Peru’s shoestring circuses Struggle to Survive - CircusTalk

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Peru’s shoestring circuses Struggle to Survive

Circuses in Peru are having trouble because space is waning, and so is public enthusiasm. See photos of a small circus in Lima.

Inside a yellow and blue tent overlooking the desert hills of Peru’s capital city, the Tony Perejil circus comes to life.

A set of brown goats hobble up a narrow plank. A woman balances a newspaper rolled into an inverted cone on her nose. Another performer does acrobatics on horseback before half-empty rows of spectators.

The mom-and-pop style spectacle is one of about a hundred remaining circuses in Peru that manage to eke out a living despite waning public enthusiasm for clown and animal acts in an age of viral internet videos and cellphones.

On a recent night, Jose Alvarez tallied the ticket sales for the circus named after his father and sighed when he realized they’d earned less than $40.

“Lima is lousy,” the 52-year-old businessman said, adding he’d move his circus north toward Peru’s border with Ecuador in search of a brighter future.

These days, Lima’s circus acts find themselves increasingly pinched for space and money.

 

Link to Full Article and Photos at WTOP.

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