Kremos was a famous Swiss family of acrobats. The Kremos, produced two generations of remarkable icarists, followed by two generations of extraordinary jugglers, Béla Kremo, and his son, Kris. In the late-19th and 20th centuries, all of them became a prominent circus and variety stars in Europe; Kris Kremo, who became a celebrated international star in both America and Europe, continued the tradition into the 21st century.
Josef Kremo (1854-1917), whose real name was Kremka, created the Kremo troupe around 1880 when Czechoslovakia was a part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. The first Kremo troupe consisted of Josef and his two eldest sons, Sylvester and Karl. Joseph Kremo was an apprentice of the Scheffers, an Austrian family of talented acrobats who performed the best and most celebrated Risley act of the late 19th century.
Josef had married an Austrian-Hungarian equestrienne, Franzisca Allinger. They had thirteen children, 12 of whom eventually participated in the Risley act. Three of their children, Anton, Franziska, and Viktor, could perform a triple somersault on their father’s feet, the most challenging trick in the specialty, then as now. Eventually, Sylvester (1881-1962), Josef’s eldest son, and Karl (1882-1958), his younger brother, formed their own troupes and continued the family tradition.
Sylvester Kremo was accompanied by two of his daughters, Sylvia and Selna, and their troupe was named after them. Karl Kremo’s family consisted of Karl, his brother Mark (1888-1945), his wife Margrit (1891-1923)—née Hanus in Hungary—and their children, Bellona, Béla, Bianca, and Bert, as well as occasional partners. They continued the Kremo tradition by performing in Europe’s leading circuses and variety theaters until the 1930s. One of Karl’s sons, Béla Kremo, maintained the family name as a world-famous juggler, preserving the character of the Karl Kremo Family.
