The Kiralfy Brothers

Bolossy Kiralfy
Caricature of Bolossy Kiralfy
Born	Bolossy Königsbaum (1848-01-00)January , 1848 Austro-Hungarian empire
Died	1932 (aged 83–84) New York City, New York, United States
Occupation	Dancer, Director/Producer

Imre Kirafly and Bolossy Kiralfy were highly influential burlesque and spectacle producers in Europe and the United States toward the end of the 19th century. The brothers paved the way for many of our modern day spectacles. With backgrounds in music and dance, these performers turned producers dazzled New York City with theatrical wonders. The brothers had a long and successful partnership and even continued to have success in their individual careers. From folk dancing in Europe to directing and producing in the United States, the Kiralfys spent their lives astounding audiences with unseen visual phenomenon and were never afraid to push the boundaries earning them a special place in entertainment history.

The Kiralfy Brothers, Imre (1845-1919) and Bolossy (1848-1932), were the eldest of seven siblings born in the 1840s in Budapest during the Hungarian Revolution, in which their father, Jacob Königsbaum, was ruined. When they were young children, Imre and Bolossy began to teach themselves to dance. They continued for years until their father caught them and promptly enrolled them in dance classes. Soon, they were dancing at large venues such as the Hungarian Circus. There the brothers first performed under the name “Kiralfy” instead of their family name of Königsbaum; the boys’ father changed their name to prevent them from being recognized as the sons of a revolutionary. They were never recognized, though over the years, there were a number of close encounters with Austrian police, during many of which their father was nearly arrested. Jacob Königsbaum and their mother, Anna (Rosa) Weisberger, were highly supportive of their sons’ career. They gave up their clothing business to take the brothers on tour through Europe. For many years, the family continued to travel, touring all through both Eastern and Western Europe, while the three of the four younger siblings went to school and learned dance. The Kiralfy family motto was “All the World’s a Stage.” Eventually, their sisters Haniola, Emile and Katie, as well as their youngest brother Arnold joined Imre and Bolossy in the dance industry. Only their brother Ronald was uninterested in dance.