Friday, November 16, 2012

Balancing Act- A modern day circus family surviving and thriving in the 21st century [PHOTOS]
from:  easyreadernews.com
Chelsea Sektnan
November 15, 2012


Photos by Chelsea Sektnan
The Weisse family is one of the last modern-day circus families. They travel almost year-round in a 44-foot RV, traveling 3,000 miles and often performing two shows a day. Parents Jon and Laura were high school sweethearts. After Jon graduated from Clown College the couple married in the center ring dressed in their performing clothes; Jon as a Clown and Laura as a showgirl. After giving birth to their first son they decided that they would leave the circus soon. After three children, they are still living the circus life, raising their children close by their sides.
Circus Vargas will be performing at the Del Amo Fashion Center in Torrance until November 19. Their final two stops of the year will be in Arcadia and San Pedro. Visit www.circusvargas.com for more information.

Jon Weisse teaches his son Max how to balance a peacock feather shortly before going on stage. The children who travel with the show go to school every day except Sunday and are only allowed to participate in certain acts.

Circus Vargas travels about 3,000 miles every year. Setting up the tent takes about two days, and everybody, even performers, pitch in to get it ready for show time. “It’s a city without a zip code,” said Jon, who is in charge of arranging the things outside of the tent. Circus Vargas was featured in the movie, “Water for Elephants.” Jon acted in a couple scenes as a clown.

Jon and Laura have raised their children Jonny, 18, Nicole, 15 and Max, 12, on the road. “I always admired families who dedicated their lives to the circus,” said Jon. “It’s a lost generation and I’m happy to be one of them.” Jon said that he feels lucky because he gets to spend all day with his family and the circus life is especially safe for the children because everybody keeps an eye on them.
read and see more:
http://www.easyreadernews.com/60988/balancing-act-a-modern-day-circus-family-surviving-and-thriving-in-the-21st-century-photos/
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