Vladimir Dourov above and Alexei Constantinovski below. I wonder if they had two different cage acts in 1993 or if the two gentlemen presented the act together, which would be typical of a lot of Russian acts. This pull up arena is about the ugliest, God awful thing I have ever seen. There was rumors of an arena made out of chain that was in Europe years ago. I don't know if this is that cage recycled. Either that or not enough money to make it out of cable, or somebody just had a really stupid idea.
I have a video of Alexie with his wife Olga at the Massy Circusfestival in 1999. They have a slow act and the tigers have many contact with olga. They do a lay down, a waltz, leap frog and some hugs.
ReplyDeleteThomas
The first pull-up type arena cages were made of chain. The one you refer to in Europe was used by Darix Togni in the Schumann Building, Capen Hagen, which was around in the late '50s and early '60s. However, Ringling's had a chain pull-up cage for Albert Rix's bears when he first came from Hagenbeck. Not as unsightly as the one pictured, but nevertheless it was a chain cage. Knie had a chain one as well, but this was made out of large rings joined together to make a net. The first one seen in the UK were Bertram Mills at Olympia with Yvonne Berman and Knie's lions (they actually belonged to Williams, but Cyril Mills didn't like Williams at the time). Knie had previously featured the act so it was billed as "Knie's Lions". Chipperfield's also had a net cage in 1962. I saw both of them. However, these cages were made of cable not chain. Cyril Mills told me there had been numerous problems with the chain ones as if you pulled them up too tight they would sometimes split in the middle. I personally prefer the barred arena, but my acts have worked in both.
ReplyDeleteJim,
ReplyDeleteGreat history lesson again, thank you. It never fails to fascinate me, how our industry will deal with "beefs", and do what they want, regardless of facts, such as Cyril Mills deciding they were "Knies Lions", to hell with Williams. LOL
The net cages, agreed had some "logistical" problems granted, but the beauty and open look of them sure could not be beat, which I why I have never seen the "chain" pull up cages being of any use. You had to be about half of a rigger, in order to get the cage hung. On a tent show,or a show like Ringling which had a frame, it was a none issue. But the years of hanging it in different buildings, with a different center point every week, is a nightmare, that I don't recall with great relish. LOL. There were a couple of outdoor dates, before we had a section net cage built, which was used as an exercise cage, when not in use, where we had to haul and put up two center poles, to string a cable across to pull up the cage. On the one day stand's that really sucked. We would tie the poles off to the ball hitch of John Cuneo's Cadillac to pull them upright, so they could be guided out. Some times there is not a damn thing good, about the "good old days!!!" LOL
I have always liked the net cage better, and liked the extra 6 inches afforded you from the inside ring to the net. I guess it is what you get comfortable with. With the exception of a month or two at the winter quarters, and one or two outdoor dates in the late 70's, I spent my whole career in a net cage. When I returned to Hawthorn in 2002, and they were exclusively using net section arena, it took me quite a while to become comfortable in it.
I was talking to the company that makes the net section arenas last week, as they would like to get back into the arena business, after a number of years of building "zoo exhibits" with the net. He said he had had one for a number of years and would like to sell it to Martin Lacey Jr. I explained to him, that Martin needs the barred arena to do the "cage run", and the chances of him using a net cage, and loosing that behavior would never happen. As he had been away from the industry for many years, he was also not aware that there were only a very few acts left, and I didn't see anybody investing in an expensive net cage in Europe, when the barred one's have worked for over a half a century.
Wade