Alexis Gruss had just celebrated 50 years of creation in Paris. Fifty years of his presence, from setting up his first big show in 1974 in the courtyard of the Hôtel Salé (now Paris' Picasso Museum), to taking it to the lawn of Saint-Cloud, in the Bois de Boulogne, west of Paris, and creating a huge magical gathering place there from 1999. In the meantime, he had moved and planted his circus tent in over 20 locations.

Fifty years of work amidst the maelstrom of 50 shows performed by the ever-growing Gruss tribe, all gathered around their patriarch, Alexis. A prominent figure of the artistic scene and a master of the equestrian arts, Alexis Gruss died on Saturday morning, April 6, of a heart attack at the Saint-Joseph hospital group in Paris. He had been hospitalized there a few days ago. He was 79 years old.

Born on April 23, 1944, in the eastern French village of Bart, Gruss belonged to the fourth generation of a family of circus performers that had begun working under the big top in 1854. When talking about his distant ancestors, he often declared himself to be the "product of an Alsatian stonecutter and an Italian horsewoman... sauerkraut and order on one side; spaghetti and whimsy on the other."

From his father Théophile, who was known as André (Dédé) Gruss, a clown; and his mother Hélène, known as Maud Latour, who hailed from the fairground circus tradition; he inherited a spirit of curiosity, open to all techniques. First and foremost a clown and his father's partner, who taught him horseback acrobatics among other skills, he was also a saxophonist, an acrobat and a horseman.

Together with his wife Gypsy Bouglione, a juggler, tightrope walker and the animal trainer Firmin Bouglione's daughter, they founded their own troupe and had four children. And so it was that they began performing high-flying equestrian shows as a family.

In 2018, for the show Origines, 12 circus artists, 40 horses and 10 musicians celebrated the history of the creation of modern circus, which appeared 250 years ago; and the passionate, handing down of the Gruss family tradition. At the age of 74, Alexis Gruss was at the heart of his wife's show. His sons were also involved: Stephan directed; while Firmin, also a horseman, clown and acrobat, had become the company's managing director. His daughter, Maud Florees Gruss, director of the horse riding team, was trained by her father from the age of 8.

The 2019 show, with three generations performing in the ring along with 50 horses were a huge success. In a joyful atmosphere, the troupe performed a series of acts, each more stunning and astounding than the last; all accompanied by live music and song. Their virtuosity was matched only by their explosive energy, which sent the audience into raptures. Upstanding, magnetic, and imperious; Alexis Gruss imposed his rigorous technique.

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