Her career as an artist began as early as four years old when Arlette played the drums before she began on the trapeze.  She appeared in public at the age of 7.  A year later she performed “un pas de deux” with her father at the Medrano Circus.  At the Mogador Theater, in the operetta “The Saltimbanques", she performed on the trapeze at the age of 10. Later she performed hand to hand trapeze acts with her brother Philippe.

In 1945, under the big top Gruss Jeannet, she carries out a superb number on a tightrope, and then resumed the trapeze alongside the daughter of Lucien Jeannet. In 1951, Arlette performed under the pseudonym Hélène de Vernon. In 1967, she first entered the cage in front of cheetahs.  She toured Europe with all of the famous troops (Bouglione, Circo Price Madrid, Circo Americano, Circo Medrano Casartelli, and Circo Faggioni).

Arlette’s career slowed gradually yielding to her place as the spouse of Georges Kobann.  They spent several seasons with Carl Althoff (Germany), then in France with Albert Rancy and in the Circus of the Voix du Nord.Arlette cède progressivement la place à son époux Georges Kobann. On les retrouve plusieurs saisons chez Carl Althoff (Allemagne), puis en France chez Albert Rancy et au cirque de La Voix du Nord.

June 9, 1984, Arlette officially ended her career as an artist.

A future full of adventure

In the early days of December 1985 the daughter of the master horseman Alexis Gruss decided to rename her company "The Arlette Gruss Circus." This represented a new challenge for this exceptional woman that, some months earlier, had announced to her father her intention to carry on the family business under her own name.  It had been previously called "Le Grand Cirque de France".  Apart from the big top, everything was made by hand, A to Z, by Georges Kobann, Arlette’s husband, and Gilbert Gruss, her son. 

« If you undertake this endeavour, promise to never give up! », said Alexis Gruss to his daughter when he learned about her new project, one that he sadly did not live to see realized.

Arlette Gruss did not fail in her promise despite the numerous occasions to crack experienced during the beginning of this fabulous adventure.

« Descends from a chiseller and a rope dancer from Sainte-Marie-aux-Mines, we are like the children of Obélix and Esméralda.  Caring people, we can defend big causes, sometimes against the established order.  Always strong in our body and in our head, with a dash of originality that allows surmounting unbelievable challenges, we have presented artists to the public for a hundred and thirty years.  Our destiny is prestigious », declared Arlette Gruss in the book written by Jacques Godot in 2002.  Prestigious, this is the word.

December 24, 1992, French President awarded Arlette Gruss the "National Circus Award" with these words: « This distinction comes to honor the exceptional talent, energy and rigid determination that you put to the service of the Arts of the Circus and that you instill into the team that surrounds you ».

These values continue in the Arlette Gruss Circus even today where there is a quality reference in the living spectacle, in France and in Europe. All this was realized by the colossal efforts of that first restricted team of faithful ones always are presend, in the shadow or the light, and by the force of a family.

As was her wish, this realized dream with the strong work ethics as creator of the onoing circus spectacle are now under the direction of her son, Gilbert Gruss.