Written by Martín "Chachi" Nevarez-Ulloa
May 10, 2016
May 10, 2016
For many, some of our fondest childhood memories consist of times spent at the circus. The colorful neon lights glowing overhead as the intoxicating scent of fresh popcorn rides through the air, it's a moment you wish you could relive a thousand times over. In San Luis Obispo County, however, it's rare to see a circus in town. I mean, sure, every few years we get the occasional guest appearance from traveling acts such as Circus Vargas, and even more rarely, Las Vegas' very own American Crown Circus and El Coloso De Las Americas Circo Osorio, but regardless, these short-lived visits often make up a night to be remembered, and the recent visit by the notorious South American traveling circus Circo Hermanos Caballeros was certainly no exception.
Circo Hermanos Caballeros, at one time, was one of the most common circuses to appear in our small county. In fact, their appearance was once so routine that elementary school students of the Paso Robles School District would be given free children's tickets, the catch being that in order to attend, their parents would inevitably have to purchase their tickets. And it was a working system, the children would get free entry to see the incredible Caballero family do what they do best, and the parents would get the gift of a child's delight for the small cost of an adult admission ticket.
However, in recent years the appearance of the Caballeros has gone either unnoticed or unreported, and as a result, the likelihood of the traveling circus making a stop in San Luis Obispo County has gradually decreased. In fact, a quick google search of the words “SLO County Circus” brings up multiple links to the website of the more common Circus Vargas, but none for Circo Hermanos Caballero. The reason for this is unclear; of all the circus acts to perform in our county, Circo Hermanos Caballero is without a doubt one of the most spectacular.
I recently paid a visit to the first day of Circo Hermanos Caballero four day stay in Paso Robles as part of a job, after a quick check of credentials I was allowed free admission. The cost of an adult ticket was around $30, which I originally thought to be a little pricey, but as the show progressed it quickly became clear why; despite being a family owned circus, Circo Hermanos Caballero is far from amateur.
Keeping a firm grasp on tradition, the circus focused mainly on conventional acts such as air ballet, contortion, tight rope walking, things of that nature. However, the talent recruited to perform these acts was truly something else. From the majestic air ballet performed by Melody Caballero to the incredible synchronized juggling performed by brothers Carlos and Oleg Martinez, despite the complexity of each act not a single performer missed a beat.
In example, the above mentioned synchronized juggling, wherein the brothers did a variety of juggling tricks and acrobatics leading up to the moment when they would cross paths with their pins and juggle them together, one wouldn’t be wrong in expecting one of the brothers to drop a pin and casually play it off while continuing to juggle the remaining pins (in all honesty, as I watched this act I waited for this exact moment as I’ve seen before in other juggling acts). However, this was not the case. The complexity of the act continued to increase, finally ending with no error.
Between impressive acts, of course, there were entertaining albeit less shocking acts, including Rafael Abuhadba and his dancing pink poodles and the Chilean fan favorite musical clown Tuty Fruty [sic] who performed renditions of Michael Jackson’s “You Are Not Alone” and Frank Sinatra’s “My World” amongst others.
This, of course, all led up to the “grand finale”, wherein the above mentioned Melody Caballero would demonstrate her talent for the art of contortion. As the lights fell dim, a 6 foot platform in the shape of the Eifel Tower was wheeled to the center of the ring. The young contortionist, previously a contestant on America’s Got Talent, then appeared on stage, climbing up to the platform beginning with standard feats of contortion, and slowly moving her way up to more complex ones, finishing her act by holding the entire weight of her body up by only her mouth and a reed. However, this was not the grand finale.
Once more, the lights fell dim and the ballerinas came out, followed by a 10 foot metal dome. The revving of dirt bikes could be heard over the speakers as the Ringmaster announced the true grand finale: The infamous motorcycle maniacs. The crowd went wild as the first two cyclists entered the Globe of Death, only to have their jaws drop even more as the third cyclist went in. By the time the fourth cyclist entered the globe, the roars throughout the tent could be heard all the way across town.
