FRISCO, Texas — For 55 years, the Vazquez family has delivered high-flying performances and jaw-dropping moments.
Circus Vazquez, a human-only circus currently in Frisco until April 1, has been in the family for several generations.
The real magic is the story of how the giant circus began, said Memo Vazquez, a ringmaster and member of the family. The family-owned circus, which was primarily Spanish-speaking until recent years, began in 1969 in Mexico City.
“It’s magic, it’s medicine. I can see around and we feel very proud,” Vazquez said. “I can say it’s my life.”
Vazquez, who grew up in the circus, recalls watching his grandparents begin the family business, which has lasted four generations.
“My grandfather would say, ‘Esto no es una charanga,’ meaning, this is not a small business anymore. This is an important business you gotta go do better,” Vazquez said.
Vazquez and his four brothers have continued the family business going. Today, they still live, travel and perform together for much of the year, only taking the month of January off. Circus Vazquez travels across the country, performing in front of audiences in both English and Spanish.
Siblings Jan and Carolina Vazquez are the youngest generation in the family business.
“It’s pretty fun to be a kid in the circus,” Carolina Vazquez said. “I feel very blessed.”
They both perform as acrobats in the show, and Jan Vazquez doubles as a production manager.
“Circus is a way of life, it’s home,” Jan said. “We have a house in McAllen, Texas, where we live, but it’s not really home. When we’re there, it’s just like waiting for the circus to start.”
When Ringling Bros. announced its brief closure, Circus Vazquez saw an opportunity to expand from a Spanish-speaking audience to a wider audience. The Vazquez family recognized an appetite for the circus after crowds missed out during pandemic closures. The circus now runs its shows in both English and Spanish.
The family attracts talent from across the globe, even bringing together acrobats from Russia and Ukraine. Together, more than 20 family members of the family overcome extraordinary stunts.
It’s an art form that mirrors the family’s story of overcoming.
“This country gave us the opportunity to come and do things right,” Memo Vazquez said. “We don’t do it for the money. That’s what our father taught us. He said, 'you don’t wanna think about the money or the ticket, you gotta think about what are you giving to the audience.' That’s why I get emotional… because we had the best teachers: my father and my mother. They didn’t teach us to do money. They teach us to do art and to give.”
It's that passion he said he hopes the audience at every show will feel.
“It’s possible to do something with the family, whatever you dream to, and make it possible,” Memo Vazquez said.