Kokh

Kokh 

(stage name of Kukharzh-Kokh). Sisters; Soviet Russian circus artists, acrobats, gymnasts, and tightrope walkers.

Marta Boleslavovna Kokh was born Mar. 24 (Apr. 6), 1912, in Riga. She became an Honored Artist of the RSFSR in 1939.

Zoia Boleslavovna Kokh was born Apr. 23 (May 6), 1915, in Petrograd. She became an Honored Artist of the RSFSR in 1939.

Klara Boleslavovna Kokh was born Mar. 3, 1923, in Ufa. She became an Honored Artist of the RSFSR in 1958.

The Kokhs are the daughters of the circus artist B. lu. Kukharzh-Kokh. Marta and Zoia first appreared in 1922 under their father’s direction as floor gymnasts; later they appeared as acrobats on the double wire. They became famous with the creation of their acts Giant Semaphore (1943, designed by B. lu. Kukharzh-Kokh) and the Wheel (1945). In these shows they demonstrated in an elegant, easy, and graceful manner the most intricate tightrope, acrobatic and gymnastic tricks on an apparatus that revolved perpendicularly to the arena and was raised high under the circus big top. The Kokh sisters toured abroad; they performed until 1963. In 1967, Zoia and I. K. Papazov re-created the Giant Semaphore (performed by the Avdeev sisters). In 1965, Klara became the producer of the Moscow Circus on Stage group.

WORKS

Kokh, Z. Vsia zhizn’ v tsirke. Moscow, 1963.

IU. A. DMITRIEV