We all like observing like someone does magic. Illusionism is a very old profession that originates from ancient times. Various magicians and illusionists gained popularity in the 20th century, and almost all more or less developed countries had their own famous magicians. The Soviet Union wasn’t the exception. Many so-called magicians were performing with the circuses, so the Soviet people were very proud of their circus.
There’s one man that stands out among all Soviet illusionists — Igor Kio. He was a son of Emil Teodorovich Kio. There’s no person in CIS and even abroad who hasn’t heard about the dynasty of Kio. So many beautiful Russian women were in love with him and numerous talks about his numerous affairs aren’t a secret. People were shocked after seeing his tricks, and they really made people believe in magic. However, the illusionist himself stated that wonders don’t exist.
The Early Life Of Famous Magician
We’ve already mentioned that his father was an illusionist. He also had an older brother that became an illusionist. Now you understand why we say that Kio is not a family but a dynasty. What about his surname? There are many theories of its origin. Some people state that it’s an acronym of the Russian phrase: Magician from Ossetia; others tell that Igor’s father Emil saw a sign with one letter burnt out, and it looked like “KIO.” No matter what the idea was — the result is amazing: a nice and memorable surname.
Emil Kio wanted Igor to become his follower, and he thought that the older son would get another profession. However, Emil Kio Jr. decided to keep his father’s case. Igor has participated in his father’s performances since early childhood, and his parents thought he would want to be a magician. But the young boy was interested in football and showed outstanding results in it. Father was against this hobby, Igor’s coach tried to convince Emil to let his son start a career in football, but the father was adamant.
In 1959, when Igor was 15, he had a debut. It was supposed to be his father’s performance, but he got ill and asked the son to replace him. From that day, Igor became a father’s assistant until his death in 1965.
Igor Kio And His Creative Activity
In 1977, the magician presented the program “The favorites-1977”, where he performed old tricks and included some new acts. Besides the circus, Igor performed on television and in the theater. During 1982-1984 he was doing the show “The Attraction” with a famous singer Alla Pugacheva. In addition, Igor often asked singers, actors, and other stars to perform in his programs: “New Year’s Day” program in 1980, “Without Illusions” program in 1985. The former one was broadcasted on TV, and the latter one was set in Moscow Variety Theater.
In 1989 Igor decided to leave Rosgoscircus and perform individually. He started his own company called Show-Illusion of Igor Kio. This company organized the tours for Igor himself and other actors, artists, and illusionists. At that time, the whole world was crazy about David Copperfield. Igor said that Soviet magicians are as talented and skilled as foreign ones, but they just don’t have enough money to create stunning tricks.
However, Igor Kio showed a trick, similar to what Copperfield did. Kio locked himself in a chest, then his assistants chained this chest and threw this chest from a helicopter into the Ostankino pond. The audience thought the magician was dead, but after a few minutes, Kio appeared driving a car. To say that people were shocked is to say nothing. It’s only one among the dozens of difficult and mysterious tricks Igor performed. People in the USA, Japan, France, Belgium, Germany, and Yugoslavia enjoyed
In 1999 he was elected the honorary academician of the Russian National Academy of Circus. Unfortunately, the health problems didn’t let some of his plans be fulfilled. In 2003 Igor Kio became a People’s Artist of Russia. At the end of his life, he fell seriously ill and even did the surgery, but the organism was too exhausted. Finally, he died in 2005 because of pneumonia, diabetes mellitus, and other chronic diseases.
