TROUPE BALKANSKI

The troupe was established in 1980 and in the beginning it performed 5 tricks: acrobatics, persch, trapeze, wheel of death. The premiere was in Sofia in 1981. In 1982 the troupe performed in Denmark, in 1983 in Knie Circus, Switzerland, in 1984 in Greece and Italy – Medrano Circus. From 1985 to 1999 the troupe performed in Krone Circus in Germany. 

In the winter periods the troupe performed at Americano Circus, in 2000-2001 in Bulgaria, in 2002 in Turkey, in 2003/2004 in Israel, in 2005 in Turkey, in 1986, 1993 and 2000 the troupe performed in the Vatican City for the Pope.
The troupe participated in events for the English, Danish, Swedish and Dutch queens.

 

 Awards for the troupe
1983 – Silver Clown, Monte Carlo.
1986 – Golden Plate in Sienna, Italy.
1999 – Golden Lion, Symbol of Jerusalem.
Two-time winners of the award of the Union of Bulgarian Artists (1982 and 1989).
Nikolay Balkanski, the younger son of Alexander Balkanski was registered in Guinness World Records for his double somersault with 1 or 2 stilts.

   

VIDEO: BALKANSKY IN GREAT ITALIAN CIRCUS MEDRANO by CASARTELLI FAMILY

* pictures and information about troupe Balkanski is taken from www.circus - balkanski.com

CIRCO APOLLO ( Monte Carlo, Nando Orfei - fam. Anselmi)

 This documentary film was recorded 2010. during the Croatian tour by Italian circus "APOLLO" in Osijek. In this video you can see, what kind of life is circus life and how artist lives under the big top and inside their traveling home's. The host is our Dunja Jozić - Hristov who is, beside me, administrator of this blog. Enjoy in this 50 minutes film.

Martin Lacey Jr. - lions dressage

Here is a wonderful video recorded in German circus KRONE in Munich.

Martin Lacey, Jr. was born in Sunderland/UK in 1977 as the second of three brothers. Even in his cradle, he heard the purring of big cats, because Martin Lacey, Sr. was an animal trainer  and worked with lions, while Martin’s mother Susan travelled with a mixed act of lions and tigers. So Martin grew up between circus wagons and the ring, and learned writing, reading and counting in the travelling circus school.

Martin’s parents wanted him to get a proper education, so Martin had to leave his family and the circus when he was 11 years old to attend a boarding school. In his case, it was Cordeaux Highschool in Lincolnshire. There weren’t any tigers and lions, but he got a lot of chances to play sports. Martin especially liked boxing and became quite good at it – he was three times champion of his age group in Middle England. He also loved playing rugby.

After his A-levels, the 17 year old Martin came back to his father’s circus, where he worked in the marketing department. However, his fascination with the big cats was stronger than his interest in advertising, and so he joined his older brother Alexander,  working with a mixed act with lions and tigers. In 1997 Martin started to work on his own with a lion act. Within two years,  he had won the much sought-after Chapiteau de Crystal award. One year later, at the Circus festival in Monaco, he was awarded the Silver Clown – his final break through.

Since then Martin Lacey, Jr. has won almost every important circus award – including the Golden Clown in Monaco which he got in 2010 – and has established himself as one of the best lion trainers in the world.

Nowadays the 196 cm tall English man sees the Circus Krone as his home. He came there for the first time in 2000 and it was there that he met the young lady who is now his spouse and the mother of his son.

Martin Lacey, Jr. doesn’t see the work with his lions as a “job”, but as “a way of life”. When asked for his dreams, he smiles:  “I want to breed white lions”. That’s the first thing he thinks of – and then, immediately afterwards:  “I want to show people that the training of animals is an art.”