BIG TOP—Circus Vargas’ Josue Marinelli checks the ropes on the trapeze before opening night at Conejo Creek Park on June 22 in Thousand Oaks. The circus retired its animal performers in the early 2000s. Its current production is a retro-futuristic Steam Cirque show.
The circus— that great American pastime—isn’t what it used to be. But the show goes on and families still love it.
Circus Vargas, the long-running Irvine, Calif., troupe that entertained audiences in the Conejo Valley last weekend, is one of the few traveling shows that still perform in the state. Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus closed for good in May due to dwindling audiences and growing pressure from animal-rights activists.
AIRBORNE— Circus Vargas performer Isabel Patrowicz practices her trapeze routine before opening night June 22 at Conejo Creek Park in Thousand Oaks.
Circus Vargas was founded in 1969 by Clifford Vargas and is now co-owned and produced by Nelson and Katya Quiroga through the company Tabares Entertainment, which they established in 2005.
Exotic animals were phased out of the show in the early 2000s under the previous owners, and domesticated animals like horses, dogs and cats were retired in 2009.
BEFORE THE SHOW—Top right, Stevie Cabeagna, left, and Ingrid Silva get made up for the show. Bottom right, Ingrid Silva, left, Mariella Quiroga and her mother, Katya Quiroga, and Isabel Patrowicz relax before Circus Vargas’ opening night in Thousand Oaks last week.
Today, the big top acts rely on human performers only.
“We changed ahead of the curve,” Katya Quiroga said. “We took the animals out of the show before it became the thing to do. So we had time to adjust to make it more modern, where it’s still a fantastic production and you don’t feel like you’re missing anything.”
For the Vargas troupe, life in the circus is a family undertaking. Performers both young and old play about 400 shows a year at dozens of different locations.
Putting on the show is the fun part. The hard work takes place between performances.
Each time the circus arrives in a new town, workers must erect the big blue Vargas tent, which can hold as many as 1,500 people. On departure day, everything is taken down, packed up and transported to the next town.
“I don’t see it so much as a job. . . . It’s a passion,” said Nicolette Fornasari, an aerialist with the troupe.
Circus Vargas comprises several generations of performers and crew members. It is a family run operation that travels 10 months out of the year throughout California and other western states.
“I really value that I have my family with me,” said Fornasari, who grew up in the circus. “I’m with my parents, my fiance and my cousins. But it’s not all glitz and glamour; it takes a lot of hard work behind the scenes. We practice our entire lives to get good at what we do.”
The newest Vargas attraction— a retro-futuristic Steam Cirque show—features performers doing old-fashioned circus acts with a science-fiction twist.
The acrobatic, comedy and magic acts are accompanied by live music.
“The show is uniquely ours. It’s family-friendly and animal-free,” said Quiroga, a seventh-generation circus performer.
“We want to keep it interesting. That’s why we keep reinventing ourselves,” she said.
Nelson and Katya Quiroga, who are both flying trapeze artists, met 28 years ago while working at Circus Vargas. They also performed with other outfits such as Ringling Bros.
But they stopped performing last year and now devote their time to running the business.
The troupe is made up of 30 performers and 70 crew members who are capable of working different jobs.
The Quirogas, their parents, a sibling, three daughters and other relatives are part of the crew.
The circus travels with a full-time teacher and an assistant who provide daily lessons to 15 children in a mobile classroom.
Most of the children plan to stay in the circus when they grow up.
“A lot of times people think we’re so different. Yes, we can do a whole bunch of different acts, but the main thing is we still have a normal life,” said Mariella Quiroga, 19, a flying trapeze artist who learned her craft from her mother.
“We have our families in the show; we also like to go out to the movies and to eat out. The only difference is, our home moves. We travel and get to see different places,” Quiroga said.
The young woman plans to follow in her parents’ footsteps. She recently graduated from high school and plans to take online college classes to study business.
In addition to touring in the western U.S., the Circus Vargas troupe was invited to perform abroad in the Philippines and in Europe in places such as Portugal and Monaco, where they appeared in front of the royal family.
At each show they strive to create an intimate, magical experience for their audience, Katya Quiroga said.
About a half-hour before each show, the performers invite children to come into the main ring to learn a few juggling and balancing tricks. Audience members can take photos with the cast afterward.
In Thousand Oaks, the tent has folded and the troupe has moved on, but the group hopes to return next year.
“It’s in my blood; it’s what I love to do,” said Fornasari, the aerialist. “This is my home and I love it.”