Flashback

LIGHT THE CANDLES FOR ENRICO RASTELLI

 

(Editor's Note: To mark Rastelli's 100th birthday, juggling archivist Karl-Heinz Ziethen has written a recently published book entitled "Enrico Rastelli and the World's Greatest Jugglers." The hard-cover book was published in English and German, and is now available in North America through most major juggling vendors. It includes 130 pages and 161 photos and stories about Rastelli, Francis Brunn, Sergei Ignatov and Anthony Gatto, who Ziethen considers to be the most important jugglers of the century. The publisher was the Berlin Variety and Comedy Festival, which commemorated Rastelli with 10 days of events in early September. Look for a review in the Winter edition of Juggler's World.)

 

We mark 1996 as the centennial of the birth of Enrico Rastelli, whom many revere as the greatest juggler ever.

 

That singular claim can be endlessly debated, but there's no question that Rastelli was one of variety's most celebrated celebrities at a time when variety was the main form of entertainment. His act was the standard to which contemporary artistes were compared.

 

He was born into a second generation circus family in Samara, Russia, Dec. 19, 1896. His father, Alberto, was a juggler on horseback and trapeze artist, and his mother also flew on the trapeze. They originally trained young Enrico to follow them as an acrobat and flier, but the young boy wanted to juggle and practiced the art secretly against his father's wishes. After six years he could do seven balls, and he began working with a cotton ball and mouthstick after seeing these props used by the Japanese juggler Takaschima. At that point the son had eclipsed the skills of his father, and Alberto no longer discouraged Enrico's juggling.

 

In 1915 Enrico joined Circus Truzzi for his first job as a solo juggler. Shortly thereafter Alberto created his own circus. and Enrico performed a juggling act and a perch pole act. He married Stella-Henriette Price in 1917, then fled with the family to Italy when World War I and the subsequent Revolution forced them out of Russia.

 

Enrico Rastelli became an overnight sensation in Circus Gatti in Italy, and by 1922 he was at the London Hippodrome. In 1923 and 1928 he toured America. He elevated stick and ball manipulation to a level never previously seen, and performed an endless string of other difficult tricks with almost flawless precision - the famous eight plate juggle; ten ball flash; consummate control over six sticks; juggling three torches with every toss under his legs while running around the circus ring three times; and body motions that apparently spoke the language of the props, making them obey every command.

 

Historian Marcello Truzzi wrote that Rastelli's most important contribution to juggling was his introduction of the manipulation of a large (six to twelve inches in diameter), air-filled rubber ball. Rastelli had seen Takaschima using a cotton ball, but decided that a child's rubber ball had greater potential. Truzzi wrote, "Rastelli turned such manipulation into an unparalleled work of art. His feats were unbelievable in their exacting coordination as he threw and caught the ball with all parts of his body."

 

Rastelli enjoyed tremendous fame and wealth on the European variety circuit for several years, presenting a 30-45 minute act with assistance from his wife and a man named Umberto Schichtolz. But he contracted an infection from a cut in his mouth, reportedly caused by his mouthpiece, and died too soon at age 34. His funeral cortege through the streets of Bergamo was followed by thousands of mourners.

 

Throughout his performing life, reviewers and audiences were awe-struck by his performances. But the true measure of his greatness was that the jugglers of that period, those who truly understood the skill involved, were equally impressed.

 

One such contemporary was the American juggler Bobby May, who twice saw Rastelli perform and later described some of the tricks he saw. May wrote... "As the curtain rose, Rastelli ran forward and went into a very rapid and rather short three stick routine including fast triples, passing them on the chin, under throws, and throwing sticks sideways over the top, and very fast two in one hand with flourishes using the stick in the other hand. He also threw the sticks straight up with no turns, and slightly bounced each stick off his head.

 

"Mrs. Rastelli, who assisted him, threw him three more sticks. He juggled the six for some time, three in each hand, in a broken rhythm. Another stick was added, which he balanced on his forehead while juggling six. Then he threw one stick backward to Mrs. Rastelli, and juggled five while still balancing one on his head (three in left hand, two in right). He finished by catching three in his left hand, and throwing one up 1-1/2 turns to catching it balanced end to end on the final stick, which was held in his right hand.

 

"He threw a stick off to Mrs. Rastelli and went into a five stick juggle (cascade and double shower) and finished with a five stick shower.

 

"He threw off another to Mrs. Rastelli and did four sticks in one hand, then very fast triple turns with two in each hand, then spread two and two done very wide. He did a ballet pirouette in the air to finish.

