Between June and October 1910 the most accomplished Risley
act in the world, The Kremo family, visited Australia.
It was Harry Rickards, the legendary owner of the Tivoli who
brought them to Australia, and it was Cinquevalli, the equally legendary juggler,
who persuaded him to do so.
Rickards was in Blackpool England, chatting to his good
friend and reliable money maker, Paul Cinquevalli when the juggler introduced
him to Silvester Kremo. Rickards checked out the act and invited Silvester and
his family to Australia. It took 5 years for them to get here, because they
were so popular.
10 members of the Kremo family arrived in Sydney in June
1910 including Silvester, the leader, his wife, Victor and Leon, who were twins, Eugenie, Ella, Emma, Frances
and an infant.
The Kremos were experts in Risley work, acrobatics with the feet. Their specialty was
tossing a human being from one person lying on their back to another lying on
their back . The youngster who was tossed like a football during the Australian
tour was not a relative, because, as Silvester told a reporter, ‘even the most
obliging of parents cannot be expected to keep up a supply of light youngsters.’
The four sisters were interviewed in Sydney, and were full
participants in the show. They practised every day, but they told reporters that
practice was like play to them. Eugenie, the eldest, was the only woman in the
world who laid on the cushion and juggled people
They played in Sydney, Melbourne and Adelaide and were greeted
with wild applause in every city.
In Melbourne the performance was described as;
A stage filled with
whirling, bounding, spinning figures whose gold spangled vestments are a blaze
of light
The turn included a bit where three Kremos laid on their
back and tossed three other Kremos from one to the other. A small boy, dressed
in a checkered costume was a highlight, as he was thrown from Kremo to Kremo
like a rubber ball .
The Kremos stayed in Australia until October when they
sailed away for another 6 years of solid bookings.
The poor quality photos are from contemporary newspapers.
