The Flying Wallendas

The Flying Wallendas is the name of a circus act and daredevil stunt performers, most known for performing highwire acts without a safety net. They were first known as The Great Wallendas, but the current name was coined by the press in the 40s and has stayed since. The name in their native German, "Die fliegenden Wallenda", is a rhyme on the title of the Wagner opera, "Der fliegende Holländer" ("The Flying Dutchman").

History

Carla Wallenda, Karl Wallenda, Raymond Chitty, and Richard Guzman (Carla's husband). Ca. 1965

Karl Wallenda was born in Magdeburg, Germany, in 1905 to an old circus family, and began performing at the age of 6. While still in his teens he answered an ad for a hand balancer with courage. His employer, Louis Weitzman, taught him the trade. In 1922, Karl put together his own act with his brother Herman, Joseph Geiger, and a teenage girl, Helen Kreis, who eventually became his wife.

The act toured Europe for several years, performing some amazing stunts. When John Ringling saw them perform in Cuba, he quickly hired them to perform at the Ringling Brothers and Barnum and Bailey Circus. In 1928, they debuted at the Madison Square Garden. The act performed without a net (it had been lost in transit) and the crowd gave them a standing ovation.

It was at a performance in Akron, Ohio that the group all fell off the wire, but were unhurt. The next day, a reporter who witnessed the accident was quoted in the newspaper: "The Wallendas fell so gracefully that it seemed as if they were flying" – thus coining the name "The Flying Wallendas".

In 1944, while the Wallendas were performing in Hartford, Connecticut, a fire broke out, killing over 168 people. None of the Wallendas was hurt.

In the following years, Karl developed some of the most amazing acts like the seven-person chair pyramid. They continued performing those acts until 1962, when, while performing at the Shrine Circus at Detroit's State Fair Coliseum, the front man on the wire faltered and the pyramid collapsed. Three men fell to the ground, killing Richard Faughnan, Wallenda's son-in-law; and nephew Dieter Schepp. Karl injured his pelvis, and his adopted son, Mario, was paralyzed from the waist down.

Other tragedies include when Wallenda's sister-in-law, Rietta, fell to her death in 1963, and his son-in-law Richard ("Chico") Guzman was killed in 1972 after touching a live electric wire while holding part of the metal rigging. Nonetheless, Karl decided to go on. He repeated the pyramid act in 1963 and 1977. Karl continued performing with a smaller group, and doing solo acts.

Karl Wallenda crossed the Tallulah Gorge in Georgia on a high wire on July 18, 1970.

On March 22, 1978, during a promotional walk in San Juan, Puerto Rico, Karl Wallenda fell from the wire and died. It was between the towers of Condado Plaza Hotel, 10 stories high. He was 73. Nik Wallenda completed the walk on June 4, 2011 with his mother, Delilah.

There are several branches of the Wallendas performing today, comprising mostly grandchildren of Karl Wallenda. They still perform regularly and have achieved recognition in the Guinness Book of Records.

Nik Wallenda became the first aerialist to walk directly over Niagara Falls on June 15, 2012, from the United States into Canada. Wearing a safety harness as required by ABC television, he crossed at the river's widest point.

Notable family members

• Karl Wallenda (21 January 1905 – 22 March 1978) was the founder and leader of the group until he fell to his death in 1978. He was 73.
• Nikolas and Erendira Wallenda, Karl's great-grandson and his wife now perform with the Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Circus. He is a seventh generation Wallenda. Erendira comes from the Flying Vasquez family of trapeze artists. They have three children, sons Yanni, Amadaos and daughter Evita Wallenda, who are also learning the family trade. On October 15, 2008, Nik broke the world record for the highest and longest bike ride on a high wire live on NBC's Today. On June 15, 2012, Nik became the first person in history to walk over the Niagara falls on a high wire, crossing from the United States to Canada. Upon arriving in Canada, he was required to present his passport to Canadian authorities. When asked his purpose for traveling to Canada, he responded "to inspire people around the world."

Family tree

Engelbert Wallenda

Lucy

Herman Wallenda 1901-1985

Martha

Karl Wallenda 1905-1978

Helen Kreis 1910-1996

Willi Wallenda

Gunther Herman Wallenda 1927-1996

Richard Faughnan d. 1962

Jenny Wallenda

Richard "Chico" Guzman d. 1972

Carla Wallenda

Mike Morgan

Steven Wallenda

Elizabeth "Angel" Pintye

In film, books and song

In 1978, The Great Wallendas aired, a made-for-TV movie about the family."The Great Wallendas" at IMDb

In August, 2003, on the 8th episode of Sex and the City's 6th season, Stanford teases Carrie by comparing a piece she's writing about the flying trapeze to "her days as a Flying Wallenda."

In December 2008, TLC aired a one-hour documentary about Tino and the Wallenda family produced by Jen Stocks for Figure 8 Films. Tino, his 3 children and wife all have performed on the wire, worldwide. Tino is also specifically involved in prison ministry worldwide.

In 2010, alternative country band Drive-By Truckers recorded a song "The Flying Wallendas" about the high-wire circus act. It appears on their album The Big To-Do.

The Flying Wallendas mentioned in Dead Like Me – "Send in the Clown" (25 July 2004)

Rietta Wallenda is mentioned in Mad Men Season 3, Episode 2.

In a Days of our Lives episode that aired on July 26, 2012, Nicole Walker quips that she doesn't give a "Flying Wallenda" what Victor Kiriakis thinks, thus referencing the circus act.

Flying Wallendas mentioned in Oscar London's book Kill as Few Patients as Possible ISBN 978-1-58008-917-3

See also

• Tightrope walking
• Circus Flora

References

• The Flying Wallendas – History – January 30, 2012

WALLENDA A Biography of Karl Wallenda by Ron Morris Sagarin Press 1976 Chatham, NY.

External links

• Rick Wallenda Official Page
• Carla Wallenda article