Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey®

A Family Affair at the Circus!

Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey® Circus is known for providing audiences of families with a spectacular show full of exotic animals and agile acrobats performing death-defying stunts. The upcoming show Bellobration™ is no exception and is guaranteed to entertain viewers as the comedic dare-devil Bello steals the show with his uproarious antics. Whether scaring himself silly after stumbling into other performers’ thrill acts or turning frightening stunts into acts of hilarity, Bello has earned his title from TIME Magazine as “America’s Best Clown.”

The success of Bellobration™ builds on the antics of Bello and reaches new heights of entertainment by showcasing numerous families of acrobats that bring electrifying stunts to the center stage. These performers amaze audiences with their grace and skill whether they are commanding magnificent tigers, balancing on cables 25 feet in the air, or being shot out of a cannon. The key to the success of such dazzling performances is due in part to the fact that almost all the acts are performed by troupes of family acrobats descended from a long line of circus performers.

The Maluenda Family
One spectacular performer born into six generations of acrobats on his mother’s side and four generations of trapeze artists on his father’s side is the legendary tiger trainer Tabayara “Taba” Maluenda. Growing up in a circus family allowed Taba to experience a plethora of circus careers, but after watching a video of the world-renowned animal trainer Gunther Gebel-Williams, Taba knew it was his calling. Taba has created a spectacular performance in which he commands 12 Bengal and white tigers and pushes the envelope at every turn. In one instance, the magnificent white-striped tiger, “Rhino,” leaps over Taba while the trainer balances in the position of a handstand. Taba is not the only talent from his immediate family as his wife and daughter also travel and perform with the circus.

The Aguilar Family
Another family performance highlighted in Bellobration™ is the high wire act of brothers Mauricio and Alberto Aguilar. As the sixth generation of circus performers in their family, this duo has grown up watching relatives perform as acrobats, trapeze artists, and jugglers. Following in the footsteps of their father and two of their six sisters, the brothers bring jaw-dropping high wire walking to the Frank Erwin Center this August. Training since the age of 12, these brothers have perfected their high wire act which includes balancing 25 feet in the air on wires no wider than the width of a person’s thumb. Their increasingly intricate act includes side-by-side stunts involving unicycles, umbrellas, baskets, and chairs. In one of their stunning acts, Mauricio leaps six feet in the air to another impossibly thin wire while balancing perilously high off the ground. They credit their passion for their craft to the example set by their father who described the necessity for “inner fire” to perform such daring feats.

The Miser Family
As if tiger trainers and high wire acrobats weren’t enough entertainment for circus audiences, Ringling Brothers and Barnum and Bailey® also packs a punch with the human cannonball duo of husband and wife, Brian and Tina Miser. Growing up in Peru, Indiana, both acrobats were exposed to
a world of circus fanfare in a city known as the “Circus Capital of the World.” Brian joined the circus after graduating high school and eventually earned his spot in the grand finale of the 133rd Edition of Ringling Bros®, where he was shot across the arena floor while on fire. This act, titled “Bailey’s Comet,” made Brian the first person to ever attempt this stunt. Tina deferred her desire to join the circus immediately after high school and instead attended college and served with the Air Force until returning to her home town to pursue the circus life. Tina remembered meeting Brian during her trips home and joined his human cannonball act. Their trust and faith in each other has allowed them to reintroduce the double cannon shot which has not been performed in over thirty years.

The Wallenda Family
The next performers have arguably the most impressive lineage of circus acts. Nikolas Wallenda is a seventh generation circus performer from a family whose circus talents date back to the 1700s. His wife, Erendira Vasquez Wallenda, is an eighth generation circus artist on her mother’s side and a seventh generation on her father’s side. Nikolas and Erendira join The Ringling Brothers® 137th production this year and bring their combined talents on the Wheel of Steel, the Cloud Swing, and Sway Pole to audiences everywhere. Nikolas, and several members of his family, set a Guinness world record when they performed an eight-person pyramid on a high wire. Erendira amazes audience members as she balances atop 41 to 62 feet sway poles that can have up to a 25 foot swing radius. This act requires intense concentration and complete control as one slight movement can shift the poles.

Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey® presents Bellobration™ is a joyous family affair for both audiences and performers and is a truly magical event for everyone to see. All the circus excitement will be going on at the Frank Erwin Center August 20-24!