commands from the trainers, these experts slickers do most everything from from balancing beach balls to walking on their flippers, and are warmly received.
ALB:   5 – An act that held little surprise, and like some other acts, seemed to have no real ending.

                   SUMMING UP

From Lz Arratoon, concluding her review:

“This year the jury, headed by Princess Stephanie, was spot on with the Gold Clown awards, which went to the wildly popular Desire of Flight and the Sokolov Troupe..”

From Ernest Albrecht, judging the festival against the others he has attended over the past 13 years:
          
“The lineup of acts was not only the slimmest in terms of number of acts, but also the quality.

*************************************************************************

                        SOME FINAL THOUGHTS OF MY OWN:

* My great respect for this festival remains intact.  Judging and critiquing will always and must be subjective, thus a range of reactions to any given act.  For example, considering the Gold Clown that Bello Nock received a few years ago, comparing that to the Silver Clown that Barry Lubin received at another festival for his Grandma, had I been judging, the results might well have been the direct opposite. But I was not there on respective nights when the two performed.

* My own subjective scoring:  Even the ordinal number I gave to each of the reviews is subjective; that is, I tried to be as honest as I could in picturing in my mind the act and how I felt about it based completely upon what the critic wrote.  YOU might well read the same review and score the act differently.   

* Favoritism?  Probably now and then, but I doubt to a great extent. That is, referencing the above, perhaps you could argue that on occasion, an artist deserved a little less or a little more than he or she received. And there are those lingering rumors of the personal affairs and relationships of Princess Stephanie, on occasion allegedly favoring a certain act, as in a good looking male performer.  But I do not have the incentive to research the personal life of Princess Stephanie; I do much admire the work she does, overall.  And, no, I have no inside connections; in fact, when I tried corresponding with Princess Stephanie in recent years, she did not answer my letters.  So there.

* Bad Judging Backfires: There appears to be none this year, not like last year when the Giang Bros. of Vietnam,  many felt, were stunningly slighted by the judges, failing to receive the recognition they deserved.  

* Bribes or Fixes?  I see no smoking guns here. Only were we to be truly stunned by blatantly illogical judging might we have reason to raise the issue.  But circus is NOT ice skating, is NOT cinema or pop music. Is NOT sports entertainment.  Where is the motivation to bribe a judge or fix an event when these awards bring no great monetary benefit?  I mean, can somebody tell me that the artist who takes home a Gold Clown can look forward to lush contract offers from all those millionaire circus owners out there, or swanky automobile sponsorships?  I think not.

* Mechanics: I am very impressed with how the circus community and those who write about it have found a discrete and clear way of referencing the use of mechanics ("lunge" is the term most often used nowadays) without feeling a need to rant.  At the same time, references to these life lines show a proper respect for the performers who do not employ them, thus helping, I believe, to encourage and preserve the brilliance and integrity of authentic circus art.

* Clowning: Based on its miserable failure to make anybody laugh at this meet,  once again, it seems that clowning is the most difficult of all circus acts to bring off successfully.  Don Stacey, in his review of the festival published in Circus Report,  is as critical of the two Russian clowns as were  Arratoon and Albrecht: Not funny.

* Animals!   Thank you, Princess Stephanie, for your unstinting support of animals acts in the circus.  At this festival, they practically stole the show, judging by the number of special prizes handed out to animal trainers.

from 3.10.14 -- Monte Carlo 2014:  Critics Versus Judges, Part II ...   And Some Thoughts of My Own About the Festival