Alexis Gruss, circus director and figure in the equestrian art, died on Saturday April 6, in Paris, following“a heart attack”, announced his family in a press release. He was 79 years old.
“Alexis Gruss was much more than a man of talent; he was a pillar, a master of the equestrian arts, of spectacle, whose imprint will remain forever engraved in our hearts. He dedicated his life to perpetuating the equestrian arts of the track through his teachings and transmission, inspiring entire generations. The foundations of his life were until the end his family, the horses, the track”is written in the press release, signed by his wife, his brother, his children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
Alexis Gruss was the heir to a Circassian dynasty. His father, André, who died in 2003, was “Dédé”, a clown with a white shirt and bowler hat. It was he who passed on the art of equestrian showmanship, music and horseback riding. His great-grandfather, Charles-André Gruss, was the first member of the family to perform on a track, in 1854.
Renovation of circus arts
Alexis Gruss founded in 1974, with his wife Gipsy, the Old-fashioned Circus, which abandoned wild animal dressage acts to return to acrobatics and equestrian art. This structure, launched with the actress Silvia Monfort, is considered major in the renovation of circus arts.
The old-fashioned circus “creates a profound break in style with the so-called traditional circus of the 1970s, particularly through the predominance of equestrian exercises”, can we read on the website of the National Library of France. “By placing the horse at the very heart of the project, the Gruss (…) prefigure the Zingaro Equestrian Theater and the Théâtre du Centaure, respectively created in 1986 and 1989”develops the institution.
The company recently celebrated fifty years of creations in Paris, under the name “Les Folies Gruss”, with a show designed like a musical comedy, bringing together fifty horses and twenty-five artists.
Alexis Gruss became a circus director at the age of 27. A recognized master squire, he was also a saxophonist. The artist was distinguished knight of arts and letters and knight of the Legion of Honor.