Highlights:
· Johan and Jonathan are fourth generation circus performers and began training when they were children.
· Both Johan and Jonathan’s wives, Erika and Maria, perform in the act.
· Prior to each performance, the family always kiss their children and make the sign of the cross.
The Lopez Family
High-wire act
High in the arena sky, with no safety lines or net, The Lopez Family makes its high-energy, high-wire debut with RinglingBros. and Barnum & Bailey® presents ZING ZANG ZOOMSM.
The brothers Johan and Jonathan Caro are the creative force behind the high-wire act, which features daring stunts with blindfolds, bicycles and a jump rope.
“It’s real. It takes a lot of practice,” says Johan. “It’s not like a movie scene where you have many takes. This is reality. There is only one take.”
The brothers’ wives, Erika and Maria, add beauty, drama and dizzying stunts to the high-wire show. Maria says her biggest challenge is performing a handstand on top of a pole balanced on the brothers’ shoulders as they peddle across the high wire on bicycles. For Erica, it’s standing on her husband’s shoulders as he walks blind-folded.
The brothers grew up in Monterrey, Mexico, where many circuses spend their winters. They are the fourth generation of their family to work in the circus, and have been working together 17 years. “Anyone born into the circus grows to love it,” Johan says.
When they began as children, they practiced five hours a day. Now it takes a couple of hours a day to remain confident and comfortable on the wire.
“You’re so focused. You’re always aware of the danger,” says Jonathan. “We kiss the babies, make the sign of the cross and get up there.”
The family was performing with Garden Bros. Circus in Canada when Ringling Bros.®called. Before working for The Greatest Show On Earth®, their proudest moment was performing in Mexico’s Circus Festival, which draws performers from across the globe.
“You draw inspiration from seeing other people perform. You want to take it farther and add your own personality to it,” Johan says.
Johan and Erika have two children: daughter, Johanna, 5; and a son, Christian, six months.
Jonathan and Maria have three children: Jerry, 5, Danny, 4, and Leonardo, 2.
The family is excited about seeing the United States by Ringling Bros. train, especially New York City and Las Vegas. Besides the roar of the crowds, Jonathan says the brothers will always remember “playing soccer in the circus world.”