Sunday, October 14, 2018
Luisita Leers - The power-woman's struggle
This is a story of Luisita Leers
(1909-1997), the German woman who from the age of 11 enchanted the circus-world with her powerful displays of trapeze acts and acrobatics. She was one of the first women who broke the myth that a woman can't have a strong and beautiful body at the same time.
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| Luisita Leers - The Strong Woman |
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| Luisita Leers - The Pretty Woman |
'Spiel mit dem Leben' - Playing with Life
Let's talk a little bit about her remarkable feats in circus. Luisita's signature 'Spiel mit dem Leben' (playing with life) act included a neck-hang on the trapeze bar while doing a "side leg scale" (a vertical split holding one leg up), a one-arm "plange" (or "planche"), and a spectacular series of back rotations around the trapeze bar.
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| Luisita's - Spiel mit dem Leben - Playing with Life |
When she appeared for the first time at Paris' legendary Cirque Medrano in March 1935, the Paris correspondent of Variety, the top American trade paper, described her thus: "Luisita Leers stops the show at Medrano this fortnight; [she] is not only a remarkable performer, from a purely acrobatic viewpoint, but has one of those smiles that knocks 'em over and a body that remains beautiful in spite of its extraordinary muscles. She works high without a net. Muscular control is so perfect that her stuff looks easy, but when she hangs by the back of her neck, apparently just as easily as she did her simpler introductory turns, the audience realizes there was something to it all along" (Variety, 20 March 1935). Luisita admired the big-stage performances, as she believed people with some appreciation and experiences with circus could only appreciate her masterpieces.
Milner's Treasure Trove - Correspondences with Mr. Braathen
Milner's Special Collections has a treasure trove on Luisita's life (
link). Her mail correspondences with Sverre O. Braathen, a noted American circus fan, collector and historian of that time, uncovers the little-known facts surrounding the tumultuous journey she had in her circus career and beyond.
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| Sverre Braathen and Luisita Leer's First Mail Exchange |
The correspondences in this collection ranges from April 18th 1931 (started with a letter Mr. Braathen sent to her) and went all the way till 1959. Braathen and Luisita exchanged Christmas greetings on a regular basis in between this time-frame and you could see their friendship flourish in these letters, along with English writing-skill of Luisita. :-) These letters also portray the contemporary history of circus and all the key events surrounding it. Milner has a whole collection of Braathen's correspondence with various artists, but these particular ones with Luisita provided insights into the circus industry of Europe and America.
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| Braathen's response to Luisita #2- Milner Collection |
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| Braathen's response to Luisita #1- Milner Collection |
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| Braathen's response to Luisita #4 - Milner Collection |
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| Braathen's response to Luisita #3- Milner Collection |
World War - Worlds Torn Apart
Take a look at Luisita's letter below. It was fascinating and heart-breaking, at the same time, to learn about how people's life were disrupted during World War 2. Her house was bombed by allied forces and burned down twice. All her belongings were destroyed and she and her parents were left with no resources. They were heavily malnourished and the excessive recovery and relocation work took a massive toll on her body. She was admitted to hospital for 7 weeks to receive treatment for a nervous breakdown and in desperation pleaded to Braathen to send her some help so she could buy food and take care of her family.
Luisita's courage and determination to continue her struggle inspired me and I sincerely hope it will connect the chord with you. She married a man with a great heart but less money, and ultimately ended up having her fair share of marital-struggle. Her positive attitude and tremendous ability to adapt kept her going in life and she ultimately became a sculptor. Please find below one of her creations:
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| A Hand - Sculpture by Luisita Leers |
I encourage you to know more about her by visiting Milner's Special Collection. I sincerely believe such a trip will enrich and broaden your outlook in life.
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