BY MARINA MERETZ
The spectacular European circus Cirque de Paris is making its North American tour debut right here in DeLand! Children of all ages have been invited to join the Bouglione family at the DeLand Municipal Airport Feb. 16-26.
DeLandites may feel nostalgic watching circus acts come back to town. Since 1906, traveling circuses have been coming almost annually to put on a show, with the longest standing company being the Cole Bros Circus, which made DeLand its home from 1956 until 2016.
“I worked for Cole Brothers Circus for 35 years,” recalls Chuck Warner, a local who has been assisting the Cirque de Paris as they set up their very first tent in the United States.
In Europe, the Bouglione name is well known for being the first circus family in France. Anouchka Bouglione’s family has owned “Cirque d’Hiver Bouglione” since 1830, and her father owns “Cirque Alexandre Bouglione” in Belgium.
The circus has changed, moving away from the use of wild animals, to an emphasis on aerial arts. The production continues to adapt to modern audiences while maintaining the Bouglione style.
Cirque de Paris is a family production, with the Bouglione family involved in every aspect of the show. Anouchka Bouglione performs a hula hoop act, while her husband, Reinaldo Monteiro, performs a laser show. Their oldest daughter, Selena Bouglione Monteiro, performs foot juggling and roller skating, and their son, Noah Bouglione Monteiro, mans the lighting and sound for the show.
Like seven generations of Bougliones, Anouchka Bouglione has put together a show of world-class performers who all share a legacy in the circus. Much like Anouchka, all of the entertainers were born from a long line of circus performers and were home-schooled along with a traveling circus. Anouchka was literally born on the road with the touring circus.
“This is what we do; it is in our blood,” she said.
Her passion to carry on her family’s legacy has led her to be the first to produce a North American tour. DeLand is the show’s first stop on a two-year tour throughout the U.S. and Canada.
“I think we [are] kind of writing history, and DeLand means so much to me,” shares Anouchka.
Each act has world-class performers, some of whom have worked for her family in the past, like the clowns of the show, Pedro Santos Sr. and Jr.
The father-and-son duo have both traveled the world with various circuses, with Santos Jr. working for Cirque du Soleil for 11 years as a co-creator of one of their shows.
While Santos Jr. enjoyed his time with Cirque Du Soleil, he said that the family environment he has with this particular show is what he enjoys most about circus performing.
Anouchka shares the same sentiment.
“In circus, it is not like a company, we are a big family,” she said. “It’s not my artists, it’s my friends.”
The performers are sure DeLand audiences will enjoy watching all the spectacular acts they have to offer.
Tickets can be bought at the box office before the show, with adult general admission costing $30 and a child’s ticket costing $25, while preferred seating costs $50. All of these prices are reduced by $5 on the website https://cirquedeparis.com/. The Family Pack includes tickets for two adults and two children for $74.99, and can only be purchased online.
The cast hopes that the DeLand community will come out to immerse themselves in the traditional European circus experience that awaits them, right in their own backyard.
