The Koch Sisters (real surname –Kuharzh-Koh)
Marta Boleslavovna Koch was born in Riga, Latvia (1912-1996).
Circus performer, acrobat, gymnast, Honoured Artist of the RSFSR (1939).
Marta married Ivan Papazov, one of the masters of the Soviet circus.
She toured abroad and her successes brought fame to the Soviet circus.
She stopped performing in 1963.
Zoya Boleslavovna Koch was born in Petrograd, Russia (1915-1981).
Circus performer, acrobat, gymnast, tightrope walker, Honoured Artist of the RSFSR (1939). She toured abroad and her successes brought fame to the Soviet circus.
She stopped performing in 1963.
In 1980, for many years of fruitful work in the field of Soviet circus art, she was awarded a Certificate of Honour from the Presidium of the Supreme Court of the RSFSR.
Klara Boleslavovna Koch was born in Ufa, Russia (1923-1982).
Circus performer, acrobat, gymnast, Honoured Artist of the RSFSR (1958).
From 1955-1964, Klara performed a musically eccentric number together with her husband, L.V. Gumenyuk.
In 1965-1981, she worked as a director of the Moscow group “Circus on Stage” at the Central Studio of Circus Art, where she staged more than twenty acts in various genres. She toured abroad and her successes brought fame to the Soviet circus and she stopped performing in 1963.
In 1980, for many years of fruitful work in the field of Soviet circus art, she was awarded a Certificate of Honour from the Presidium of the Supreme Court of the RSFSR.
Their mother was Tatyana Pavlovna Kokh (1895-1985)
Their father was Boleslav Yuzefovich Kucharz-Koch (1886-1967).
Acrobat, gymnast, director, coach, inventor of original circus equipment.
Since 1921, Marta, together with her sister Zoya, performed in the 'Roman Rings' act and since 1922, they performed in the aerial gymnastic act 'Flying Cupids. In the Flying Cupids number, the girls were dressed in costumes with wings on their backs. Their father, Boleslav, was the host of the number. Hanging in a frame, he held Martha and Zoya in gymnastic positions and performing various tricks. The girls did “power lifts” on the rings, demonstrated blanches, did handstands and performed “breakdowns” and “breaks”. In the finale, Boleslav held a long rockerin his teeth and Martha and Zoya were hanging on its ends, also holding them in their teeth, with the rocker rotated on a ball bearing (commonly known today as an iron jaw).
From 1926-1932, they worked on a balancing act (on wire), and in 1932-1936, they performed together with their mother. The numbers “Equilibrium on a double wire” premiered in 1926 (acrobatic tricks on two parallel wires, which were stretched at a distance of about 60-70 cm).
“Giant Semaphore” premiered in 1926 and gained worldwide fame by 1943 (a bicycle ride on a rotating metal ellipse).
All three Koch Sisters performed the “Wheel on an inclined rope” (1945).
In the 1st minute of this video, we see all three Koch Sisters in 1942, performing on a tightrope with a ladder:
https://youtu.be/1o6PT8G3NTo?si=7pLdvb5ItEFoAs8m
The Giant Semaphore: Moscow 1944
https://youtu.be/ECrR9dyfJag?si=pDQ4TkBTb-bGxZH9
Enjoy!
BOLESLAV-KOCH-INSTRUCTIONS-FOR-DESIGNS-OF-LIVING-PROPELLER.odt
