MCALLEN, Texas - This year’s Flip Circus tour - run by the famous Vazquez family of Donna, Texas - starts at Palms Crossing in McAllen, running from Feb. 6 to Feb. 23.
It then moves to Sunrise Mall in Brownsville, starting Feb. 27 and ending March 9.
The family then takes the tour on the road for ten months across the country.
“We’re always traveling. We’re always working,” said bandleader Jan Vazquez.
“Ten months out of the year… it is crazy but we love it. We’re addicted to it. We can’t stay in one place for too long.”
Asked what is different about the Flip Circus, Vazquez said:
“The Vazquez circus, I don't know if anybody has seen it yet, but it's a huge tent. It's huge, and it's spectacular, and it has its charm. But we wanted to try something more intimate, more family friendly, and a bit smaller. So we tried Flip Circus, and so far, it's working out. It's a pretty classical circus. We bring all the classical acts, juggling, clowns, trapeze, illusionists. I think the main difference is its size, the overall vibe of it. But it's still a circus.”
Circo Hermanos Vazquez started out in Mexico City in 1969 before moving their HQ to Donna just over 20 years ago.
Asked if, because they are Latino, there are any cultural differences with Circus Vazquez to a traditional U.S. circus, Jan Vazquez said:
“It's a great question. We like loudness. I don't know how to explain it. We like, you know, punch, punch. We like hyping things up. I think that's a very Latino thing. But we like to also do it with class. It’s not just chaos. We like to have something beautiful that people can feel. So we do focus a lot on the quality of the show. We bring artists from other places in the world.”
Asked what the reaction from the audience is like in the northeast of the United States, Vazquez said:
“Every place is different. Every audience is completely different, and but we love them all. You know, some people love to stand up and clap. Others like to scream and whistle. So, every time it's different, but it fills us up with energy.”
Editor's Note: Here is an interview the Rio Grande Guardian secured with Jan Vazquez:
