Andrea Ayala-Raffo
Hair Hang/ Production Woman
When audience members get a glimpse of Andrea Ayala-Raffo’s act, the first thing that comes into mind is, “ouch!” Andrea, who is suspended 30 feet in the air without a safety net or harnesses, hangs by her beautiful set of locks that are braided into a steel cable.
This unique hair hang act was inherited from Andrea’s family, and the exact details about how this amazing feat is accomplished remains a family secret Andrea’s grandmother in Mexico was the first family member to perform the act and Andrea is honored to be the third-generation to present the family hair hang. A fifth-generation circus performer, Andrea began practicing the act when she was 11 years-old, and after only a year of training, she began performing for live audiences. Andrea’s mother, Marguerite, was the first to perform this hair-raising act for Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey® in 1979. In 1988, Andrea and her older sister Michelle followed in their mother’s footsteps and performed the family act for the 118th Edition of Ringling Bros.®.
After traveling across the United States and Japan with Ringling Bros., Andrea left in 1991 to perform in Europe and then returned to the U.S. to pursue other performing opportunities. In 1996, Andrea’s sister Michelle told her about an opening for dancer with the 126th Edition of The Greatest Show On Earth®. Excited to reunite with her sister and the rest of her family, she accepted the position.
The Ayala sisters made a triumphant return to Ringling Bros. for the 128th Edition which marked the entry of their youngest sister, Alexis, into the family act. The trio presented a spectacular aerial act where they were not only suspended by their hair, but also executed difficult spins as they performed an elaborate juggling act with flaming torches.
In 2007, Andrea returned to Ringling Bros. for the 138th Edition, this time with her husband, tiger trainer, Daniel Raffo, whom she met while touring with the 126th Edition and their young son Davian. Andrea performed her astounding hair-hang act during the show’s opening and was also involved in many of the show’s big production numbers while Daniel performed with his seven 700-pound tigers.
This popular act has once again been invited back for the 140th Edition, Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey® Presents Barnum’s FUNundrumSM. Andrea and Daniel are thrilled to share their extraordinary talents with Children Of All Ages. The Raffo family will travel by recreational vehicle during the two year tour, which will allow Daniel to be close to his family as well as his 700-pound cohorts, the magnificent Siberian, Sumatra, and Bengal tigers.