Koringa

Renée Bernard, known as Koringa (1913–1976) was a French circus performer and snake charmer. She was billed as the "Only Female Fakir in the World" and "the only female yogi".

Early life Renée Bernard was born in Bordeaux, France, in 1913. However, her promotional materials claimed that Koringa was born in Rajisthan, India, having been orphaned at the age of three and raised by fakirs who had taught her their skills.

Career Cyril Bertram Mills of the Bertram Mills Circus discovered and recruited Bernard in 1937 when she was performing an act involving climbing barefoot up a ladder made of swords for a small French circus. Her act also included dancing on razor blades and hot coals. She was billed as "The Only Female Fakir in the World".

Her acts included four female assistants in Eastern-style costumes, five crocodiles, two pythons, two boa constrictors, and having a concrete block broken on her stomach.

In 1937, she was featured on the cover of Look magazine. By November 1939, it was believed that Koringa earned more than the British prime minister.

By 1942, Koringa had left the Mills Circus and was headlining with a vaudeville tour.. In February 1942, she lost control of her largest crocodile and it dived into the orchestra pit at the Palace in Preston.

She also appeared as the headline act in other circuses, including Tower Circus in Blackpool, in France, and Boswell Wilkie Circus in South Africa. She stopped touring in 1960 but continued to perform in France.

South African writer Finuala Dowling's 2022 novel The Man Who Loved Crocodile Tamers has Koringa as a central character. Koringa is one of the female artists featured in Marisa Carnesky's 2022 production Showwomen.