Difference between revisions of "Carrillo Brothers"
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The son of a vaquero, Pedro Carillo was born in 1947 in Colombia, and began his circus career as a roustabout in traveling circuses. During his spare time, he practiced wire walking, and soon become proficient enough to perform on the high wire. With another high-wire walker who had followed a similar training path, Daniel Acosta, Pedro joined a newly formed high-wire troupe, and toured Colombia, Peru and Ecuador. In 1967, they came to the United States, where they performed in traveling circuses and fairs. | The son of a vaquero, Pedro Carillo was born in 1947 in Colombia, and began his circus career as a roustabout in traveling circuses. During his spare time, he practiced wire walking, and soon become proficient enough to perform on the high wire. With another high-wire walker who had followed a similar training path, Daniel Acosta, Pedro joined a newly formed high-wire troupe, and toured Colombia, Peru and Ecuador. In 1967, they came to the United States, where they performed in traveling circuses and fairs. | ||
Revision as of 17:10, 23 October 2008
High Wire
By Dominique Jando
The son of a vaquero, Pedro Carillo was born in 1947 in Colombia, and began his circus career as a roustabout in traveling circuses. During his spare time, he practiced wire walking, and soon become proficient enough to perform on the high wireA tight, heavy metallic cable placed high above the ground, on which wire walkers do crossings and various acrobatic exercises. Not to be confused with a tight wire.. With another high-wire walker who had followed a similar training path, Daniel Acosta, Pedro joined a newly formed high-wire troupe, and toured Colombia, Peru and Ecuador. In 1967, they came to the United States, where they performed in traveling circuses and fairs.
After having honed their skills and gained performing experience in that troupe, Pedro and Daniel created their own high-wire duet, the Carillo Brothers. They performed at great speed rarely seen "tricks," such as a two-man-high column with a dismount on the wire, jumps over one another, and rope jumping—all without a net, and most of the time without a balance pole. Harold Alzana, The Great Doval (Manfred Fritsch), and Gene Mendez and Joe Seitz had popularized this style of high-energy daredevilry on the wire, but when the Carillo Brothers began performing their act, it was still a rarity.
The Carillo Brothers were quick to make their mark and, in 1977, they were featured as a solo act in Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey's Greatest Show On Earth. That same year, they participated in the International Circus Festival of Monte Carlo, were they became a sensation and won a Silver Clown award. Daniel Acosta fell during a performance with Ringling later in the year, and was seriously injured. Luis Posso, who was born to a family of Colombian high-wire artists, replaced him.
The Carillo Brothers remained with The Greatest Show On Earth until 1984. In 1985, they were featured at the Big Apple Circus, and in a PBS TV special, The Pops Join the Circus, with the Boston Pops Esplanade Orchestra.
Pedro Carillo continued a brilliant international career with various partners, the latest being his son Pedro, Jr. (Pedro has another son, Ray, who is not in the circus), with whom he worked until 1994. The following year, Pedro Carillo, Jr. went on his own and created a new high wireA tight, heavy metallic cable placed high above the ground, on which wire walkers do crossings and various acrobatic exercises. Not to be confused with a tight wire. act, The Carillos.
Pedro Senior didn't hang up his balance pole, however, and continued performing, doing notably spectacular crossings on the high wireA tight, heavy metallic cable placed high above the ground, on which wire walkers do crossings and various acrobatic exercises. Not to be confused with a tight wire.. In 2007, at age 60, he participated in a high-wire competition part of the Hi Seoul Festival in South Korea. The challenge was to walk as fast as possible a kilometer-long (3,280 feet) cable stretched over the Huan River, 22 meter above the water. He arrived in 8th position, completing the walk in 17'05".
