Circus acts bring drama to Ventura and Simi Valley

Dave Mason, Ventura County Star
·2 min read
Circus Cabellero features flying trapeze acts and more in its Christmas-themed show in Simi Valley through Jan. 1.
Circus Cabellero features flying trapeze acts and more in its Christmas-themed show in Simi Valley through Jan. 1.

Circus performers are defying gravity this holiday season in Simi Valley and Ventura.

Trapeze artists — the Flying Caballeros — are performing their quadruple somersault high at Circus Caballero at the Simi Valley Town Center.

And at the Ventura County Fairgrounds in Ventura, aerialists are hanging onto a big ring far above the floor at Zoppé: An Italian Family Circus.

Both circuses run daily through Jan. 1. To see showtimes and purchase tickets, see circocaballero.com and zoppe.net.

General admission tickets for the Simi Valley shows start at $35 for adults and $25 for children under 10, with Sunday noon shows running $20. For the Ventura shows, general admission tickets are $29.99, although the website offers a variety of packages and discounts.

Circus Caballero leader Ruben Caballero said the quadruple somersault is a challenge. "We try it in every single show," he said. "We succeed almost 80% of the time.”

Among the more down-to-earth acts at the Christmas-themed show are a contortionist shooting a bow and arrow with her feet and Russian magicians who change dresses in the blink of an eye.

Aerial acts and on-the-ground entertainment also grace the Zoppé family show in Ventura, where the theme is Carnevale di Venezia. The performance includes Venice-inspired music, costumes and masks, plus a pre-show featuring commedia dell'arte, an early form of Italian theater.

Zoppé: An Italian Family Circus features an aerial lyra act and other height-defying feats. The circus continues through Jan. 1 at the Ventura County Fairgrounds.
Zoppé: An Italian Family Circus features an aerial lyra act and other height-defying feats. The circus continues through Jan. 1 at the Ventura County Fairgrounds.

The circus features a dog and pony act, horses, jugglers and an acrobatic limbo and dance act from Kenya.

Circus co-producer Linda Prince Zoppé said she and husband Giovanni Zoppé’s daughters hang onto big rings called lyras suspended high above the floor.

“They have this opportunity to make beautiful shapes with their bodies and the rings, simultaneously demonstrating their strength and flexibility," she said.

Dave Mason covers East County for the Ventura County Star. He can be reached at dave.mason@vcstar.com or 805-437-0232.

This article originally appeared on Ventura County Star: Circus acts bring drama to Ventura and Simi Valley