Miss La La and Kaira Fly Through the Air

History's Heroes

BBC

Society & Culture, History, Documentary

4.8 • 704 Ratings

🗓️ 30 September 2025

⏱️ 28 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

A nineteenth century circus performer and her acrobatic partner defy convention to become icons of the ring, as well as artistic muses.

Stories of bold voices, with brave ideas and the courage to stand alone. Historian Alex von Tunzelmann shines a light on remarkable people from across history.

A BBC Studios production.

Producer: Lorna Reader Written and presented by Alex von Tunzelmann Executive Producer: Paul Smith Commissioning editor for Radio 4: Rhian Roberts

Transcript

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0:00.0	BBC Sounds, music, radio, podcasts.
0:05.6	Your time starts now.
0:07.2	You're about to listen to a BBC podcast.
0:09.4	Absolutely right.
0:11.5	So, you might like to know that the BBC makes loads of other podcasts.
0:15.6	Really?
0:16.4	Wow.
0:17.2	Many of them are very funny.
0:19.1	Which I think means...
0:20.3	A hatful of ha-hars. And energy! Even if we do say so ourselves. I agree 100% to that. Find them all on BBC Sounds. Just tell us a joke. Come on. Tell us a joke. Tell us a joke. Come on. Tell us a joke. Come on. I'm really looking forward to getting stuck in. The 10th of January 1879, Montmartre Paris.
0:41.5	In the light of gas lamps, the red and white circus ring assumed an orange and yellow glow.
0:47.5	The orchestra struck up.
0:49.7	The whole place breaks out and song.
0:52.1	It was a big sing fest.
0:56.5	The equestrians running in with their horses,
1:01.2	kicking up dust in the ring, do all these amazing things, jump up off and on horses,
1:07.8	and other performers like clowns would do all kinds of funny stuff. Dressed in brocaded and tasseled leotards, a tiny troop performed on the trapeze.
1:12.1	16-year-old Teophilia Stairke performed her new show-stopping act, the gymnastics tree.
1:18.6	Theophilia would do a somersault and land on a bamboo pole, which was about 23 feet high,
1:26.6	bounds from below,
1:28.1	and start doing various things, particularly the one-arm planch.
1:32.8	She was a contortionist, so she was beautiful doing these things.
	...

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