Francis and Lottie Brunn

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Francis and Lottie Brunn were an internationally celebrated juggler act, consisting of the siblings Franz Josef Brunn (born November 15, 1922 in Aschaffenburg ; † May 28, 2004 in Frankfurt am Main ) and Lieselotte (Lottie) Brunn (born October 12, 1925 in Aschaffenburg, † August 5, 2008 ). Ernest Montego , also an internationally known juggler, was the half-brother of the two siblings.

life and career

Her parents were Michael Alois Brunn (1898–1980), a trained piano maker who later worked as an innkeeper, and was three times German master in diving, artificial diving and 10-meter diving, and Paula Josefine Schobert (1902–1989).

As a boy, Franz Josef (Franzl) Brunn trained his feeling for the ball while playing football, and in 1936 he became a member of the junior Olympic team in diving. After visiting the show People, Animals, Sensations in Berlin's Deutschlandhalle in 1936, he decided to become an artist. He attended an artist school and appeared in public for the first time in 1939. With their father as manager and an appearance in Berlin's Varieté Plaza at a gala on the occasion of Paul Lincke's 75th birthday, the two siblings began their careers in 1941, which also took them to the USA after the end of World War II and gave them guest appearances all over the world . Lottie Brunn initially only assisted her brother, but soon developed such a skill in juggling that she eventually earned the reputation of “the fastest juggler in the world”. Francis Brunn, who in addition to juggling ten elements at the same time was also known for his spectacular tricks with a single ball, which he let wander over the entire body with virtuoso body control, later also incorporated dance elements of Spanish flamenco into his performances. The siblings had their last joint appearance in 1951 in Los Angeles. Both then continued their careers as extremely successful solo artists.

Lottie Brunn married Theodore (Ted) Chirrick in 1951, their son Michael Chirrick followed in her footsteps in 1970 and also became a juggler. Francis Brunn met Alexandra (Sasha) Malomusch in Buenos Aires in 1957, they married and Sasha became his new assistant. In 1961 daughter Christina was born. In 1970, after a stage accident in the Parisian Lido , in which he sustained a hip injury, Brunn had his first health problems; Elbow, wrist, knee and hip operations followed. 1973 son Raphael was born. Since 1988 Francis Brunn has been a guest again in Germany. In 1989 he celebrated his 50th anniversary on stage in the Tigerpalast in Frankfurt am Main. In 1994 he ended his career as a juggler. He remained closely linked to the founders of the Tigerpalast, Margareta Dillinger, Johnny Klinke and Matthias Beltz († 2002), until the end of his life. Francis Brunn died on May 28, 2004 as a result of complications after heart surgery. The memorial ceremony took place on May 31, 2004 in the Tigerpalast, the funeral speech was given by Johnny Klinke. He was buried on June 5, 2004 in George Washington Memorial Park in Paramus, New Jersey, where his parents' grave is also located.

Further career stations

documentary

  • 2003: The Dance of Sisyphus - Director: Bert Schmidt

literature

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. Portrait in Juggler's World, Vol. 38, No. 1
  2. ^ Obituary for Lottie Brunn
  3. ^ Obituary for Francis Brunn
  4. Interview with Francis Brunn, May 1981
  5. ^ Obituary in The Villager, Vol. 73, No. 6th
  6. ^ Obituary in The Villager, Vol. 73, No. 6th
  7. Information on The Dance of Sisyphus