Luisita Leers (Martha Luise Krökel), (1909 Wiesbaden – 1997) was a German trapeze artist , acrobat, and strongwoman.
Life
editLuisita Leers was born in into a family of circus artists: her mother Gertrude was an acrobat, and her adoptive father Guido Krökel was a ring specialist.[1] She was trained by Krökel from the age of six. She made her debut in his troupe in March 1920, aged only eleven. She was capable of performing figures usually reserved for men, such as the iron cross or plank. She performed on the trapeze in a solo number which she presented in Finland and several European circuses.[2]
She was spotted, at age 17, by John Ringling. In 1928, she joined the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus.[3][4] She was one of the artists who helped to highlight the benefits of physical exercise. She performed in a white sleeveless leotard, like the men, and was noted for her strength and muscular upper body.[5] Her performance, without a net, included impressive figures, such as turns around the trapeze held at elbow level or a suspension by the back of the neck.[3][6]
In 1932, she performed in Paris, in 1935, at the Medrano circus,[7] and, in 1936, at the Alhambra,[8] where critics compared her to Miss Athleta or Katie Sandwina.
She returned to Germany in 1936 and lived with her parents in Braunschweig. After the Second World War and several years of deprivation, she was unable to resume her career and became a translator.[2][9]
References
edit- ^ "Luisita Leers - Circopedia". www.circopedia.org. Retrieved 2024-05-29.
- ^ a b "Luisita Leers (1909–1997) – Power trapeze artist's career ends due to WWII". Diverging Fates. October 19, 2018. Retrieved 2024-05-29.
- ^ a b Tait, Peta (2005). Circus bodies: cultural identity in aerial performance (1. publ ed.). Abingdon [England] New York: Routledge. pp. 77–80. ISBN 978-0-415-32937-8.
- ^ "Luisita Leers". The Morning Call. 1930-06-15. p. 19. Retrieved 2024-05-29.
- ^ "Illinois State's Special Collections at Milner Library [stories to tell]: Circus and Allied Arts - Life of Luisita Leers". Illinois State's Special Collections at Milner Library [stories to tell]. Retrieved 2024-05-29.
- ^ Arrighi, Gillian; Davis, Jim (2021-07-01). The Cambridge Companion to the Circus. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-1-108-61768-0.
- ^ Holmes, Kate (2021-11-29). Female Aerialists in the 1920s and Early 1930s: Femininity, Celebrity, and Glamour. Routledge. ISBN 978-0-429-59431-1.
- ^ "Mon Paris (Paris) - 4 Years available - Gallica". gallica.bnf.fr. Retrieved 2024-05-29.
- ^ Van Cleef Reports Miss Leers, Former R-B PErformer, In Need. Billboard - Nielsen Business Media, Inc. 1948-07-31.