Highlights:
- The Flying Caceres’ are the third flying trapeze troupe in the 140 year history of Ringling Bros.® to attempt the quadruple somersault, the most difficult trick in trapeze arts. The troupe made history by successfully cathing the “quad” during the opening run of Barnum’s FUNundrum!SM
- The rigging, designed by troupe leader, George Caceres, is 4 ft. taller than the average trapeze setup and can have as many as four flyers at the same time – two on high bars and two below.
- George is a third-generation circus performer and his father, Miguel, who originally created the Flying Caceres, also toured with Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey® for the 112th Edition.
The Flying Caceres
Double Decker Trapeze
Third-generation circus performer, George Caceres and his high-flying trapeze troupe, The Flying Caceres, amp up the intensity for their return to The Greatest Show On Earth®. Having first amazed audiences with their unique double-decker trapeze in and Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey® Presents OVER THE TOP, the troupe is back for Barnum’s FUNundrum!SM to perform higher and more difficult stunts including a female double somersault. The Flying Caceres, the third flying trapeze troupe in the 140 year history of Ringling Bros. to attempt the quadruple somersault, the most difficult trick in trapeze arts. The troupe made history by successfully catching the “quad” during the opening run of Barnum’s FUNundrum!.
“The quadruple hasn’t been accomplished in 30 years and it’s a dream for every trapeze artist to perform it and we hope to be remembered for doing it for this historical edition,” exclaims flyer, Ivo Silva Jr.
The Flying Caceres troupe was first formed by George’s father, Miguel, when he and his wife Luz came from Colombia, South America to join the 112th Edition of Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey. An accomplished trapeze artist, Miguel is highly respected within the circus world. He achieved a great feat while touring with The Greatest Show On Earth® considered impossible for all but a few; Miguel caught the legendary triple somersault as well as the triple and one-half somersault consecutively in each performance during the duration of the entire tour.
It was inevitable that George would follow in his father’s footsteps. George began training on the trapeze at the age of four, and was the youngest trapeze artist ever to have participated in The International Circus Festival in Monte Carlo,. It wasn’t long before he became one of the youngest people ever to catch a triple somersault George, who has been “flying” for over 25 years has molded his body for life in the air. “It takes dedication, preparation, and paying attention to the small things that keep your body healthy,” explains George.
An innovator like his father, George developed, and built a portable version of a trapeze rig that could only be used in a permanent establishment. The rigging that is four feet taller than the average trapeze setup, allows the troupe to have as many as four of the seven members flying vertically and diagonally at the same time – two on high bars and two below – while the remaining three are busy preparing for the next incredible aerial feat.
“We represent a new generation of flyers who are pushing the limits of what’s been done,” explains George. “Ours is probably the most difficult and intricate flying act in the world. Every moment is critical for us which means that everyone has to stay focused,” he notes.
George is proud and feels that he and his troupe pay homage to Jules Leotard, the inventor of the flying trapeze 150 years ago, “We are the only flying act today that still performs trapeze in the manner it was invented. Not many realize that the catcher wasn’t invented until a few decades after the trapeze,” explains George.
George will be touring with Christina Cantlin, Tara Ogren, Erica Hause, Daniel Simard, Ivo Silva Jr., and Ingrid Silva, all of whom were personally recruited by George himself. George’s mother, Luz, who currently is the head of wardrobe for this tour of Ringling Bros., also travels with the unit. Each member of the troupe is excited to be on the new tour with Ringling Bros., George affirms, “The performance is the high; the opportunity to do the impossible before thousands of people is an amazing feeling. Everyone in the group has a burning desire to be here and our act will definitely have the crowd wanting more.”