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Meet ANNA OLGA ALBERTINA BROWN, otherwise known as Miss La La, a 19th century aerialist who performed feats of incredible strength and skill with a number of touring European circuses. Born in 1858 in Poland to a white mother and a Black father, Miss La La joined the circus at the age of nine. Over the course of her career she became known for dangerous and daring aerial acts, performing regularly in Paris where artist Edgar Degas became obsessed with her. His 1879 painting, Miss La La at the Cirque Fernando, features La La 200 feet in the air, suspended by her teeth from a rope - and no net. Says our storyteller TRISTAN CUNNINGHAM, “Degas painted La La so the viewer is looking up at a Black woman rising high above us. Did he do that on purpose? Maybe. I like to think so!”
Tristan Cunningham is a S.U.N.Y Purchase Theater Arts and Film Conservatory Graduate and a proud member of AEA and SAG-AFTRA. She has won the 2016 TBA Outstanding Performance Award and the 2016 BATCC Excellence in Theater Award. She is also a trained acrobat and juggler and has performed with Circus legends Alberto Zoppe and Marcel Marceau.
Olga “Miss Lala” Brown was a renowned circus performer in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Born in 1858 in what is now Poland, Olga was of African and European descent and began her career as a circus performer in Europe. Olga was known for her incredible strength and athleticism, and her act involved feats such as lifting heavy weights and performing acrobatic stunts while suspended high above the ground. She became one of the most popular performers of her time and was featured in numerous circuses and exhibitions throughout Europe and the United States. Olga’s performances challenged racial and gender stereotypes, and she became a symbol of empowerment and inspiration for many. She was one of the first black women to achieve international fame in the entertainment industry. Despite facing discrimination and racism throughout her career, Olga persevered and continued to break barriers in the world of circus performance. She passed away in 1928, but her legacy continues to inspire and impact the entertainment industry today.
