Katja Schumann

Katharina "Katja" Schumann (born September 16, 1949) is a Swedish-Danish retired circus performer who performed with, among others, Cirkus Schumann and the Big Apple Circus.

Katja Schumann
Schumann in 1984
Born
Katharina Schumann

(1949-09-16) September 16, 1949
Frederiksberg, Denmark
CitizenshipSweden
Occupations
Known forCirkus Schumann, Big Apple Circus
SpousePaul Binder (1985 - 2004)[1]

Early life

Schumann was born to Ernst "Max" Schumann, a circus proprietor, and Vivi Merete Mikkelsen, the daughter of a Danish veterinarian.[2][3][4]

Career

Circus

Schumann made appearances with her family's circus in Denmark, Cirkus Schumann, representing the fifth generation of her family to perform in the circus.[5] She starred in her own act at 10, and made appearances in her family's show through 1983.[6]

In 1974, Schumann was awarded La Dame du Cirque at the International Circus Festival in Monte Carlo.[7]

In 1976, Schumann was awarded the Gold Medal at the Circus World Championships in London.[8]

In 1981, she made her first appearance in Paul Binder's Big Apple Circus, marrying Binder in 1985, the year she also became the first woman in the United States to perform 'The Courier of St. Petersburg', originated by Andrew Ducrow.[9][10] She also performed haute école.[11] In 1992, she performed at the Big Apple Circus with her father and daughter, and would in later years perform with her son and niece.[12][13] The term "Schumannship" was coined for the Schumann family, meant to invoke "superb equestrian skills."[14]

While working in the United States, Schumann has presented a wide variety of horses, with a particular interest in Arabian and American Saddlebred horses. According to R.J. Candranell of Arabian Visions magazine, "The [Arabian] horses go back in all lines to the 1906 Davenport importation of Arabian horses from the Anazeh and Shammar tribes." Schumann says of horses, ”They are our colleagues, not our pets. We and the horses depend on one another. I think the bedouins and cowboys did the same.”[15] Schumann would also occasionally lend her horses to other shows and their performers, such as bareback rider Timi Loyal of the Loyal-Suarez equestrian troupe, and pasture the animals on local farms when they were not working.[16]

Film
Schumann working behind the scenes on the Danish film Gooseboy, 2019

In 1965, Schumann appeared in a documentary short about her family, directed by her cousin, Benny Schumann.

In 1990, scenes for Woody Allen's film Alice were shot at the Big Apple Circus; Schumann makes an appearance presenting horses.

In 1991, she appeared in the HBO documentary The Big Apple Circus, commemorating the 15th anniversary of the show, narrated by her husband at the time, Paul Binder.

In 2019, she worked behind the scenes of Gooseboy, a family film about a young Danish boy and his goose guide; Schumann provided her trained goose and was credited as "animal handler."[17]

Retirement

In 2015, Schumann purchased a dilapidated former pig farm in Løkken-Vrå, Denmark, a tourist town in the northern part of Jutland. She and her partner, Jens Oluf "Luffe" Bøgh, renovated the property into a working animal farm, seasonal circus, and museum showcasing Schumann's family history and artifacts.[18]

Personal life

Schumann has two children with Paul Binder, Katherine (b. 1985) and Max (b. 1987).[19] Max was born in her family's RV, without a doctor or midwife present, after Schumann performed two shows earlier that day, experiencing "a couple of contractions during the act." Said Schumann at the time, "I caught him before he hit the floor. He quacked and snorted a little and I thought, 'this boy looks just fine to me!' so I tucked him in with me under my bathrobe and waited for the midwives to arrive." Max was born on a Wednesday, and Schumann took off the Thursday morning circus show before returning to perform that evening.[20]

References
  1. "People: Love Pitches Its Tent at One of the Littlest Big Tops on Earth".
  2. "Katja Schumann: Biography". IMDb. Retrieved September 25, 2019.
  3. "Max Schumann | Obituaries". The Stage.
  4. "Viv Schumann: circus performer". The Times.
  5. Bennetts, Leslie (1985-11-22). "THE FEEL OF A ONE-RING CIRCUS". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2023-07-06.
  6. "AT WORK WITH: Paul Binder; A Big Top With a Vision to Match". New York Times.
  7. NELSON, HILDA. (2015). Great horsewomen of the 19th century in the circus and an epilogue on. [Place of publication not identified]: XENOPHON Press LLC. ISBN 978-0933316621. OCLC 990368081.
  8. NELSON, HILDA. (2015). Great horsewomen of the 19th century in the circus and an epilogue on. [Place of publication not identified]: XENOPHON Press LLC. ISBN 978-0933316621. OCLC 990368081.
  9. "Ring and a Prayer". Chicago Tribune.
  10. Cooper, Diana Starr. (1994). Night after night. Washington, D.C.: Island Press. ISBN 1559633069. OCLC 29388838.
  11. NELSON, HILDA. (2015). Great horsewomen of the 19th century in the circus and an epilogue on. [Place of publication not identified]: XENOPHON Press LLC. ISBN 978-0933316621. OCLC 990368081.
  12. "Max Schumann | Obituaries". The Stage.
  13. "AT WORK WITH: Paul Binder; A Big Top With a Vision to Match". New York Times.
  14. "Viv Schumann: circus performer". The Times.
  15. Cadranell, R.J. (September–October 1993). "Arabians at the Big Apple Circus: Why Young Stallions Run Away to Join the circus…". Arabian Visions.
  16. "Mellow". The New Yorker: 34–35. April 2, 1990.
  17. "Katja Schumann: Actress". IMDb. Retrieved September 25, 2019.
  18. "Cirkusprinsessen er tilbage i manegen". Kristeligt Dagblad.
  19. Marianne Meyer (October 6, 1994). "Focus". Washington Post. Retrieved September 25, 2019.
  20. Cooper, Diana Starr. (1994). Night after night. Washington, D.C.: Island Press. ISBN 1559633069. OCLC 29388838.
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