Video: How the famous circus dynasty of the Durovs appeared in Russia
2024 Author: Richard Flannagan | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-15 23:55
This circus dynasty has existed for over 150 years. Grandfather Durov, its legendary founder, remained in the memory of people as the person who was the first to abandon the whip and stick when training animals and for the first time turned the circus from entertainment for adults into a children's party. In addition to the ability to educate our smaller brothers, the Durovs knew how to communicate with arrogant officials, they were legendary. This dynasty gave our country eleven wonderful circus performers, each of whom was a real star.
There are also a lot of rumors about the roots of the Durovs. One of the most common, which is not denied by the modern successors of the dynasty, is that the cavalry girl Nadezhda Andreevna Durova, the hero of the 1812 war, about which the film "The Hussar Ballad" was filmed, is also related to this family. The first mention of the Durovs in Russian genealogical books dates back to the 16th century. Among them were bed-dwellers, streltsy colonels, commanders, eight barrels of Peter the Great. However, the story about the founder of the dynasty, Vladimir Leonidovich, always begins with his flight from home with his brother Anatoly. The boys who studied in the Cadet Corps misbehaved - one of them entered the lesson of the law of God upside down, and, frightened of the punishment, fled into the street. Hungry wanderings led the brothers to the circus booth. So the case determined the fate of not only Vladimir and Anatoly, but also their numerous descendants for several generations to come.
The Durov brothers went through the entire "career path" in the Rinaldo circus: they started as posters, were uniformists, assistants. Then they themselves went to the arena, performed as acrobats, sword swallowers, magicians, clowns. Anatoly remained to work in this genre, the "highlight" in his performances was the sharp satire. In his life, by the way, he also never concealed his attitude to the authorities. There is a historical anecdote about how Anatoly met with the governor-general in the buffet of the Odessa circus. At the sight of the authorities, everyone stood up, except for Durov:
Unlike his brother, Vladimir did not suit such bright escapades. He devoted all his time to training. The artist traveled abroad several times, bought rare animals there, got acquainted with the performances of the world's most famous celebrities. Subsequently, he turned to science, set up experiments in the field of zoopsychology. The dream of Vladimir Leonidovich Durov was to build his own house for animals, settle them there in the most suitable conditions for everyone, observe, treat, teach and show their art. In 1912, this dream finally began to come true. In Moscow, on Staraya Bozhedomka Street, he bought a spacious house with a stable and a garden and opened Durov's Corner. There has never been such a place anywhere in the world. In addition to the Animal Theater "Kroshka", where spectators could watch the performances of trained animals, there was also an extensive natural science museum and a real scientific laboratory. Visitors were shown training techniques and lectures on animal psychology. By the way, this building of the "Little Theater" is still used as a small stage of the Durov Theater.
After the death of the founder of the dynasty, the animal theater remained in the hands of his family. First, the leadership was taken over by his wife Anna Ignatievna, then by daughter Anna Vladimirovna Durova-Sadovskaya. Then "Grandfather Durov's Wonderland" was led by the great-granddaughter of Vladimir Leonidovich - Natalia Yurievna Durova, who was responsible for perestroika and the "dashing 90s". in 2007, the management of the Theater was taken over by the great-grandson of Vladimir Leonidovich, People's Artist of Russia Yuri Yuryevich Durov. Today "Grandpa Durov's Wonderland" is recognized as a national value. This is not only a theater for trained animals, but also an educational center.
Yuri Yuryevich Durov tells about his circus childhood:
Probably, the Durovs know the secret of how to bring up their children so that nature “does not rest on them”. Today, a new generation of the Durovs - the daughter of Yuri Yuryevich Natalya, as well as three generations of her ancestors, works as a trainer in the family theater. She did not immediately accept her calling, at first she wanted to get another profession, but later the genes still took their toll, and the girl returned to the arena. In her work, of course, she is guided by the main motto of her famous great-great-grandfather: "Cruelty humiliates, only kindness can be beautiful."
Another famous circus family also pleases the audience with their performances with animals: Secrets of the Zapashny circus dynasty: Cannibalistic tigers, injuries in the arena, broken fates
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