Circus Royale proves a family affair

Circus Royale is in town. With the last shows this weekend, don’t miss out on this traditional circus featuring international and Australian circus performers, as well as horses, geese and dogs.

Ringmaster Damian Syred, who said the circus was rolling out its 45th Year Anniversary Tour, shared that he had worked extra hard this year to produce its best show to date.

“When creating the show I always try to find acts that haven’t been seen before in Australia,” he said.

“The ‘Globe of Death’ at the end of the show is also a crowd favourite — it’s the type of act that really gets you sitting on the edge of your seat.

“It’s that element of fear that people love, knowing that something could go terribly wrong. Another crowd favourite is the Reyes Brothers, who are our jugglers.”

The last visit to Albany was in January 2013 and Syred said the show was very well received.

“This time it’s bigger and even more exciting, so we expect it to be very popular this time also. We just came from Denmark and finished with a sell-out performance there,” he said.

Circus Royale first toured Australia in 1971 owned by Frank and Manuela Gasser (who have had circuses in their family in Europe since the early 1400s) and Syred purchased the show from Frank and Manuela in 2007 because it was his childhood dream to run his own circus.

Syred said an act to look out for this year was The Contortionist.

“She recently competed at this year’s Australian Circus Festival and was the gold medal winner,” he said.

“We are only here until Sunday, so make sure you get in quick to book seats — final show Sunday 11am. If you miss us in Albany, we are off to Mt Barker for two performances next Tuesday and Wednesday night.”

Daredevil siblings Hugo, Brandon and Geraldine Fernandez Mexican are stunt riders who earn their living by riding in the Globe of Death and will be the closing act in the Circus Royale performance.

The Globe of Death starts off with one rider, usually Brandon or Hugo, who shows off his skills riding a motorbike around inside a steel spherical cage, before he is joined by his brother to perform more complex tricks.

Sixteen-year-old Geraldine joins her brothers as the third rider, and together they perform death-defying stunts that make crowds hold their breath.

Hugo, the eldest at 25 years old, said riding with his siblings Brandon, 22, and Geraldine was a great experience.

“It’s very good. We have been riding together for a long time, so we know how each other rides and we know when we ride we are safe,” Hugo said.

Talented Geraldine is also the only female Globe of Death Rider in Australia, and one of two in her home country Mexico.

“Sometimes, if they don’t know I am a girl, the crowd is really shocked,” she said.