Con Colleano

Con Colleano
Born	Cornelius Sullivan (1899-12-26)26 December 1899 Lismore, New South Wales
Died	13 November 1973(1973-11-13)(aged 73) Miami, Florida,U.S.
Occupation	Tightrope walker
Spouse	Winifred Constance Stanley Trevail

Con Colleano(bornCornelius Sullivan;26 December 1899 – 13 November 1973) was an Australiantightrope walker.He was the first person to successfully attempt a forward somersault on a tightrope and became one of the most celebrated and highly paidcircusperformers of his time. He was known as "The Wizard of the Wire" or "The Toreador of the Wire".

Early life

He was born Cornelius Sullivan inLismore, New South Waleson 26 December 1899, the son of Cornelius Sullivan (1874–1952), and Julia Vittorine Sullivan (1878–1953), née Robinson, a woman of partialBundjalungdescent,whose father was an Afro-Caribbean man fromSt Thomasin theDanish West Indies.Colleano was the third of 10 children. His father (reportedly afreed convict) made a precarious living fromsideshow"take-on-all-comers"boxingandgambling.

Around 1907, when Colleano was seven years old, the family settled inLightning Ridge, New South Wales,then a newly establishedopalminingfield and a fertile ground for the father's talents. Here Colleano received a rudimentary education and learnedcircusskills from the sideshows present in the town.

Career

By 1910, those of the family of sufficient age had formed a small circus troupe,calling themselves the "Collinos" (apparently as an Italian-sounding name befitting the "sable"complexion of the children, in order to cover the" native blood "in their veins). They traveled throughNew South Wales,and supplemented their income by working for the major traveling circuses of the time.

By 1918, now known as "Colleano's All-Star Circus" (with more of Con's siblings), the troupe was sufficiently established to travel throughQueenslandon their own hired train. The children became known as "The Royal Hawaiian Troupe" (again to cover for their dark complexions).

In 1919, Con managed to achieve the foot-to-foot forward somersault he had been attempting for some time and which was destined to secure his subsequent career.In 1922 he was engaged by the popularTivoli circuit,the major outlet forvaudevillein Australia, on a salary of £60 a week. His siblings also appeared atThe Tivas "Eight Akabar Arabs".

Fame

Having learnt dance moves from his fiancée,soubretteWinifred Constance Stanley "Winnie" Trevail (1900–1986),which he translated to the wire, Con was ready to move overseas to further his career.

At his first performances inSouth Africahe was billed as Australian, but in April 1924 he adopted the Spanishtoreadorpersona he was to employ for the greatest part of his subsequent career.In September 1924 he appeared at theNew York HippodromeTheatre and was soon noticed and engaged byRingling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus,the largest in the country.His act now involved well-executedbullfightingmovements in the ring, Spanish dance moves on the wire, and in conclusion, the dangerous forward somersault.

Thenceforth, through the 1930s until the outbreak ofWorld War IIin 1939, Con was the principal star of Ringling Bros. with a salary of US$1,000 per week. At this time the Big Tent could seat up to 16,000 people. In the winter he performed on the vaudeville circuit in Europe to great acclaim, among his greatest admirers beingAdolf Hitler.

In 1937, he returned toSydney,Australia for a series of performances at the Tivoli ( "the Tiv" ).Into the 1940s Colleano continued performing in the U.S. and appeared on television on theTexaco Star Theaterin 1952. His farm inPennsylvaniabecame a retreat for his siblings and their offspring between performances and, so established, he adopted United States citizenship together with now wife Winnie in 1950.

Personal life

In 1956 Con and Winnie returned to Australia where they purchased the Albion Hotel atForbes, New South Wales.When the venture failed, they returned to America and he resumed his career on the wire to no great acclaim, ending atHonoluluin 1960.

Con and Winnie had no children; Con was the uncle of American actorBonar Colleanoand the great-uncle of American actorJack Stehlin.

Death

He died at his home in Miami in 1973 survived by Winnie who later returned to Australia. Winifred died in 1986 in Sydney.

Ethnicity

Colleano's father was white; his mother the daughter of aWest Indianfather andpart-Aboriginalmother. FromFederationAustralia aspired to a white society, legislated by theWhite Australian Policy(1901) concerning immigration, and theCommonwealth Franchise Act 1902,under which "Indigenous peoplefrom Australia, Asia, Africa and the Pacific Islands, with the exception ofMāori"were denied voting rights. While unskilled labour was almost the sole employment option for those of mixed race, the circus provided an opportunity.

In South Africa, Colleano first used his Spanish toreador act; to identify as an Australian or being of African descent would likely have proven unhelpful at thebox office.Thenceforth, he retained hisassumed racial identitybeing generally perceived as Spanish. Despite the tenor ofSkipping on Starsand other recent reportage, no evidence suggests that, within the non-discriminatory milieu of the circus, he denied, or was greatly concerned by, his heritage.

Honours

In 1997 he, (together withMay Wirth), was honoured byAustralia Poston a postage stamp depicting a contemporary poster entitledThe Wizard of the Wire.

Legacy

• Jack Wilson and Joe Keppel met in Colleano's Circus after the First World War; they later formed the actWilson, Keppel and Betty.
• Con Colleano was inducted into theInternational Circus Hall of Famein 1966 and Winifred Colleano in 1975.
• Colleano's name was included in the Circus Hall of Fame,Sarasota, Florida,in 1966.
• He was celebrated in TheFlying Fruit Fly CircusshowSkipping on Stars(2004), which was a tribute to his life.
• ArtistKarla Dickenscelebrated his life and that ofIndigenous Australianboxers in her multimediainstallation,A Dickensian Circus,which went on display at several art galleries in 2020.

Further reading

• Mark St Leon,The Wizard of the Wire: the Story of Con Colleano,Canberra: Aboriginal Studies Press, 1993ISBN0-85575-246-7
• White, Leah, "Wire wizard Con Colleano's incredible legacy celebrated on highwire in Lismore for NAIDOC Week",ABC North Coast,4 July 2023.

External links

• Ninensm article on Flying Fruit Fly Circus production on ColleanoSkipping on Stars
• Australian Dictionary of Biography
• Related holdings within the National Library of Australiaincluding programs, photographs and oral history interviews
• Photo Bucket – Colleano on wire