Enrico Rastelli (born 19 December 1896, in Samara, Russia – died 13 December 1931, Bergamo, Italy) was an Italian juggler, acrobat and performer. Events 324 - Licinius abdicates his position as Roman Emperor. Year 1896 ( MDCCCXCVI) was a Leap year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian Calendar (or a Leap year Samara (Сама́ра ( Kuybyshev (ru Ку́йбышев from 1935 to 1990 is one of the largest cities in Russia. Russia (Россия Rossiya) or the Russian Federation ( Rossiyskaya Federatsiya) is a transcontinental Country extending Events 1294 - Saint Celestine V abdicates the papacy after only five months Celestine hoped to return to his previous life Year 1931 ( MCMXXXI) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link will display full 1931 calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Bergamo ( Bèrghem in Lombard, antiquated Wälsch-Bergen in German) is a town in Lombardy, Italy, about Italy (Italia officially the Italian Republic, (Repubblica Italiana is located on the Italian Peninsula in Southern Europe, and on the two largest The' Italian people' are a Southern European Ethnic group located primarily in Italy, Switzerland, France and by virtue of a wide-ranging Juggling is a physical human skill involving the movement of objects usually through the air for entertainment (see Object manipulation) Acrobatics (from Greek Akros, high and bat, walking is one of the Performing arts, and is also practiced as a Sport.
Biography
Rastelli was born in Samara, Russia into a circus family. Samara (Сама́ра ( Kuybyshev (ru Ку́йбышев from 1935 to 1990 is one of the largest cities in Russia. Russia (Россия Rossiya) or the Russian Federation ( Rossiyskaya Federatsiya) is a transcontinental Country extending Both his parents were performers and it did not take long before the young Rastelli decided to join the family business. He received rigorous training in a variety of circus disciplines including acrobatics, balancing and aerial skills. His performance debut was at the age of 13 as part of his parents' aerial act, however his passion and talent lay with juggling. He practiced his juggling skills tirelessly and by the age of 19 was performing a solo juggling routine. His earliest performances involved the manipulation of sticks and balls in a typical Japanese style; he even wore a Kimono as his costume. The is the National costume of Japan. Originally the word "kimono" literally meant thing to wear ( ki wearing and mono thing but now has come
Many jugglers of Rastelli's day were of the gentleman juggler style. Dressed in formal evening attire, they would juggle everyday objects that you might find at the dinner table, including plates, hat and cane, loaves of bread, bottles and even chairs. Rastelli instead chose to restrict himself to objects more suited to throwing and catching, typically plates, sticks and balls. In doing so, he was able to achieve levels of technical skill far beyond that of his contemporaries. Furthermore, his choice of three simple props is reflected in the props of choice of most modern jugglers, with balls, clubs, (replacing sticks) and rings (replacing plates) being used by professional and amateur jugglers alike.
In 1917 Rastelli married Harriet, a highwire artist. Year 1917 ( MCMXVII) was a Common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common year By the early 1920s he was becoming quite a star, touring Europe and America, amazing audiences and commanding an ever increasing salary. Year 1920 ( MCMXX) was a Leap year starting on Thursday (link will display 1920 of the Gregorian calendar The United States of America —commonly referred to as the In this period he chose to perform in a silk costume adding static balance tricks to his energetic performances. During the later part of the 1920s he made the move from the circus ring to the more lucrative vaudeville theatres. Vaudeville was a Genre of variety entertainment prevalent on the stage in the United States and Canada, from the early 1880s His style changed again, performing in full soccer strip he would juggle up to five footballs. With his growing fortune, Rastelli, his wife and their three children purchased a large villa in Bergamo. Bergamo ( Bèrghem in Lombard, antiquated Wälsch-Bergen in German) is a town in Lombardy, Italy, about
While touring Europe in 1931 Rastelli's gums suddenly started bleeding and shortly afterwards he contracted pneumonia. Year 1931 ( MCMXXXI) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link will display full 1931 calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Pneumonia is an inflammatory illness of the Lung. Frequently it is described as lung Parenchyma / alveolar inflammation and abnormal He quickly returned home, however his condition worsened and he died in the early hours of the morning, 13 December 1931, as a result of anemia. Anemia ( AmE) or anæmia/anaemia ( BrE) (from the Ancient Greek grc-Latn anaîmia, meaning “without blood” is defined as a qualitative
His funeral took place in Bergamo, attended by thousands. A life-sized statue to Rastelli was erected within his tomb, depicting him in a familiar pose, spinning a ball on his raised finger. For the New York prison see The Tombs. A Tomb is a repository for the remains of the dead. Vanity Fair magazine, in its February, 1932 issue, (page 49), ran a full-page photograph of Rastelli with the following caption:
| “ | One of the most sensational attractions in the international world of vaudeville was the juggler Enrico Rastelli. Vanity Fair is an American magazine of Culture, Fashion, and Politics published by Condé Nast Publications. In his twenty years devotion to his craft this son of Italy elevated it, for probably the first time, to what was unmistakably an art. The accomplishment of this was due not only to the amazing agility and complexity of the juggling itself, (he used mostly spheroids, of various sizes and colors) but to the incredible ease of his execution, and the visual impression made on the audience. Rastelli, who was the third generation and the most famous of the jugglers by that name, died in Bergamo, Italy, shortly before this photograph went to press. | ” |
Rastelli's contribution to juggling is unparalleled, being able to juggle 8 plates, 8 sticks and 10 balls. He was also a master of 'combination' style tricks, being able to juggle 6 plates, while spinning a hoop around one foot and skipping a rope which was spun by an assistant. His influence is still felt today, with most jugglers restricting themselves to the use of clubs, rings and balls. Although his technical abilities have now been exceeded, no-one has surpassed the level of fame which he worked so tirelessly to achieve.
Sources
- Ziethen, Karl-Heinz; Andrew Allen (1985). Juggling, the Art and its Artists. ISBN 3-9801140-1-5.
- Ziethen, Karl-Heinz (1996). Enrico Rastelli, The World's Greatest Jugglers.
- Alvarez, Francisco (1984). Juggling - Its History and Greatest Performers.
External links
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