DONNA — Gasps and shouts emanated from the crowd as people yelled “ay que nervios!” and “you can do it!” all while a circus performer attempted to juggle rings while balancing on a pole that was balanced on the shoulders of another performer.
Kids watched through their fingers with wide eyes as the balancing act took place.
The circus had indeed come to town in Donna as people crowded under a white and blue circus tent for the first show of the Circus Vazquez 2023 National Tour. The circus is a family owned company that is run by the five Vazquez brothers: Jose, Ramon, Aldo, Jesus and Memo.
Every year they kickoff their tour in their hometown of Donna where they feature their newest acts.
According to Luva Vazquez, a fourth generation member of the family and daughter of Aldo, the nearly two-hour show changes every year and introduces several acts from different parts of the world.
“The show is made of different nationalities,” Vazquez explained, adding that there are performers coming from Chile, Brazil, Ukraine, Mongolia, India, Mexico and other parts of the world. “It’s an international show.”
This year consists of around 30 performers ranging from jugglers, acrobats, clowns, trapeze artists, and other adrenaline-filled acts.
Jonathan Reyes, 19, and Francisco Reyes, 23, better known as the juggling duo Los Hermanos Reyes, were participating in Circus Vazquez for the first time.
“It’s always been a dream of ours to be a part of this circus because it is an important circus in Latin America and the world,” Jonathan said, adding that he fell in love with Circus Vazquez when he saw a YouTube video of one of their shows. “It’s always been a dream for us to be here, so we’re really happy to be here.”
Although new to Circus Vazquez they are not new to the circus world. In fact, the two brothers also come from generations of circus performers.
“We grew up in the circus, we are the fifth generation of our family, so we grew up with this and it’s what we love,” Jonathan said with a smile on his face.
Now as they prepared to perform their act for the first time in the U. S., they stood backstage in anticipation of the show beginning.
“The nerves are always there but that’s what makes you react and perform well,” Johnathan said with determination in his face.
The tent which fits about 2,000 people was filled to capacity Friday as the circus opened for its inaugural show of the year.
“We are really excited to be in Donna to be able to bring joy to people in the Valley,” Vazquez said, adding that although the setup of the tent takes a lot of hours and manpower it is worth the smile on the crowds’ faces.
For residents, the circus has become something of a tradition in their own households.
Brownsville resident Santiago Zurita, 39, attended the event with his wife and son, Benjamin, and have been going for 10 years.
“Every year we attend; it’s a tradition to attend every year with our son,” Zurita said as his family ate cotton candy while waiting for the show to start. “We bring him every year because he loves coming here.”
San Juan resident Patty De La Cruz, 40, attended the event with her 9-year-old daughter, Dabby Hernandez.
“We love the circus,” De La Cruz said with a laugh. “We are big fans of them. If we didn’t catch them here we were heading to McAllen.”
Hernandez liked what children normally gravitate to at circuses.
“I like when the clown does all those weird things,” Hernandez said in Spanish while giggling.
It was clear they were having fun, and De La Cruz explained that she and her daughter anxiously wait every year for the circus to return.
“We always come to the first show,” De La Cruz added.
The show, held here annually, is scheduled to run through Feb. 27 at 700 Vazquez Lane in Donna. It will later move to Palms Crossing in McAllen to host shows from March 3 to March 19.
Tickets can be purchased at the entrance or online at https://tickets.circusvazquez.com/event/donna-tx.
