Igor Kio is a well-known illusionist of the twentieth century, the successor to the legendary circus dynasty Kio. He hit the audience with tricks: "Sawing a Woman", "Burning a Woman", "Turning a Woman into a Lion" and others. People's Artist of the Russian Federation, laureate of the international Academy Award.
Biography
Igor Emilevich Kio is the son of the world famous illusionist Emil Teodorovich Kio.
Igor's father, Emil Teodorovich Hirschfeld, had a German-Jewish family. The family had three sons, Emil was the eldest. He became the founder of the Kio Circus Dynasty.
Emil Teodorovich was married several times. For the fourth time, he married his assistant - Evgenia Vasilievna Smirnova.
In 1944, their son Igor was born.
Igor had a half-brother Emil, who was named in honor of his father. Emil was born in the third marriage of the elder Kio.
From the age of 5, Igor took part in circus performances. He was dressed in a midget costume and, together with real midgets, was taken to the arena. Since childhood, the boy dreamed of showing tricks.
In 1959, Moscow hosted the first independent presentation by Igor Kio. His father was unwell, and he asked his son to conduct a performance. The fifteen-year-old man made his debut in the circus arena.
Kio's stage name was coined by his father. Emil Teodorovich lived in Warsaw in his youth. His house was next to the synagogue. Prayers were made in Hebrew, during which the words came: "Tkio, Tkio, Tkio." Hirschfeld removed the first letter and appropriated the pseudonym Kio.
For three years, from 1962 to 1965, Emil Teodorovich Kio and his two sons entered the circus arena together.
Emil, Igor’s brother, graduated from the Moscow Civil Engineering Institute and a few years later came to work in the circus.
After the death of Emil Teodorovich, his sons Igor and Emil became the continuers of the traditions of the Kio circus dynasty.
Father shared his secrets of magic tricks to Igor. He inherited the entire circus props necessary for staging attractions.
Emil also decided to become an illusionist. He began to create his circus program without a prepared base. The artist needed to make new equipment for showing tricks. Then began a long rehearsal and hone every trick.
Relations between the brothers deteriorated. But the audience got the opportunity to see two interesting attractions under the name Kio.
In 1977, in Leningrad, Igor Kio presented to the audience a new circus show "Favorites-77".
From 1981 to 1983, on central television, Igor Kio and Alla Pugacheva were leading the circus show "Attraction".
In 1985, viewers appreciated the new program "Without Illusions", which was shown at the pop theater. There were no empty seats in the room.
At the beginning of the nineties, in the Kremlin Palace of Congresses, spectators saw the circus performance "At six o'clock in the evening after winter."
In 1992, Igor Kio surprised the audience with his tricks in the performance of “The Twentieth Century Wizard”.
In 1999, the illusionist was awarded the title of Honorary Academician of Circus Art.
In 2003, Igor Kio was awarded the title of People's Artist of the Russian Federation.
Igor Kio was the only illusionist in history who received the international Academy Award.
The award was presented to him in Belgium in 2003.
The artist died in 2006 at the age of 62, after heart surgery.
Creation
At the very beginning of his career, Igor Kio successfully showed the father’s crown numbers. Gradually, his circus program was replenished with new tricks.
The fame of Igor Kio thundered not only throughout the Soviet Union. He was known and loved by the audience of Japan, USA, Belgium, France, Germany, Turkey, where he went on tour. Kio worked in a tense rhythm at the arenas of the country and abroad.
In Soviet times, circus performers depended on government officials. Soyuzgoszirk established a tour plan: how many performances an illusionist should show, and in which cities.
Igor Kio came up with new tricks, but it was not possible to bring them to life. Funding for new programs was not allocated.
In 1989, Igor Kio left the Union State Circus, having worked for 30 years in it, and created his own company, Igor Kio Show Illusion. He began to organize his tour himself, and also attracted other artists to his show.
In his circus program, new tricks appeared: "Mods", "Aquarium", "Harry Houdini's Chest", "Piano in the Air" and others.
Spectators were struck by spectacular numbers with the transformation of a woman into a lion and a trick with a woman burning in a fire. In the New Year’s performance, Igor Kio burned Alla Pugacheva, who assisted him.
The audience was at a loss: who is Kio - a clever illusionist or a real magician and sorcerer? Some viewers took the focus with sawing a woman seriously. Many spectators were waiting for the artist at the exit after the performance. They asked him to cure them of the disease, help in family problems and even make them younger.
Igor Kio made a great contribution to the development of circus art, combining it with the pop genre. On central television, he led a program in which popular Soviet singers and ensembles performed at the circus arena, along with clowns, balancers, magicians and trainers.
Spectators got the opportunity to see the circus performance in one program and listen to their favorite artists: Alla Pugachev, Lev Leshchenko, Valery Leontiev and others.
