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Circus Family Lives Under the Big Tent
Filed under: In The News, Weird But True
Get up, have breakfast, feed the tigers. The routine is the same but the town and city is always changing for this family of fifth-generation circus performers.
Daniel Raffo, originally from Argentina, is the tiger trainer for Ringling Bros. and Barnum and Bailey Circus. Wife Andrea performs aerial ballet, as did both her mother and grandmother. Davian, their 4-year-old son, is in training for something, I'm sure, but for now he's content to stay home with mom and dad. Home being, of course, a trailer within whiffing-distance of the tiger cage.
So just what does a typical day look like for this circus family? It's pretty low-key, actually. Daniel and Andrea practice their routines in the morning, perform their respective acts and then settle down for dinner and TV. Then, like the rest of us, they get up the next morning and do the whole thing over again.
The circus life is a 24-hour-a-day job, but that doesn't mean it's not child-friendly. Families tend to be tight-knit. There's a one-room school tent, pitched on every stop of the show, where kids are taught by a licensed teacher who travels with the troupe. Sister Dorothy Fabritze, a nun and full-time circus worker (backstage crew, opening and closing the curtain), is along for the ride for their spiritual needs.
The big top is also big on real-world learning. Children grow up surrounded by circus professionals from 32 countries, and there's always another town to explore. "You can see all these different places and what it looks like," said Katherine Stuart, 8, the daughter of Ringling's general manager, Mike Stuart. "I also wanted to know what each state looked like, so I get to do it."
Sounds special and full of surprises, but Davian, Katherine and the other circus kids are surely missing out on something -- and it's not the option of running away to join the circus. I'm talking about friends, a permanent home and a "traditional" lifestyle.
What do you think? Is this kind of mobile and unconventional lifestyle appropriate or healthy for young kids?
Daniel Raffo, originally from Argentina, is the tiger trainer for Ringling Bros. and Barnum and Bailey Circus. Wife Andrea performs aerial ballet, as did both her mother and grandmother. Davian, their 4-year-old son, is in training for something, I'm sure, but for now he's content to stay home with mom and dad. Home being, of course, a trailer within whiffing-distance of the tiger cage.
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So just what does a typical day look like for this circus family? It's pretty low-key, actually. Daniel and Andrea practice their routines in the morning, perform their respective acts and then settle down for dinner and TV. Then, like the rest of us, they get up the next morning and do the whole thing over again.
The circus life is a 24-hour-a-day job, but that doesn't mean it's not child-friendly. Families tend to be tight-knit. There's a one-room school tent, pitched on every stop of the show, where kids are taught by a licensed teacher who travels with the troupe. Sister Dorothy Fabritze, a nun and full-time circus worker (backstage crew, opening and closing the curtain), is along for the ride for their spiritual needs.
The big top is also big on real-world learning. Children grow up surrounded by circus professionals from 32 countries, and there's always another town to explore. "You can see all these different places and what it looks like," said Katherine Stuart, 8, the daughter of Ringling's general manager, Mike Stuart. "I also wanted to know what each state looked like, so I get to do it."
Sounds special and full of surprises, but Davian, Katherine and the other circus kids are surely missing out on something -- and it's not the option of running away to join the circus. I'm talking about friends, a permanent home and a "traditional" lifestyle.
What do you think? Is this kind of mobile and unconventional lifestyle appropriate or healthy for young kids?
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ReaderComments (Page 1 of 1)
1-26-2009 @ 5:24PM
Karen said...You know, it has been my experience that kids with unconventional upbringings are generally the more well-rounded. Who says traditional is better?
I think having to deal with lots of moving (as in Military families) or being exposed to a wide variety of people and cultures is beneficial for children.
Life is about perspective, and for a lot of people, their perspective doesn't venture much further than the city limits. I think this is often why so many kids fail when they go away to college. They think that everyone and everything grew up like they did.
I've know many children that grew up cruising on sailboats with their families and they were always educated, comfortable in all kinds of social situations, more mature and most of all could deal with just about anything that came their way.
I'm all for the unconventional!
Reply
1-26-2009 @ 5:56PM
Nicola said...Why on earth would you assume that these kids don't have friends? They travel together, they go to school together, they see each other every day.
And they certainly do have a permanent home. Their trailer would contain all of their worldly goods and be to them just as our grounded houses are to us. Is it any different for people who live in trailer parks? They might have something to say on the topic of a trailer's inability to be a home.
The fact that the landscape outside of their doors is ever changing would probably be a very positive experience. They are learning first hand about the world around them. They don't need a Geography class -- they are living that particular lesson! As well as having the benefit of trying out all sorts of towns, cities, landscapes, and environments. While still being with their families and friends. I can't really see anything at all negative about growing up "in the circus".
1-26-2009 @ 5:57PM
Nicola said...PS -- sorry Karen, that comment wasn't meant to be a reply to yours, but to the original thread. Not sure what button I accidentally pushed! As for your comment, I second that :-)
1-26-2009 @ 5:50PM
Jenni said...What do I think? I think it's not ours to judge! These children have two loving parents in the home who obviously care very deeply for their child. They are providing a food, shelter, education, and wonderful expriences filled, I'm sure, with LOVE!
I think it's wonderful!
Reply
1-26-2009 @ 6:07PM
Messed Up Mama said...I agree with the others. I don't think it's a problem for young children to travel and see their country. They are learning things other children don't learn, and who says they don't have friends? There are other children in the circus. I think that for some teenagers traveling might be a problem. Finding a boy/girl friend among people you have grown up with in that kind of tight knit group might feel "wrong" to some of them. But until High School I think the experience, the tight knit group they grow up in, and having so much time with their families would be a greater benefit for them.
Reply
1-26-2009 @ 6:34PM
Uly said...I agree with Nicola. These children do have friends - the other children in the circus. And they do have a permanent home - one which happens to go from place to place, but which always has all their things and friends and family. It's little different from the traditional nomadic lifestyle of many, MANY people worldwide. And its' traditional for their family anyway - five generations? FIVE? Wow. Can't be that bad or their parents wouldn't be doing it after growing up that way, would they?
Reply
1-27-2009 @ 6:45AM
GLOOM ROOM said...I agree with all the above comments. the only negative feeling I get is jealousy. I`m 57 yrs old and and Iv`e seen and done very little in this life I can`t help thinking that had I grew up under "The Big Top" I would have had a much richer life to look back on now. I hope those kids realize their good fortune.
Side Pocket
Reply
1-27-2009 @ 8:22AM
tese42s said...I am 57 today. After a few years in the Navy on destroyers at 17 years old. I came back, got driving jobs and generally moved all over. Getting jobs and meeting great people all over the US. Lived in the Southern Mountains of Georgia and by the ocean in Florida. I have osteoperosis now and don't go anywhere. But every time I watch the news, I can usually say I have been there. I still travel in my mind. Didn't get rich, except for all of the memories of places I have been and great people who have helped me and I have helped. Glad I did it when I could.
Reply