{"id":322048,"date":"2026-05-19T01:00:12","date_gmt":"2026-05-19T01:00:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/322048\/"},"modified":"2026-05-19T01:00:12","modified_gmt":"2026-05-19T01:00:12","slug":"francesco-caballero-wants-to-keep-his-family-circus-legacy-afloat","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/322048\/","title":{"rendered":"Francesco Caballero wants to keep his family circus legacy afloat"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Francesco Caballero has been juggling a lot \u2014 quite literally. <\/p>\n

When he\u2019s not tending to his online studies at the California Virtual Academies, the 13-year-old can be found in the circus ring \u2014 hurling bowling pins, straw hats, hollow rings and rubber balls high up in the air, all in one harmonious cycle.<\/p>\n

But the bright-eyed teen is also balancing something far greater: a legacy. The rookie showman is proving his mettle as part of the Caballero Circus<\/a>, a five-generation family of performers, by enchanting audiences with his charismatic stage presence and sharp coordination.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy family is a circus family. That\u2019s what they did when they were kids and it just passed on to me,\u201d said Francesco, hours before a Wednesday night performance in Santa Ana.<\/p>\n

Though Francesco is only a month into his journey as a traveling cast member, he pranced about the ring Wednesday with the confidence of a seasoned ringmaster. For his act, the teen juggled up to five objects at a time; as a couple of stray balls fell to his side, he swiftly picked them up and tossed them into the air, as if it were part of the script all along.<\/p>\n

And, once the thrill wore off, Francesco marched into center stage with a small motorbike \u2014 enclosing himself in a chamber known as the \u201cGlobe of Death\u201d: a mesh sphere where riders ramp their bikes using the power of centripetal force to loop around the Globe. He also played the trumpet.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn order to grow as a performer and to be better, you really have to be patient,\u201d said Caballero. \u201cIt\u2019s not something that\u2019s easy, that you\u2019ll be better in like a week.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Francesco <\/p>\n

Francesco Caballero, 13, poses for a portrait at the Caballero Circus on Wednesday, May 13, 2026, in Santa Ana.<\/p>\n

As boldly charismatic as Caballero appeared on stage, his path to performing in the family circus was hardly clear-cut.<\/p>\n

At the age of 3, he was diagnosed with leukemia: a cancer that causes the body to produce too many abnormal white blood cells. This made it difficult for his body to fight infections, carry oxygen and stop bleeding. He was in treatment for four years, until he finally beat cancer by age 7. <\/p>\n

This is why his mother, Liliana, a former flying trapeze artist, felt overprotective of him when he began showing interest in the performing world \u2014 which began with a small role in the Cirque du Soleil show \u201cThe Beatles Love,\u201d in which he played one of the Fab Four in childhood.<\/p>\n

At first, Liliana would watch closely to make sure Francesco didn\u2019t get tired or bruised. Yet doctors eventually assured her that physical activity for a recovering pediatric leukemia patient would be beneficial to his quality of life.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was against it [at first], but he was so spoiled,\u201d said Liliana. She joked that her son, the youngest of her three children, was \u201cmimado\u201d \u2014 a term in Spanish used to describe someone who receives excess attention. Back in the ring, as Francesco prepared his juggling act for another night of play, she stood farther back in the stands, being an ever-observant coach.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen he told me that he wanted to be like my family, like his grandparents, it was a great satisfaction for me,\u201d said Liliana. \u201cAfter everything we\u2019ve been through, and still my son dreams of being in the circus, it was a huge blessing for me.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"The <\/p>\n

1\/4 <\/p>\n

The Cartoon Poodles perform at the Caballero Circus on Wednesday, May 13, 2026, in Santa Ana.\u00a0 (Kayla Bartkowski \/ Los Angeles Times) <\/p>\n

\"Chicharron <\/p>\n

2\/4 <\/p>\n

Chicharron performs at the Caballero Circus on Wednesday, May 13, 2026, in Santa Ana.\u00a0 (Kayla Bartkowski \/ Los Angeles Times) <\/p>\n

\"Francesco <\/p>\n

3\/4 <\/p>\n

Francesco Caballero, 13, juggles pins during his performance at Caballero Circus on Wednesday, May 13, 2026, in Santa Ana.\u00a0 (Kayla Bartkowski \/ Los Angeles Times) <\/p>\n

\"Nicole <\/p>\n

4\/4 <\/p>\n

Nicole Caballero, 15, second from left, Gianna Rios, 8, Francesco Caballero, 13, Judith Caballero, 15, and Chicharron perform at the Caballero Circus on Wednesday, May 13, 2026, in Santa Ana.\u00a0 (Kayla Bartkowski \/ Los Angeles Times) <\/p>\n

