Borisav Milojkovic Borra

Borisav Milojkovic (stage name: Borra) (born April 26, 1921 in Jagodina in the Kingdom of Yugoslavia , † October 11, 1998 in Kainbach near Graz in Austria ) was a magician specializing in pickpocketing .

Youth and Techniques

Milojkovic was born in Jagodina, where his father owned a clothes shop. Here and on the town's market square, he watched pocket thieves and shoplifters in order to learn and to expose them. Through these observations he learned very precisely to assess people and to distract them through conversations and other techniques, this was important for his career as a magician, as well as a technique for light nerve blockage, so that the pickpockets did not feel the touch.

Borisav Milojkovic's method of showpocketing was based on his charm, humor, and ability to distract victims. The beauty of his wife Ilse from the Czech circus dynasty Kludsky was also used as a distraction. He took watches, ties, glasses, braces and wallets from the spectators and presented them to the surprised.

Career

He began his career at the age of 15 as a magician and show pickpocket. His first major well-known appearance was in Sarajevo in 1938 at a police congress. After fleeing Yugoslavia during World War II , he appeared for the English troops and became part of ENSA, the Entertainments National Service Association . He was sent to Austria, where he met his wife Ilse, whom he had married before the outbreak of war.

Borisav Milovkovic toured with circuses such as Circus Althoff-Jacoby , Circus Kludsky (formerly the largest traveling menagerie in Austria-Hungary ), Circus Knie and Bertram Mills . He trained police officers across Europe in pickpocketing techniques to help them fight them. He was known by many pseudonyms and show names, such as "Borra the honest thief", the "king of pickpockets", the "thief of Baghdad" and others.

He first appeared internationally in 1951 at the Knie Circus. Further appearances were in 1956, 1963, 1971 and 1980. In 1952 he was hired by the Bertram Mills circus, due to his popularity he became the main act and remained so for three years. He performed in the Olympia Grand Hall , among others . In the winter of 1958/59 he performed in the Belle Vue amusement park in Manchester . He bought a row of houses in Kainbach near Graz . The street was renamed Borraweg in his honor. Borisav Milovkovic was fluent in 12 languages.

family

Borisav and Ilse († 1998) had two children: Sissi, a veterinarian, and Karl, who followed his father as a magician. There were several artists who performed under the name Borra: Borisav Milojkovic, his brothers Dragisa and Vojislav, and a cousin of the two, as well as Karl, the son of Borisav, as Charlie Borra.

literature

• James Randi: Conjuring . St. Martin's Press, New York 1992, ISBN 0312086342 , LOC .
• David Avadon: A Conversation with Borra . In: The Magic magazine , January 1997, ZDB -ID 991456-0 , pp. 42-47.
• Gernot Fournier, Viktor Hochfellner (Red.): Kainbach community. Past and present . Municipality of Kainbach (ed.), Kainbach 1997, OBV .
• Felice Cappa, Piero Gelli (Eds.): Dizionario dello spettacolo del '900 . Le boe, Volume 24, ZDB ID 1333676-9 . Baldini & Castoldi, Milan 1998, ISBN 88-8089-295-9 , p. 148.
• D. Nevil: Obituary: Borra . (English). In: independent.co.uk ( The Independent ), October 31, 1998, accessed November 17, 2014.

Individual evidence

1. ↑ From town and country. (...) The Kludsky Circus in Bozen. In:  Der Tiroler , No. 53/1915 (XXXIV. Year), March 6, 1915, p. 3, center right. (Online at ANNO ). .
2. ^ D. Nevil: Obituary: Borra .