After much-awaited anticipation, the magical doors of the Magic Circus of Samoa officially opened to the public on 18 July.

Filled with lights, laughter, and joy the opening show hosted more than 800 people at the circus grounds in Vaitele with the majority of tickets selling out early Thursday morning. This was the first time the circus has returned to Apia since 2018. 

The show consisted of many performances such as the Wheel of Death, the Globe of Death, highwire, and magic performances with performers from Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Mexico, and of course Samoa. 

Rene Alberto Alegria Servin is a juggler from Mexico and is his first time in Samoa. 

His family has been in the circus for over four generations. He started his journey in the circus as a clown when he was seven-years-old. 

As he grew older, he took up different acts. At 13-years-old, he eventually landed on performing on a unicycle. While he was on the unicycle, he learned to juggle to make his act more entertaining. 

One day, his unicycle was stolen and he lost part of his act. Despite this, he continued to learn how to juggle and improve his skills. 32 years later, and it’s the act he continues to perform to this day. 

The hardest part about juggling in this part of the world is the humidity, said Alegria Servin. 

“Because of the heat, you sweat more and your hands can become slippery and things can fall so it becomes a challenge,” Alegria Servin said. 

His favorite part about being in the circus is the moment he's on stage. He stopped performing for over four years. At first, he didn’t miss it but eventually, he started getting nostalgic and wanted to perform again. 

He’s excited about returning to the stage for the first time in over four years and enjoyed the energy of the crowd in the opening show. 

“The most important part is that people are happy and I think we achieved that yesterday,” Alegria Servin said. 

Thalissa Fabbri Stevanovich performs aerial silks and hula hoops and is from Brazil. She came to Samoa 15 years ago when she was only 15 and is excited to return. 

“The people here in Samoa are very friendly and I love it,” Fabbri Stevanovich said. “I’ve worked in other places but here people shout and scream and as a performer it gives me goosebumps because it’s an energy and that gives me energy.” 

Her family has been in the circus for over six generations and she started her journey in the circus when she was three-years-old as a clown. 

Since then she’s taken up many different types of acts but decided to specialise in hula hoops because of its uniqueness in the circus and she can hula hoop over 80 at once. 

“It’s a dedication for life,” Fabbri Stevanovich said. “But when you hear the crowd’s shouting, it’s priceless. It’s better than any salary.” 

The circus will have shows every Thursday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday until 18 August.