Jules Léotard

Jules Léotard

Born	Jules Léotard 1842 Toulouse, France
Died	1870 (aged 28) Spain
Known for	Trapeze Acrobatics

Jules Léotard (1842 – 1870),^[1] was a revolutionary French acrobatic performer who developed the art of trapeze. He also popularised the one-piece gymwear that now bears his name and was the inspiration for the 1867 song "The Daring Young Man on the Flying Trapeze".

Early career

Léotard was born in Toulouse, France, the son of a gymnastics instructor. After he passed his Law exams, he seemed destined to join the legal profession. But at 18 he began to experiment with trapeze bars, ropes and rings suspended over a swimming pool. Léotard later joined the Cirque Napoleon.

References

^ Estimates on his date of birth vary, from 1838 to 1842. However, the UK theatre museum definitively provides his age at death in 1870 as 28; without providing a year of birth.

Michael Diamond, Victorian Sensation, (Anthem Press, 2003) ISBN 1-84331-150-X. Pp. 262–264.

External links

"Jules Leotard". Theatre and Performance. Victoria and Albert Museum. http://www.vam.ac.uk/collections/theatre_performance/features/history_of_circus/circus_performers/jules_leotard/index.html. Retrieved 2011-02-15.

Persondata
Name	Leotard, Jules
Alternative names
Short description
Date of birth	1842
Place of birth	Toulouse, France
Date of death	1870
Place of death	Spain