No clowning around

WHILE many might think running a circus is simply clowning around, Ivan Suarez, director of the Suarez Brothers Circus says it’s actually a high-stakes world where juggling finances and navigating diplomatic tightropes are just as crucial as dazzling audiences.

And according to Suarez, the fact that the business is celebrating 152 years in existence this year means they have been hitting their targets with precision.

The story of the Suarez Brothers Circus began in Mexico during the 19th century with Miguel Suarez, his great-great-great-grandfather, Suarez told Express Business.

Miguel Suarez was into show business and used to host small shows to entertain the people of Guadalajara in a plaza and garden area.

Eventually, in 1853, Miguel Suarez filed for and was granted a permit by the city council to officially entertain the public.

That order was in his name alone.

But by 1872, due to the success of his shows, Miguel Suarez obtained permission from the city council to host a full-fledged circus, complete with a tent, in the city of León.

At that time Miguel Suarez had two sons, Crispin and Fernando, so he named the circus “Circo Hermanos Suarez” in their honour

The sons were talented in the equestrian arts. Their riding skills along with the tricks performed by the horses added to the allure of the circus.

And for generations this was one of the big-ticket items that drew audiences, Suarez said.

But this has changed.

The Suarez Brothers Circus no longer includes animal acts as part of its show.

In 2002, according to news reports, the circus featured bears known as the “Suarez Six” that had to be taken into the custody of the US Fish and Wildlife Service in Puerto Rico because of ill treatment.

Suarez said the circus has reworked its entire product.

As a result, relatives turned to other circus skills, including juggling, acrobatics, and trapeze acts.

However, the circus is not solely comprised of family members, Suarez noted.

Currently, they have a traveling troupe of 50 performers.

These performers, he said, come from circus schools located in Russia, various countries in Africa, and Mexico.

He said the performers come from several countries, including Brazil, Argentina, Ethiopia, Russia, Colombia, El Salvador, and Mexico.

Plans for Tobago in the works

After visiting Suriname, French Guiana and Guyana earlier this year, the Suarez Brothers Circus arrived in T&T in July.

The start of the circus was put on hold due to shipping delays as a result of bad weather, but since then, Suarez said, it has been bright skies in T&T.

And as such they plan to remain in Trinidad and Tobago for another five weeks.

Suarez said Trinidad and Tobago’s response to the circus has been great, resulting in its extended stay.

From Saturday, the circus moves to San Fernando and then to Chaguanas.

“We are very happy for the response that we get this summer, it was a very good success in Port of Spain. We have a lot of demand from Chaguanas and San Fernando so then we decided to extend our period in Trinidad to go to South,” said Suarez.

He said the circus is expected to be in Skinner Park, San Fernando, for three weeks, followed by two weeks in Chaguanas at a location to be determined.

Suarez said they also hope to take the circus to Tobago, as they have never been to that island despite this being the fifth visit to this country.

The circus will be heading Jamaica next.

According to Suarez, the circus will return to T&T, hopefully, in two years time.

Commenting on its impact on the public, Suarez confirmed that the feedback has been encouraging based on comments from social media.

“We have very good feedback, people only have a good comment about the show. We are very proud of that because that’s the reason why we are working so hard because people really enjoy what we do throughout the years …most of the comments are good ones.”

Locals hired

Suarez added that the operators focused on executing an excellent production that people can enjoy and positive reports thus far has inspired the team.

Apart from the travelling troupe of 50, Suarez said 30 locals were hired to assist. This is something they always do when entering a new country.

He said they usually fill the roles such as private security and food handlers.

Regarding attendance, Suarez reported that the circus attracted between 50% and 60% of capacity daily.

Asked about the profitability of the circus, Suarez said Trinidad and Tobago and by extension the region has always generated revenue.

Touching on how the circus appeals to the T&T culture, Suarez emphasised that “the circus is a standard show. It’s for all the traditions,” adding that they don’t attempt to mimic cultural norms.

He said further “We (are) not trying to make the show local because it is international. For us, it is very easy…because it is a really familiar activity. Our show can fit in any cultural difference, any country, or mentality, or tradition…it is a very traditional show and it’s a circus you know, it is international. It is something that you can do these shows in any country and it is going to be very well received.”

However, he stated that from time to time they do special local humour “but it is hard to change the entire show and let’s say that the people will accept it because it is a little hard to do something locally…we tend to have neutral show …really good acceptance from Trinidad this time.”

Reflecting on the recent incident involving an illegal connection of the Water and Sewerage Authority (WASA), Suarez sought to clear the air but insisted that he does not want to belabour the issue. He explained that the misunderstanding was blown out of proportion saying that he believes they were intentionally misled.

“One challenge is the issue with WASA …It’s something that we have been wrongly informed …we fixed it right away. They made it a bigger (issue), the person who was involved in this thing they did it on purpose,” he said.

He said typically renting a venue and having access to a water connection is a straightforward process, however on this occasion its arrangement with Horticultural Society did not include the water connection in the contract.

In July, a video circulated on social media highlighting an illegal water connection to the circus at the Queen’s Park Savannah.

According to Suarez, this was an unfortunate situation that was not intentional act.

Apart from that, he said, other challenges were typical for a production such as this.

“Sometimes with a circus like this you have one of two challenges,” he noted.

Suarez shared that the circus will continue to make its rounds in the region after leaving Trinidad and Tobago.

For every market Suarez Brothers rolls out specific marketing strategies to cater for the nuances of each market, he told Express Business.

“We have a different strategy to advertise our circus here. We collaborate with a local company; we have a local partner. That is important to have because every country is different…it’s a challenge to reach everybody and inform that the circus is going on in the country. Every country is very specific,” he explained.

He said based on where the circus is situated in T&T, it will attract persons within that area, for instance people in central Trinidad will more likely participate in the circus if it is based in Chaguanas.

However, he said on this occasion it was quite the opposite: “We found people from all (areas) came to Port of Spain for the circus.” He said people came from as far as Point Fortin, noting that this never occurred on a wide scale.

Suarez shared that he is the fifth generation of the Suarez family and plans to continue his family tradition in the future.

He believes the circus helps bring the family together to experience all that the long-standing activities has to offer.

“Nowadays, its fewer activities that you can put all the family together…when I say all the family, I am talking about (family members including) grandparents, child, uncle. When you see people come to the show, you see a family of ten or 15 members and that is something very nice,” he said.

He emphasised that creating entertainment that is family-oriented makes them proud.

The circus highlights include a “Globe of Death” with motorcyclists, a “Fantastic Pendulum”, jugglers, acrobats, clowns, and “death-defying” freestyle stunt riders.