| The famous Russian illusionist and magician Igor Kio died yesterday in a Moscow hospital at the age of 63. He belonged to a famous circus family - his father, the founder of the dynasty, Emil Keogh, was called the “wizard of the 20th century.” Igor Kio took to the stage early - already at the age of five he took part in performances, and at 15, when he had to replace his ill father, he began a solo career. During the Soviet years, he was incredibly popular, giving 500-600 performances a year. His repertoire included both illusionary tricks created by his father (for example, the famous “Turning a Woman into a Lion”, “Sawing a Woman”), and his own, fundamentally new numbers, including “Fashions”, “Aquarium”, “Piano in the Air” , "Houdini's Box", "The Appearance of Little Bear". Kyo considered simplicity to be the main secret of magic tricks. The more complex the trick, the easier it is to solve. In his opinion, a child can understand the essence of the trick much faster, since he thinks directly and concretely, without adult gibberish.
In 1989, Kio left the Soyuz State Circus and, becoming a free artist, created the company Igor Kio Illusion Show. In the early 90s, he prepared several programs (“At six o’clock in the evening after winter”, etc.), worked a lot on television, where he staged “New Year’s Attraction”, hosted “Morning Mail”, circus reviews “Rendezvous on Tsvetnoy Boulevard” , a six-part series “All the Clowns”, dedicated to outstanding domestic and foreign clowns, including Karandash (“Comedian of the Moscow Circus”), Popov (“Sunny Clown”), Engibarov (“Clown with Autumn in the Heart”), as well as television programs, dedicated to Nikulin, Makovsky, Rotman, Berman, Vyatkin and others. In 1999, Keogh released a book of memoirs, “Illusions Without Illusions,” about the behind-the-scenes life of the circus, about clowns, trainers, and acrobats. However, recently Igor Kio has practically disappeared - the illusionist spent most of his time traveling, touring the USA, Israel, Germany and the Russian outback. The state of the circus in our country caused Kio deep sadness and nostalgia for Soviet times, when it was difficult to get tickets to performances, and circus performers were known by sight. Now it is not only provincial circuses that are forced to make do by renting out premises.
Igor Kio was an Honored Artist of Russia and the only illusionist to date to be awarded the international Oscar award (Belgium).
It is difficult to say whether the Keogh dynasty will continue - his eldest grandson, also Igor, performed his own act at the celebration of the centenary of Emil Keogh, but now he is studying at VGIK. And the youngest, Nikita, is still a schoolboy.
Farewell to Igor Kio will take place on September 1 at the Nikulin Circus on Tsvetnoy Boulevard. Daria YURIEVA
|
