The 27th edition of the International Circus Festival of Italy will take place in Latina from October 15th to 19th. Our cast increases with four new numbers featuring performers from Italy, Mexico, the USA, and Spain.
The experts of the Selection Committee have added four more numbers to the circus competition, with stars in different disciplines: rola bola, clown, sword, and aerial skating.
MAVERIK NIEMEN
Italy – Rola Bola
THE RETURN OF MAVERIK NIEMEN TO LATINA AFTER HIS FIRST PARTICIPATION IN OUR 2020 SPECIAL EDITION.
Maverik Niemen was born in 1996 to Guido Niemen and Romina Orfei. At the age of 14 he decided to follow in his father’s footsteps and, guided by trainers Aguanito Merzari e Fatima Zora, he began to practise rola bola, a complex acrobatic discipline that involves balancing on stacked cylinders. Maverik is making a big return to Latina: he participated in the 21st edition of the Festival in 2020, which was a special edition dedicated to rising Italian Circus talents, modified due to the restrictions of the pandemic. Since then, Maverik has embarked on an international career that has taken him to Circuses, Variety Shows, and Festivals all over the world. The number he is presenting at Latina shows the personal and technical progress attained in the interim years. He is accompanied by violinist Michaela Ramilli, who plays alongside the Festival’s live band.
PAQUIN Jr & ANGELO
Mexico – Clown
FATHER AND SON FROM MEXICO TO PROVIDE LIGHT-HEARTED FUN FOR OUR INTERNATIONAL AUDIENCES.
Arturo Pérez Ramírez works under the stage name of Paquin Jr. He was born in Córdoba, Veracruz (Mexico). A clown since 1988, he began his artistic career in the USA, arriving in Mexico in 1991 for the first time. His career has mostly taken him abroad; as of today he has performed in 42 different countries, and is currently director of the Vie de Cirque Company alongside his wife and his son, Angel Felipe Pérez Valencia, whose stage name is Angelo. Angelo began his artistic career in Mexico City in 2005, performing in the ring with Circo Atayde Hermanos in the guise of the character created by his father. After performing as a whiteface clown, in 2016 he reprised the character of Angelo. In 2020, during the pandemic, he wrote the plot for Vie de Cirque, his own show, with which he is currently touring Mexico. In 2021 he took part in the World’s Best Clowns event in Russia, and in 2023 he joined the cast of Circus Roncalli in New York. At 27, he currently covers the roles of both clown and Artistic Director of his own show.
ALEX MAGALA
USA – Sword
FROM MARTIAL ARTS TO THE RISKS OF THE CIRCUS RING: THE PROFESSIONAL JOURNEY OF A PERFORMER WHO HAS BEEN VIEWED BY 200 MILLION PEOPLE.
Alex Magala is a martial arts talent: a grappling expert and Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt under Eddie Bravo, he has developed his own Mantis Style within the 10th Planet system. However, he also likes risk; this young American performer is famous for performing the most dangerous act in the history of the Got Talent franchise. In the Champions edition, which showcased the best numbers in 12 years of the show, Alex Magala’s performance broke all TV and internet viewing records with 200 million views worldwide; 2 Guinness World Records, USA and UK Champions top performer are just a few of his accolades. Alex is a daring performer who literally lives on the knife edge, professionally speaking, and his high visibility has combined with that to make him widely considered the most original sword swallower in the world.
SKY SKATERS
Italy, Spain – Aerial skating
AN ORIGINAL REINTERPRETATION OF SKATING THAT UNFOLDS BETWEEN A HORIZONTAL SURFACE AND AERIAL BRAVADO.
Sky Skaters is the stage name of the artistic partnership of Jaqueline and Wagner. Italian and German respectively, Sky Skaters reinterpret skating with a new twist: aerials. Aerial skating is a fusion of the speed of traditional skating with the three-dimensionality of circus arts, mixing up a conventional platform with aerial interludes. Sky Skaters are the creators of Aerial Roller Skating: this discipline takes the three forms of skating – artistic, roller skating and ice skating – and blends them with aerial skills. This transition from the usual stage to the Circus ring happens via three key elements: the use of the vertical dimension, centrifugal force, and the element of risk. The Sky Skaters recently increased their visibility and popularity by participating in numerous high-audience TV programmes in a number of European countries.
