Alexis Gruss, grand squire and personality of the circus world, died this Saturday, April 6, at the Saint-Joseph hospital in Paris. revealed The Figaro. The 79-year-old man, patriarch of the Gruss family, died afterwards “a heart attack”.
“It is with great pain and sadness that the Gruss family announces today, Saturday, April 6, 2024, at 9:40 a.m., the death of Mr. Alexis Jacques André Gruss following a heart attack at the age of 79.” His loved ones paid tribute to him in a press release. Until recently, the acrobat, whether trapeze artist, acrobat, clown or saxophonist, performed under the family tent in the Bois de Boulogne.
“Alexis Gruss was much more than a talented man; he was a pillar, a master of the arts Equestrian sport, show whose imprint will remain in our hearts foreverHe greets his wife, his brother, his children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren. He dedicated his life to continuing the equestrian arts through his teaching and passing on, inspiring entire generations. The foundation of his life until the end was his family, HorsesRail.”
The Alexis Gruss company was born “from a couple that came into being in 1868 through the marriage between Charles Gruss, originally a stonemason, and Maria Martinetti, member of a family of miners and acrobats who had been running their own circus tent since the 1850s”, we can read on the company’s website. The family’s equestrian specialty was refined over time and in the fourth generation, Alexis Gruss gave it a new lease of life in 1974 by founding the Cirque à l’Ancienne. This structure, created with the actress Silvia Monfort, is considered important in the history of circus art.
A passion that came from his father
The old-fashioned circus “Creates a profound stylistic break with the so-called traditional circus of the 1970s, particularly through the dominance of equestrian exercises”we can read on the website of the French National Library (BnF). “By placing the horse at the center of the project, the Gruss (…) are role models for the Zingaro Equestrian Theater and the Théâtre du Centaure, which were founded in 1986 and 1989, respectively.”, develops the institution. Under the name “Les Folies Greetings,” the company recently celebrated its 50th anniversary in Paris with a musical-style show that brought together 50 horses and 25 artists.
Alexis Gruss was born on April 23, 1944 in Bart (Doubs). His father André was the sublime “Dédé”, a clown in a white shirt and bowler hat. It was he who taught her the art of equestrian sports, music and riding.
Alexis Gruss has been a circus director since he was 27 and has managed to turn the family circus into a brand known for its special features in equestrian sports. Over the course of his life, the landlord received numerous awards, such as Knight of Arts and Literature and Knight of the Legion of Honor. He was also a recipient of the Order of Merit for Agriculture. A religious ceremony is planned for Thursday, April 11, at 9:30 a.m. at the Saint-Roch church in Paris.
Updated at 3:55 p.m.: more context on Gruss Circus.
