On Tuesday, January 27, there wasn’t a large crowd under the big top of the Venice Circus. Too bad, as the absentees always miss out. The Venice Circus, named in honor of Italian ancestors, offers a dazzling show. For two hours, one can witness high-flying acts in a magical world populated by men and animals. It’s a splendid show where all the classic circus acts are revisited: from tigers to zebras, trapeze artists and acrobats, to fire breathers and even clowns as we love them: red noses, big shoes, checkered suits, and slaps! The audience is thoroughly entranced, and each performance brings joy or awe. The Wheel of Death, with its two large spheres turning with two artists inside… or outside, is the perfect example.
The “aerial ballets,” themed around the poetic Italian Rondo Veneziano, are a display of grace, beauty, and mastery, performed by magnificent young women suspended ten meters above the ground. “It’s superb and touching,” shares a young man who had a great evening. The act featuring tigers and lionesses, reminiscent of the gladiator era, is simply astonishing. The way the wild animals are trained is amazing. Sometimes jumping through a flaming hoop, other times gathering on props, the spectacle is baffling. Enough said. Let the artist speak: “The big top is a reservoir of dreams. Ernest Hemingway said, ‘The circus is the only place where one dreams with open eyes,’ comments Even Landri, tiger tamer and director of the circus with his brother Steve.
A Family Tradition
The two brothers’ great-grandfather, Jean Landri, started as a bear handler in the streets. The passion for the circus was already there. “People from this industry started there,” explains Steve. Five generations later, the passion remains alive with the aerial hoop of little Victoria, 7 years old, and her 19-year-old sister, Blandine, on the trapeze and dancing in the air.
“There are fifteen members of the Landri family out of about twenty people,” admits Even, the uncle of the two ladies. “We hope the tradition will continue for many generations. The circus is not just our job. It’s our passion, our dream, our life.” A life that the Landris strive to share with the public: “We are here to give dreams. Our greatest satisfaction comes when the audience is happy,” continues Steve. “That’s the case,” adds a young dad holding his two-and-a-half-year-old daughter. “They provide dreams for the children but also for us, the parents. It brings back childhood memories. It’s magical.”
The Circus: The End of a Cycle?
Highly awarded just a few years ago, the circus is now under threat. More and more cities refuse to grant the necessary permits for circuses to set up downtown. “It’s the most annoying constraint. Nowadays, setting up our circus in a location is like building a skyscraper. Sometimes it takes years to get a spot. It’s a real battle,” regrets Steve.
As a result, the Venice Circus now conducts an annual tour of 80 French cities for a week instead of the 150 over two or three days in previous years. Fortunately, this fight against the administration does not at all diminish the quality of the show offered by the Landri family. And that is what really matters.
