Talent alone is not enough, those who intend to perform on tours must make serious sacrifices. That is why artists undertake the “circus migration” either together with their families or alone, focusing only on work.
If we already mentioned the trip a few lines up: the Hungarian National Circus holds more than 200 performances in 18 locations from mid-March to early November. Our readers must also guess that this requires very serious logistics… Well, if they think so, they are not wrong, because the circus is essentially a “traveling city”, which takes about a day and a half to build and 5-6 hours to dismantle.
Are animals really tortured in traveling circuses?
If Gyula Bill Deák had not sung about the pub company, but about the circus troupes in his well-known song, the chorus could have been like this: “there was the clown, the juggler, the snake charmer…” – and in some cases he might have been right. According to József Richter, the Hungarian National Circus strives to present their artistic productions at a high level. Regarding the torture of animals, he said that he was fed up with stereotypes, and among other things, he opened the safari park so that the outside world would pay attention to their well-being.
Unfortunately, there are circuses in many parts of the world that messed it up, didn’t treat the animals well, and videos were made about it. You have to be able to distinguish between circuses
he underlined. He added that only species that can be considered pets (horses, dogs, parrots) are included in the productions.
Discipline is not done with violent means either, rather the key lies in communication. The dressers use a kind of mixed language (mostly English, French, German), but this is more important because of the international environment, so that they can, for example, work with each other’s horses. Surprising as it may be, animals are not necessarily bothered by being given instructions in other languages, as they can understand the intonation as well. And this is a cognitive process, according to József Richter, it happens that the movements of two- and four-legged animals become more fixed.
“There are many times when I want him to go one more round, but he doesn’t go, but turns to the other side, because he knows what will come next,” the director pointed out. According to József Richter, he speaks several languages: his strengths include English, German and Italian, and he can also express himself in Romanian and Spanish.
As an “Oscar-winning” artist, József Richter has achieved everything, but he still has goals left
According to the artist, he reached the peak of his career when, as an artist in Monte-Carlo, he won the Golden Clown Award, also known as the “Oscar Award” of circus artists, at the International Circus Festival. In relation to the Hungarian National Circus, he stated that it is necessary to deal with the challenges of everyday life, because both the recent past (coronavirus) and the present (war in Ukraine) complicate the situation. At the same time, he wants the project to continue and progress for the next 30 years. The Richter Safari Park is constantly expanding: hippos have arrived this year, and giraffes are on the way. Also, since 2023, visitors can venture among lions and tigers in a unique way in Hungary with the help of trucks with bars.
József Richter feels that one must strike while the iron is hot: he is currently focusing on work, gathering inspirations, and considers continuous learning important.