 

"On disposing of the four sticks, he went into routines involving a mouthstick, two sticks, and a ball. Some of the tricks were: 1) Bouncing the ball from the head to mouthstick 2) Head back, ball on underside of mouthstick, to head up straight and ball on top of mouthstick, to ball on back of neck. 3) Kicks ball with heel after dropping backwards, ball flying over head and again caught on stick 4) Ball rolls from stick to neck, is then rolled from neck over forehead and up stick to balance on tip of stick 5) Using two mouths ticks, he transferred the ball from one stick to another and back again 6) He whipped the stick around the ball (this was very effective!), and spun the ball on the stick 7) He rolled the ball around his head and face and from ear to ear 8) Ball rolled down back of legs, thrown in the air with heels and caught again on the

mouth stick.

 

"He then juggled two sticks and a ball, throwing the ball in the air, bouncing it off the floor and catching it on his feet as he did a hand-stand! He bounced the ball on his head and whipped sticks right and left under it. He bounced the ball high and caught it alternately on right and left ears. He threw the ball high and caught it between the heels of his feet.

 

"He bounced two balls on his head, and did tricks with mouthstick and two balls. He then balanced a ball on his foot, a stick on the ball, and another ball on top of the stick. He kicked the assemblage up, caught the top ball on the back of his neck, the stick in his mouth, and balanced the other ball on the stick.

 

"He bounced a ball while juggling six plates and spinning a hoop on his right leg. He juggled eight plates, starting out with six and snatching two out of a holster (he later did this while balancing a stick with a ball on top). He did a one-hand handstand spinning a pole with a streamer on the bottom of his feet, spinning a baton with streamers in the left hand and holding a stick in his mouth with a plate spinning on it.

 

"Also on his second tour in 1928 he had put in throwing the balls in the audience and catching them in a balance on a mouthstick. I also remember him catching a small ball about the size of a tennis ball from the foot to balance on his nose. He also did the trick with six plates, bouncing ball on his head, hoop spinning on foot, while jumping rope rotated by his wife and another assistant."

 

A newspaper reviewer who saw Rastelli perform at the Palace Theatre in New York City described Rastelli's finale... "Following he did a one hand stand on a large piece of nickeled apparatus that resembled a large coffee urn atop a table and at the same time caused a pole to revolve. For a concluding feat a large globe of blue and silver was brought forward. This was illuminated from within by electric lights and decorated without by colored illuminated electric lamps and further ornamented with a couple of small American flags. Lying on a place provided, Rastelli spun a large five pointed nickeled piece of apparatus in the shape of a star on one foot, caused a white hoop to revolve on the other foot, held a spinning smaller star on a rod in his mouth and juggled three sticks at the same time with his hands."

 

The same reviewer noted, "At the end of the series of feats Rastelli smiles as if pleased and his good humor and personality are infectious. His little trick dance step and pose provided, Rastelli spun a large five pointed nickeled piece of apparatus in the shape of a star on one foot, caused a white hoop to revolve on the other foot, held a spinning smaller star on a rod in his mouth and juggled three sticks at the same time with his hands."

 

The same reviewer noted, "At the end of the series of feats Rastelli smiles as if pleased and his good humor and personality are infectious. His little trick dance step and pose would sell the feat even if less adroitly performed."

 

Audiences and the press loved him as much for his sparkling personality as for his technical skill. Rastelli loved to juggle and did it with a gusto which has never been excelled. He had the reputation of being a grand person and friend, and it was said that he had no enemies - a rare thing in such a competitive profession as show business.

 

His native talent, his profound understanding of the laws of physics and precise timing cannot be overlooked. But the real keys to his success were the same applicable to jugglers of any skill level and any era - unending devotion to the art and relentless practice - between six and twelve hours each day! He often conducted business affairs or conversed with friends while working on his routine.

 

He constantly reminded himself that every minute and manner of life must center around the furtherance of his art. His wife was quoted as saying, "He wants movement, practice, practice! No cafes, no social life, no excursions for us! We spent the whole day at the theatre. He practices, we look on. And mind you, we would not change it for any other life!"

 

Nor are there probably any jugglers among us who would not trade lives with Rastelli! Happy 100th, good friend!

 

(Ed note: Some of the material for this article came from "Juggling, the Art and its Artists" by Karl-Heinz Ziethen and Andrew Allen, and "Juggling - its history and greatest performers" by Francisco Alvarez.)