Overall, Circo Hermanos Caballeros is without a doubt one of the most astonishing circus acts I’ve ever seen. Despite the high prices, I would definitely recommend that anybody who missed them in Paso catch them in SLO May 19th – 23rd. I would also recommend that they eat before and try to sneak in a drink or something, as everything - and I mean everything - inside is $5.
Circo Hermanos Caballeros, at one time, was one of the most common circuses to appear in our small county. In fact, their appearance was once so routine that elementary school students of the Paso Robles School District would be given free children's tickets, the catch being that in order to attend, their parents would inevitably have to purchase their tickets. And it was a working system, the children would get free entry to see the incredible Caballero family do what they do best, and the parents would get the gift of a child's delight for the small cost of an adult admission ticket.
However, in recent years the appearance of the Caballeros has gone either unnoticed or unreported, and as a result, the likelihood of the traveling circus making a stop in San Luis Obispo County has gradually decreased. In fact, a quick google search of the words “SLO County Circus” brings up multiple links to the website of the more common Circus Vargas, but none for Circo Hermanos Caballero. The reason for this is unclear; of all the circus acts to perform in our county, Circo Hermanos Caballero is without a doubt one of the most spectacular.
I recently paid a visit to the first day of Circo Hermanos Caballero four day stay in Paso Robles as part of a job, after a quick check of credentials I was allowed free admission. The cost of an adult ticket was around $30, which I originally thought to be a little pricey, but as the show progressed it quickly became clear why; despite being a family owned circus, Circo Hermanos Caballero is far from amateur.
Keeping a firm grasp on tradition, the circus focused mainly on conventional acts such as air ballet, contortion, tight rope walking, things of that nature. However, the talent recruited to perform these acts was truly something else. From the majestic air ballet performed by Melody Caballero to the incredible synchronized juggling performed by brothers Carlos and Oleg Martinez, despite the complexity of each act not a single performer missed a beat.
In example, the above mentioned synchronized juggling, wherein the brothers did a variety of juggling tricks and acrobatics leading up to the moment when they would cross paths with their pins and juggle them together, one wouldn’t be wrong in expecting one of the brothers to drop a pin and casually play it off while continuing to juggle the remaining pins (in all honesty, as I watched this act I waited for this exact moment as I’ve seen before in other juggling acts). However, this was not the case. The complexity of the act continued to increase, finally ending with no error.
Between impressive acts, of course, there were entertaining albeit less shocking acts, including Rafael Abuhadba and his dancing pink poodles and the Chilean fan favorite musical clown Tuty Fruty [sic] who performed renditions of Michael Jackson’s “You Are Not Alone” and Frank Sinatra’s “My World” amongst others.
This, of course, all led up to the “grand finale”, wherein the above mentioned Melody Caballero would demonstrate her talent for the art of contortion. As the lights fell dim, a 6 foot platform in the shape of the Eifel Tower was wheeled to the center of the ring. The young contortionist, previously a contestant on America’s Got Talent, then appeared on stage, climbing up to the platform beginning with standard feats of contortion, and slowly moving her way up to more complex ones, finishing her act by holding the entire weight of her body up by only her mouth and a reed. However, this was not the grand finale.
Once more, the lights fell dim and the ballerinas came out, followed by a 10 foot metal dome. The revving of dirt bikes could be heard over the speakers as the Ringmaster announced the true grand finale: The infamous motorcycle maniacs. The crowd went wild as the first two cyclists entered the Globe of Death, only to have their jaws drop even more as the third cyclist went in. By the time the fourth cyclist entered the globe, the roars throughout the tent could be heard all the way across town.
Overall, Circo Hermanos Caballeros is without a doubt one of the most astonishing circus acts I’ve ever seen. Despite the high prices, I would definitely recommend that anybody who missed them in Paso catch them in SLO May 19th – 23rd. I would also recommend that they eat before and try to sneak in a drink or something, as everything - and I mean everything - inside is $5.