By Esteban Velez Paul Cinquevalli, considered one of the greatest jugglers in history, was interviewed by several journalists who, amazed by his incredible feats in his performances, wanted to know the secrets of his tricks. Cinquevalli readily accepted the press’s challenge, and in the interviews he was able to give, he talked about his tricks: how he performed them, how …
Harry Sparrow – The Mad Juggler
By: Esteban Vélez. One of the strangest situations I’ve encountered while researching juggling is that, when I find a juggler who was very popular in his time, paradoxically, there is no information about him. This happened with, for example, Emma Cotrely. The following juggler enjoyed great popularity, to the point that he supposedly descended from English nobility, but there …
Nikolay Barzilovich – juggler, writer, director, and theorist of the Soviet circus
By: Esteban Vélez. Nikolay Pavlovich Barzilovich is, without a doubt, one of the greatest Soviet circus directors. His criticism of Western circus art and Soviet circus management models earned him recognition from the USSR’s cultural authorities, as well as from his students and colleagues. Barzilovich was born on March 12, 1912, in Riga, Latvia. He graduated from the Variety …
Three audiovisual materials of juggling in the Historical Archive of Luce
By: Esteban Vélez. The Luce historical archive, from the Istituto Luce Cinecittà, is one of the most important in Italy. Since its founding in 1924, it has worked to collect, compile, and publish historical public and private audiovisual materials. Its collection includes a list of videos and photographs that contribute to the ongoing construction of the history of juggling. …
Alexander Turabov – Juggler, Tightrope Walker, and Musician
By Esteban Vélez. Photo: rucircus.ru Alexander Gennadyevich Turabov was born in a remote village near Arkhangelsk, Russia, on August 3, 1953. He became interested in the circus when an announcement arrived in the town recruiting children for a circus tour that was coming to the city. Alexander studied circus arts empirically through articles, magazines, press releases, and the testimonies …
International Women’s Day collaboration video 2025
By: Esteban Vélez and Natalia Diaz Eri Shaktika from México. In order to commemorate and recognize the work of women jugglers in Latin America, with the support of the digital magazine eJuggle and the International Jugglers’ Association (IJA), Natalia Diaz and I created the project Mujeres Malabaristas Latinoamericanas 2025. The call for entries was advertised on social media on February …
The Women of the Ayala family – Aerialists and Jugglers
By: Esteban Vélez. The women of the Ayala family have the “hair-hang” technique in their culture: hanging by the hair and performing acrobatic movements while suspended. The history of the hair-hang in the Ayala family dates back to around 1916 when Francisca Vásquez, a young Mexican circus artist, attended a performance by the Barnum & Bailey circus, which was touring …
The Diaz Sisters
By: Esteban Vélez. The Diaz Sisters had a great artistic career in America. They managed to perform in one of the most important circuses in Mexico and in several highly reputable circuses in the United States. The group was made up of 5 sisters, all born in Mexico: Sara, Graciela, Marina, Yamili and Judy Diaz. They performed together and performed …
Rogge Sisters
By Esteban Velez The Rogge Sisters created a balancing act that became a hit in Europe and the United States. They toured major circuses, theaters, and television shows beginning in the 1950s. The Rogge Sisters consisted of sisters Dora, Gerda, and Vera. All three were born in Germany. They came from a circus family. Their grandmother, Leopoldine Lange (1873-1956), was …