Circus Comes To Town, Performers Talk Life Under Big Top

As the circus hits the East End this week, performers open up about what it's like to live the dream shared by many of life under the Big Top.

The Cole Bros. Circus has set up its tent in Southampton at the Shinnecock Pow Wow grounds; shows will take place on Tuesday at 5 p.m. and 8 p.m. Next, the circus will head to Greenport, where the tent will be set up at the Polo Grounds on Moore's Lane for shows on Wednesday and Thursday at 5 p.m. and 8 p.m.

But, while most kids only dream of joining the circus, for some performers and circus families, it's the only life they have ever known.

Wendy Aguiar, 15, who rides motorcycles in large globes and performs as a showgirl, has been performing with the Cole Bros. Circus since she was six years old.

From Minnesota, Wendy said the circus is a family affair, with her parents, Jose Aguiar and Vania Monteiro, and brothers, Edwin, 13, and Eric, 18, all joining in the act.

And her own family is close with the other circus families who all travel together, she said. 

Wendy said she loves her life in the spotlight. "It's the best thing," she said. "I can't even imagine my life out of the circus. I love what I do, traveling and getting to know a lot of people in a lot of different places. It's really good."

Wendy said she learned how to ride the motorcycles in the globes from her father. "He's been doing it for years. He taught my brothers and me," she said.

The family remains tight-knit, with nine months of the year on the road, traveling from state to state. Wendy is home-schooled online, doing schoolwork in the morning, performances later in the day, with free time after the shows.

"It's not hard to balance it all," she said.

While some might find it frightening to ride the motorcycle in the revolving globe, Wendy said she doesn't even flinch. "In the beginning, I was scared, but as soon as you learn to do it, it's not scary," she said. "You just get this awesome feeling of knowing people like what you're doing."

The best part, Wendy said, is meeting the children who come to the shows. "They come up to me and ask how I do it, and how long it took me to learn," she said. "They say, 'I wish I was like you.' That's the best thing, that you get to be living a little kid's dream." 

Looking ahead, Wendy said she has no plans to ever pursue another career. "I love the circus," she said. "That's what I was born into. I never want to be away from it. I can't stay away more than three days without getting bored.  I never want to leave. One day, I want to own my own circus."

Perhaps one of the most intrepid circus performers might be Viventa Pages, 27, from Florida, the show's tiger trainer.

Pages, who also grew up in the circus, said working with the big cats takes a cool head — and some old-fashioned common sense.

"The amount of time you spend with the animals, you learn to read their personalities," she said. "Just like you would another person's."

When asked if she gets frightened, Pages said she doesn't even break a sweat. "I'm used to it," she said. "It's just another day at work."

Instead, Pages said challenges posed by life in the circus revolve more around a life spent constantly traveling and on the road, especially since she and her husband David have a 15-month old daughter, Vanessa.

For her own little girl's future, Pages said she would like to see her child get an education before deciding if she wants to pursue a life in the circus.

As for kids who want to pack it up and join the performers on the road, Pages said it's not all bright lights and glitter. "You just have to work hard, practice a lot, really research what you want to do — and then go do it," she said.

Of her four-legged friends, Pages said no matter how effortless it appears to tame them, caution is always critical. "You have to respect the tigers," she said. "They are still wild animals, and can never be trusted, or tamed."

Advance tickets for the Southampton show can be purchased at Stevenson's in Southampton or Wittendale's in East Hampton. The Southampton performances are hosted by the Shinnecock Indian Nation. 

In Greenport, the circus is hosted by the Greenport Fire Department to benefit fire safety education. Advance tickers can be purchased at the Greenport Fire Department on Third Street.