If nothing else, circus life apparently gets its performers prepared to handle even the most extreme situations.
Andrea Raffo is a hair suspension performer with the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus, which will bring its Over the Top show to Buffalo this week.
That job entails exactly what it sounds like. Six times a week over four days of performances, Raffo hangs from atop the stadium in which the circus is performing by her hair while performing acrobatic maneuvers.
“At the beginning, it’s painful,” said Raffo, a native of Sarasota, Fla., who is a fifth-generation circus performer. “But once you learn to keep your hair straight, you get used to it ... I don’t even think about it anymore.”
Another thing she never thinks about is life without the circus. Raffo grew up touring the world with her mother and grandmother, who both were hair suspension performers. She kept up on schoolwork along with the other children of performers by circus-provided teachers while meeting people in Europe, Asia and nearly every other continent.
“I have friends everywhere,” she said. “Life on the road is great. We all hang out and have fun.”
The familial connections continue for Roffo today. Her husband is a lion trainer for Ringling Bros., while their child tours with them, as well. As her mother has done for her, Roffo said she hopes to perform as long as her body will allow her to, then stay on the road to support the couple’s child.
Although she spent her childhood surrounded by the circus, Raffo wasn’t forced into a career in follicular aeronautics. Her mother gave approval for her to begin training in the art, Raffo said, and she spent about 18 months of her teenage years getting her act ready to perform. Even after she started performing before live audiences, she said, it took several months of fine-tuning for her to get her routine exactly how she wanted it.
“It’s a very unique act, she said. “When you see people’s faces ... they don’t want to believe it, believe that you just did it. That’s what I love.”
Raffo’s full routine won’t be on display in Buffalo, as the Over the Top show features her only at the beginning and the end (Ringling Bros. shows reset about every two years, she said, and her full routine will be featured on the next cycle). Aside from her ingress and egress, audiences can expect animal exhibitions, clowns, daredevil motorcycle riders and plenty of other spectacles, she said.
Before each show, performers will be on hand to answer questions and sign autographs. Judging by people’s receptions during those meet-and-greets, Roffo feels it’s safe to assume that the circus means as much to today’s audiences as it did to previous generations.
“The show is always pretty full, so the business is doing well,” she said. “They’re just amazed by it ... it’s live entertainment that will just blow you away.”
Contact Paul Laneat 693-1000, ext. 116.
IF YOU GO
• WHAT: Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus
• WHEN: 7 p.m. Oct. 22-23; 11 a.m., 3 p.m. and 7 p.m. Oct. 24; and 1 p.m. Oct. 25
• WHERE: HSBC Arena, Knox Plaza, Buffalo
• MORE INFORMATION: Call (888) 223-6000 or visit ringling.com
Features
Related Photos
LIFESTYLE: Circus is in town this week
- Features
-
-
LYLA'S WINGS: Wings Flights of Hope helped save the life of Niagara Falls toddler
Free flights for those in need never charges a center for service
-
FORGIONE: Hundred-pound loss finally allows self pride
The final chapter on the year-long journey to good health and fitness
-
NATURAL HEALTH: Cholesterol is misunderstood
Normal cholesterol is essential for cellular repair and plays a very important role in memory and learning.
-
DELUCA: Video documents marvels of growth
Video cameras were just becoming affordable when my two sons were born and — just like many other children from that era — there are way too many moments of their lives documented by their over-enthusiastic parents.
-
PROFILE: Niagara Falls man battles dangerous bleeding disease
Surgery has stopped his life threatening nose bleeds but many others are still battling this largely unknown illness.
-
Pascal's Pets: Dogs from Hyde Park rescue attempt happy in new home.
Pascal Scrufari's trio of retrievers are adjusting well to new home despite senior dog's battle with cancer
-
APRON'S READY: Yeast free bread
If you look hard enough you can find an awareness day, week or month for almost anything. The question is … in what positive way are you going to acknowledge your favorite awareness day? There are too many awareness days to celebrate them all. Pick the awareness day that means the most to you and your family.
-
Niagara Writers: An excerpt from "Where the Gold is Buried"
Niagara author Robert Moore shares an excerpt from his book about the legend of buried treasure at Fort Niagara.
-
Into the Woods: Falls developer offers 'glamping' at new family campground
John Hutchins, developer of the painstakingly renovated Rapids Theatre on Main Street, is an avid hunter, and it is his love for the sport which has launched him into his newest venture, a project that he anticipates with the enthusiasm of a kid waiting for Christmas.
-
Falls developer offers 'glamping' experience
Outdoors: Hunting is just one of the many activities would be available near high-end camping facilities.
- More Features Headlines
-
Police: Gunman Has Hostages in Realty Office
Fugitive Penguin Caught, Returned to Aquarium
50 Years Later, Underground Fire Still Burning
Light Show Transforms Sydney Opera House
Raw Video: Unruly Passenger Restrained in Miami
Raw Video: Robber Uses Drive-thru Window
Raw Video: Dragon Arrives at Space Station
Calif.'s Coronado Named Nation's Best Beach
CEO Salaries Become Sore Issue in Labor Disputes
Raw Video: Fight Erupts in Ukrainian Parliament
Texan Ranchers Remain Wary of Drought
Raw Video: Soldiers Plant Flags at Arlington
Police: Man Arrested in Etan Patz Disappearance
NYC Protests: the Revolution Will Be Scripted
Chicago U.S. Attorney Fitzgerald Resigns
Neighbors of Etan Patz's Suspect: It's Shocking
Gulf Fishermen Reel From Seafood Troubles
Stuntman Makes Skydive Without Parachute in UK
Raw Video: Bride Who Faked Cancer Released
Raw Video: Passed Out Man Robbed
