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HAVING IT ALL!
CIRCUS COUPLE FINDS
PERFECT BALANCE BETWEEN
LIFE AND WORK!
FLYING HIGH! Yasmin Rivera balances family and work life, both at the circus.
With so many families having
both parents in the
work force, it can be quite
a challenge to balance the ongoing
responsibilities of work and home
life. The struggle between career and
being home for the kids has been
debated for decades. Most work
environments are not family friendly,
so how can some parents have their
cake and eat it too? Answer- Join the
circus!
Circus Vargas aerialist Yasmin
Rivera will tell you her family has
managed to find this happy balance.
“We are so lucky. We really do have
it all!” Despite what some might
consider the challenges, circus life is probably
the most family friendly work environment one
could ever imagine and their children are never
more than a stone’s throw away!
“It’s an ideal situation,” says Yasmin, “the
perfect work-life balance. Not only do we spend
quality time as a family, but we are literally
together most of the day on a daily basis and
because the show is made up of families, we
travel with our own school and teacher.” So
every morning Yasmin, husband Luis and their
young son and daughter wake up, have breakfast
as a family and then walk about 60 feet to the
schooltrailer. Then, with kids happily in school,
it is show-time and the couple focuses on
entertaining the throngs of spectators under the
Circus Vargas Big Top. After the first performance
which lasts just under two hours, the
kids are home for lunch. A quick kiss goodbye
and it’s back to the teacher for the second half of
their school day while Yasmin and Luis prepare
for the next performance.
“When the show is over we settle down for
dinner or go to a movie,” says Luis. On the
weekend the kids watch the show. They learn
early on, when the show is on mommy and
daddy are working. They can watch again and
again and never get bored. They love it. It’s
better than TV…it’s live entertainment and it’s
always exciting!”
Yasmin’s career as an aerialist is a dangerous
job, but the kids love to watch her perform.
They have also begun their circus training.
“They aren’t scared of anything,” laughs Yasmin.
“They love the circus, it’s their home.”
Luis, healing from a shoulder injury, quite
the common occupational hazard when you fly
on the trapeze for a living, has been working on
the ground behind the scenes as of late, a less
dangerous, but still important and often stressful
job. “I am with my family for every doctor
appointment, sick day, birthday, etc. Our work
schedule fits perfectly with whatever
life brings us. And the normal
stress everyone deals with at work,
we have too, but knowing you
don’t have the added stress and
guilt of missing family functions
or family time in general, makes
everything worth it.”
Both Yasmin and Luis come
from generations of circus
performers. “We feel lucky to be
able to raise our children in the
tradition and style that we were
raised. Coming from big tight-knit
families means our kids will always
have a fantastic support system of
many aunts, uncles and cousins!
And here on Circus Vargas we feel like family
so we have really the best of both worlds! We
travel, perform, live, love and laugh as one big
extended family.”
See Yasmin and the entire cast perform in
Circus Vargas’ 2016 Spectacular – iLUMIOUS,
an all-new, high-energy extravaganza! Boasting
death-defying stunts, high-flying aerialists, aweinspiring
acrobats, and hilarious clowns under
a music-filled, blue and yellow Big Top, Circus
Vargas’ iLUMINOUS will appear at three
Inland Empire locations from April 7 – May
9, including Temecula (April 7-18), Hesperia
(April 21-25), and Ontario (April 28 - May 9).
The animal-free circus offers a complimentary,
interactive preshow 30 minutes before
each performance, where children get to try
their hand at juggling, hula hooping, balancing,
clowning and much more. IER
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April, 2016 Inland Entertainment Review
TICKETS & INFORMATION
Tickets are $15-$35 for general admission seating and $35-$70 for
reserved ringside seats. Purchase tickets online at www.circusvargas.com,
call 877-GOTFUN-1 (877-468-3861) or visit the box
office at each location.
Follow Circus Vargas on Facebook and Twitter: @CircusVargas.