SAN ANTONIO — If you've driven past Ingram Park Mall in the past few days, you may have noticed a big top tent. Cirque Italia has returned to the Alamo City for the second year in a row.
Cirque Italia is the worlds first traveling water circus. "The water aspect of the show is something unique. Honestly, there is no other show in the U.S. that has it," said Victor Abatilla, who is an eighth-generation circus performer. He told us, "I started off as a clown. I was a fifth-generation clown. But I lean more towards the juggling."
After seeing his talent at work, it's obvious why he chose juggling. He tried to teach KENS 5's Jeremy Baker, but juggling just didn't seem to be his thing. Instead, he decided to clown around with "Clown Rafinha."
But the big show was the reveal of the water element hiding under the lid of the stage. That lid rises over 30 feet in the air. Artist and on-site media specialist Samantha Kulinski told us, "We have rainwater from the ceiling, shooting up in the air, choreographed with our music, and our lights, so our experience is really elevated here."
The curtain of rain times out perfectly with the lights and music, making the production like no other. One of the main performing groups, "The Italians," consists of a rocking and roller-skating family of five, featuring one of their four acts here.
Kulinski said, "What you are not going to see right now, what you'll have to come to see, is head balancing, trapeze, contortion, and "rolla bolla," which is stacking a bunch of objects and balancing on them."
Besides the water, the intimate environment of the stories-high tent is what makes this show so special. "Honestly, when you're performing and you are here and you see how people are reacting to it, it gives you that extra to want to give more to the audience," said Abatilla. Kulinski added, "Even people in the back row, you are only 40 feet from the stage, so it is a very intimate experience."
Experience Cirque Italia in person tonight at 7:30pm, with shows through Sunday. Check out information about the show times and tickets here: https://cirqueitalia.com/the-tours/silver