The Caballero circus dynasty dates back to the turn of the 20th century in Guadalajara, with Adelaida Caballero was the first in the family to practice the joyous spectacle. Her daughter, Isabel, would be the first of the Caballeros to open her own circus, as a way to earn income during the Mexican Revolution. (They allegedly entertained Pancho Villa, <\/a>a well-known circus-lover<\/a>, in 1916.) <\/p>\n

During this time, circus families blossomed all over Mexico, aided by the appearance of the steamship and railway systems, as the circus historian Julio Revolledo C\u00e1rdenas<\/a> would detail in a 2018 article for the F\u00e9d\u00e9ration Mondiale du Cirque.<\/p>\n

However, much of the Caballero family\u2019s performance lore begins with Isabel\u2019s son, 82-year-old Rub\u00e9n: an apparatus connoisseur well-versed in the high wire, trapeze and hand balancing. Around 1981, Rub\u00e9n would bring the entire Caballero family to the United States; all eight of his children performed for the esteemed Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey circuses, with the flying trapeze as their specialty act.<\/p>\n

Two members of the Caballero family, Rub\u00e9n Sr. and Rub\u00e9n Jr., are also recognized for being the first to execute the quadruple somersault under the big top tent in 1985<\/a>. It requires extreme faith in the opposite catcher, as much as it does for the individual flipping multiple times over \u2014 they even recorded the groundbreaking stunt<\/a> for posterity\u2019s sake, along with other home videos. <\/p>\n

\"\" <\/p>\n

In 1995, this risky act helped the family secure the esteemed Payaso de Oro: the top prize at the International Circus Festival of Monte-Carlo, an award comparable to soccer\u2019s Ballon d\u2019Or or music\u2019s Grammy. Some of the Rub\u00e9n\u2019s direct descendants would win the award once again 30 years later<\/a>.<\/p>\n

By 2000, Rub\u00e9n would open his own white-and-purple tent circus, Caballero Circus, where Liliana now oversees the concession stand. Her sisters Maria and Judith manage the circus and supervise show details, respectively. <\/p>\n

\u201cMy father\u2019s American dream was always to run his own circus,\u201d said Liliana.<\/p>\n

Rub\u00e9n Sr., who continues to be the patriarch of the Caballero family, is teaching his youngest grandson everything he knows. \u201cHe wants me to be better,\u201d said Francesco.<\/p>\n

\"Nicole <\/p>\n

Nicole Caballero, 15, from left in the front row, Melody Caballero, 22, Francesco Caballero, 13, and Judith Caballero, 15, at the end of the show at the Caballero Circus on Wednesday, May 13, 2026, in Santa Ana.<\/p>\n

Now carrying the family\u2019s torch is the fifth generation of tumbling acrobats skilled in the art of balance and flexibility. Liliana\u2019s 15-year-old daughter, Nicole, specializes in the Globe of Death, where she gets in the locked cage with her cousin Judith, also 15; together they maneuver the motorbikes around the globe at opposing-intersecting paths. This is a skill set she takes pride in, since many in the audience assume there are men underneath the protective gear. <\/p>\n

\u201cOnce we come out, we take our helmets out and they see girls can do it too,\u201d said Nicole before her Wednesday performance.<\/p>\n

Melody, host of the bilingual show, competed as a contortionist on Season 8 of \u201cAmerica\u2019s Got Talent,\u201d which aired in 2013. \u201c\u200aWe could have the worst day of our lives, but when we step on stage, we have to have the biggest smile in the world,\u201d said Melody.<\/p>\n

Two of Rub\u00e9n\u2019s older sons, who married Russian acrobats during international stints, broke off and founded their own troupe as Circus Caballero<\/a>. They have their own touring show stationed in Bell through May 25.<\/p>\n

\"Francesco <\/p>\n

Francesco Caballero, 13, gets ready in a mirror inside a trailer at the Caballero Circus on Wednesday, May 13, 2026, in Santa Ana.<\/p>\n

Some of the Caballero family members also compete internationally as the Flying Caballero<\/a> \u2014 something the youngest Caballero member, Francesco, hopes he can work his way up to.<\/p>\n

\u201c\u200aI\u2019ve been told that they\u2019ve been to France, to Italy, Germany, everywhere,\u201d he said. \u201cMy primos just went to one of the most prestigious festivals in Monaco and they won first place. I wanna be like my cousins and do what they\u2019re doing.\u201d<\/p>\n

Francesco might still be learning the ropes of the circus world \u2014 but before he can compete on the glamorous world stage, he must first conquer his school\u2019s virtual talent show. On June 8, he will participate in a nationwide competition by the virtual academy K12,<\/a> which will showcase student talent from across the country.<\/p>\n

Thankfully, he will have plenty of time to practice. The Caballero Circus will station itself in Lakewood between May 22 to June 7<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u201cNot a lot of kids do what I do,\u201d said Francesco. \u201cIt teaches us to connect with the public, to connect with other people.\u201d<\/p>\n